Unesco, Amazonas state launch action plan for Central Amazon

The government of Amazonas state, in north Brazil, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) on Tuesday (Sep. 21) launched a plan with 118 environmental actions aimed at preserving the biosphere reserve of the Central Amazon.

The Action Plan for the Central Amazon Biosphere Reserve: PARBAC (2021-2024) should be implemented in collaboration with 30 municipalities in Amazonas state with three main axes, as explained by Fabio Eon, Unesco’s program coordinator for Natural Sciences in Brazil.

“Basically, [the plan] serves three purposes: to help protect biodiversity; to promote sustainable development, turning it into a laboratory of good practices; and, lastly, to help promote scientific knowledge, coupled with the recognition of traditional knowledge,” Eon said, as the plan was being unveiled.

Indigenous territories

The new action plan includes a detailed description of the region, with the dimensions of the indigenous and quilombola lands, archaeological sites, and conservation units, which made it possible for initiatives to be more specific. The full document is available on Unesco’s web portal in Portuguese, English, and Spanish.

The 118 actions include training in management, higher governance levels, efforts to bolster communication, and the search for institutional partners and sponsors.

Created in 2002 with recognition by Unesco, the Central Amazon Biosphere Reserve stretches over 19.8 million hectares in the central region of Amazonas state, where hundreds of environmental areas are located, including upwards of 38 conservation units—14 of which federal, 14 state, and 10 municipal units.