Amazon Observatory to unveil database on eight countries

The Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) on Wednesday (Nov. 10) launched the Amazon Regional Observatory (ARO), a reference center with data on the biodiversity, natural resources, forests, and peoples of the Amazon.

The idea is to turn it into a tool for the development of research and analyses on the resources and the social diversity of the Amazon region and of public policies and decisions in the eight countries making up the organization: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guiana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.

The observatory features data in charts, maps, georeferenced and multimedia content, official documents, legislation, and academic publications from official sources in the member countries and other institutions with information about the Amazon. Access to the platform is free both online and in loco at the ACTO headquarters, in Brasília.

“The observatory had been desired by these countries for 43 years, considering the need to create a system of mechanisms for cooperation based on data,” said ACTO Secretary-General Alexandra Moreira.

The initiative, Moreira said, will help making smarter decisions for public policies. “We’ll be a tool for public policies in each of the member countries. We hope to develop innovative solutions scalable for the management of natural resources,” she stated.

The observatory will have a Situation Room, housing the Amazon Hydrological Network and a Water Quality Monitoring Network, in addition to storing data on water resources and critical events, the ACTO reported.

Support from Germany

The execution of the observatory’s project was endorsed by German Development Bank KfW. According to the bank’s director for Brazil, Martin Schroeder, the initiative should promote transparency in knowledge management.

Stepping up surveillance for the regulation of the international trade of wild plants and animals is among the goals Schroeder mentioned at the observatory’s launch ceremony. The initiative also aims to implement a system of electronic licensing for the trade of species covered by agreements.

German Ambassador to Brazil Heiko Thoms underscored the importance of the observatory in the “conservation and handling of forests and biodiversity for indigenous peoples and local communities, the management of resources and protection of traditional knowledge, and the integrated management and sustainable use of water resources in a strategic manner.”