Motion 068

-The Amazon Basin river system produces 20 percent of the world's freshwater discharge and contains between 73 and 100 billion tons of carbon. Further losses in forest cover could cause irreversible dieback.
- Amazonia is one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth. It's home to over 3 million species, including many that are unique to the region.
-Amazonia is the most violent region in the world in the fight to defend nature and the livelihoods of more than 500 ethnic groups and nearly 400 million inhabitants;
-The combined levels of deforestation and degradation recorded before the 2023-2024 fires already reached 26% of its ecosystems and, therefore, the point of no return is imminent for the region and a palpable reality in certain subregions, especially in Southern Brazil and Bolivia where they have exceeded the 25% and these are regions where dieback is occurring;
-At least 178 indigenous groups living in isolation inhabit Amazonia and their territories of life include some of the areas with the highest biodiversity on the planet and primary forests that are increasingly threatened by multiple pressures promoted by poor environmental policies and systematic violations. It is urgent to prioritize legal frameworks that effectively guarantee all of their rights and the legal and physical security of their territories;
-Approximately 137 living species become extinct every day in the Amazon due to habitat loss.
-The IPCC (2022) states that “Indigenous Peoples, traditional communities, small farmers, urban poor, children and the elderly in the Amazon are affected by the cascading impacts and risks of the compound effects of climate change and land use on forest fires in the region including respiratory problems and related diseases”.
-Since 2023, the Amazon has been experiencing the worst drought the region in 122 years. The drought in Brazil, Colombia and Peru is leaving 420,000 children without food, water and education. In the Amazon region of Brazil alone, more than 1,700 schools and over 760 health centres have closed or are inaccessible due to low water levels.
-There are at least 4,114 illegal mining sites ravaging the Amazon. The problem affects all countries in the Amazon basin, but above all, the riverside populations in Brazil and Ecuador that register higher levels of mercury contamination.
-In 2007 WWF projected for 2030 that “Current trends in agriculture and livestock expansion, fire, drought and logging could clear or severely damage 55% of the Amazon rainforest by 2030.”
- The peer-reviewed study “A Global Safety Net” indicates the need for a regional target of 85% for the protection of the Amazon biome by 2030;
-In 2025, Ecuador implemented the largest Sovereign Debt Conversion/debt swap to Support Conservation in the Ecuadorian Amazon;
-A significant achievement of COP16 was undoubtedly the historic approval for the establishment of a Permanent Subsidiary Body for Article 8(j) that will allow the delegates to advise and contribute directly to COPs for the first time and set out specific tasks to ensure the “meaningful contribution” of Indigenous peoples and local communities to the CBD’s objectives.
-Research shows that lands managed by IndigenousPeople, both through legal title and informal, customary ownership, have lower deforestation rates than similar lands managed by other forest users.
-Protected areas in the Amazon are underfunded and Indigenous Territories do not get any public funding.