FGV supports expedition along the Negro River in the Amazon

Between July 7 and 10, an expedition along the Negro River in the Amazon region was held by Brazil’s Environment and Climate Change Ministry as part of the second phase of its Brazilian Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Project. The expedition was coordinated by the ministry’s Biodiversity, Forests and Animal Rights Secretariat and its planning and execution received logistical support from Fundação Getulio Vargas, through FGV Europe and FGV Projetos.

The expedition, held in the run-up to the 15th Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 15), scheduled for November 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland, started from the city of Manaus. It featured:

• 13 environmental and sustainable development experts;
• 14 representatives of indigenous peoples and local communities;
• 6 external observers from organizations linked to related topics.

The expedition began in the lower Negro River and made field visits to several locations, including the following:

• The community of Terra Preta in the Puranga-Conquista State Sustainable Development Reserve;
• The offices of the Vitória Amazônica Foundation and Almerinda Malaquias Foundation in the municipality of Novo Airão;
• The community of Patauá in the Unini River Federal Extractive Reserve.

After the expedition, back in Manaus, the members took part in an event about the conservation and management of Amazonian biodiversity. In roundtable discussions, these issues were debated from academic perspectives and the perspectives of traditional peoples and communities. The recommendations made by the experts at this event will be presented at COP 15 in Switzerland, in November.

According to Luís Henrique Piva, an FGV consultant who took part in the expedition and the follow-up event, “This was an opportunity to expand our practical knowledge of real conditions in the region, as well as learn about the experiences of the parties directly affected, while making a major contribution to FGV’s involvement in the Brazilian Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Project.”