Abstract:Developing a clear vision is the central starting point for any action plan. This chapter reviews the main visions regarding the Amazon and proposes a Living Amazon Vision based on a set of values, principles, and knowledge systems described throughout the chapter.
“…This involves developing the skills and knowledge base of professionals and the local labor force to strengthen local participation, as well as investing in education, training, and technical assistance to empower local communities to manage their resources, participate in decision-making processes, and implement sustainable practices. Fostering knowledge exchange among local communities, researchers, and policymakers can facilitate the development of context-specific solutions, being especially important to open discussions on the incorporation of sustainability standards in territorial planning and execution of infrastructure projects in the Amazon region 113. The promotion of inclusive and transparent governance mechanisms can amplify local voices and address their needs, besides facilitating accountability 5 . In that sense, it is imperative to empower Amazonian voices and ensure their active participation in the design of the region's infrastructure, preserving their cultural heritage and cultivating a thriving socio-bioeconomy that can raise their standard of living 23,114 .…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The Amazon is also home to an estimated 6 million smallholder farmers and approximately 28 million urban residents that today account for at least 70% of the region's population 3 . Meeting the infrastructure needs of the region's diverse residents is a challenge, especially so given the substantial gaps in the provision of basic services to Amazonian people (e.g., clean water and sanitation, transportation, communication/digitization services 4 ), and the multiple and often opposing worldviews about the region's development among Amazonians 5 .…”
Section: A Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…7 principles ii from the sPA's "living Amazon Vision'' 5 . The primary concern should be to identify connectivity and accessibility improvements that promote zero deforestation, facilitate socio-bioeconomic growth 23 , increase access to opportunities and job prospects, and enhance living standards.…”
Infrastructure in the Amazon has prioritized national development and other interests, which were generally tilted towards extractive activities (mining, energy, agriculture/cattle) and domestic industrial policies (e.g., Manaus Free Zone) rather than needs of local populations or environmental concerns, such as maintaining and protecting the high diversity of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, resulting in an unsustainable, low-quality development process. A new paradigm is necessary for adapting existing infrastructure, and for planning and building future infrastructure, at both national and subnational levels. This new paradigm should be based on the concept of a spatial configuration and include the consideration of nature-based solutions and Indigenous and local knowledge (ILK).
“…This involves developing the skills and knowledge base of professionals and the local labor force to strengthen local participation, as well as investing in education, training, and technical assistance to empower local communities to manage their resources, participate in decision-making processes, and implement sustainable practices. Fostering knowledge exchange among local communities, researchers, and policymakers can facilitate the development of context-specific solutions, being especially important to open discussions on the incorporation of sustainability standards in territorial planning and execution of infrastructure projects in the Amazon region 113. The promotion of inclusive and transparent governance mechanisms can amplify local voices and address their needs, besides facilitating accountability 5 . In that sense, it is imperative to empower Amazonian voices and ensure their active participation in the design of the region's infrastructure, preserving their cultural heritage and cultivating a thriving socio-bioeconomy that can raise their standard of living 23,114 .…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The Amazon is also home to an estimated 6 million smallholder farmers and approximately 28 million urban residents that today account for at least 70% of the region's population 3 . Meeting the infrastructure needs of the region's diverse residents is a challenge, especially so given the substantial gaps in the provision of basic services to Amazonian people (e.g., clean water and sanitation, transportation, communication/digitization services 4 ), and the multiple and often opposing worldviews about the region's development among Amazonians 5 .…”
Section: A Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…7 principles ii from the sPA's "living Amazon Vision'' 5 . The primary concern should be to identify connectivity and accessibility improvements that promote zero deforestation, facilitate socio-bioeconomic growth 23 , increase access to opportunities and job prospects, and enhance living standards.…”
Infrastructure in the Amazon has prioritized national development and other interests, which were generally tilted towards extractive activities (mining, energy, agriculture/cattle) and domestic industrial policies (e.g., Manaus Free Zone) rather than needs of local populations or environmental concerns, such as maintaining and protecting the high diversity of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, resulting in an unsustainable, low-quality development process. A new paradigm is necessary for adapting existing infrastructure, and for planning and building future infrastructure, at both national and subnational levels. This new paradigm should be based on the concept of a spatial configuration and include the consideration of nature-based solutions and Indigenous and local knowledge (ILK).
“…The Amazon Basin is the world's largest river drainage system, with ~30% of the region (2.3 million km 2 ) covered by rivers, wetlands and seasonally flooded forests (Junk et al., 1989). This area supports extensive plant and animal species (Zapata‐Ríos et al., 2022) and is home to more than 40 million people (Alencar et al., 2021), including thousands of IPLCs. Although they do not utilize the term waterscape, Borea and Yahuarcani (2020) illuminate the intimate connections between Amazonian communities and local water sources stating:In general, rivers, to the indigenous Amazonian people, are integral parts of our world, our being.…”
Section: Approach: Amazonian Waterscapes and Human Health And Well‐beingmentioning
Water insecurity, the inability to benefit from affordable, adequate, reliable and safe water, is one of the greatest contemporary threats facing humans. While ‘water insecurity’, as a concept, is globally recognized and serves an essential function in policymaking, it does not capture the multiple, relational connections between Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) and water systems. We contend that studies of water insecurity and health among IPLCs can be improved by applying a systematic approach to the concept of waterscapes. The term waterscape describes the socio‐natural relations between humans and water.
To make examining waterscapes more systematic and to draw attention to the importance of health within waterscapes, we use a four‐tiered socio–ecological approach to describe the multi‐level interactions between IPLCs and local water systems in the Amazonian watershed. We then apply this four‐tiered model to the case of the Belo Monte dam in the Brazilian Amazon to identify the specific health impacts of disrupting the Xingu River waterscape.
Applying the four‐tiered socio‐ecological approach to the Belo Monte case study showed that this dam led to flooding and compromised water quality that local people associated with an increased risk for chronic health conditions, such as kidney and renal diseases, and vector‐borne diseases, such as dengue. Displacement due to the dam threatened food security, economic security, community cohesion and the cultural survival of multiple IPLCs along the Xingu river. Our approach uncovers not only the direct consequences of the dam on water insecurity but also the broader implications for community well‐being and cultural integrity, addressing the diverse challenges arising from human‐water interactions.
The four‐tiered approach for assessing waterscapes offers a framework that enables a comprehensive examination of the intricate relations between water and humans. While there are overlaps among the levels, this framework is applicable to other situations where mining, oil extraction and the construction of hydrovías are substantially altering local waterscapes. Tools such as this one can promote more meaningful engagement between researchers, policymakers, and IPLCs in defining the range of outcomes to be considered in social and environmental impact assessments.
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“…La Amazonía también alberga a unos 6 millones de pequeños agricultores y aproximadamente representan al menos el 70% de la población de la región 3 . Satisfacer las necesidades de infraestructura de los diversos residentes de la región es un desafío, especialmente dadas las brechas sustanciales en la provisión de servicios básicos a los pueblos Amazónicos (por ejemplo, agua potable y saneamiento, transporte y servicios de comunicación/digitalización 4 ), así como las múltiples y a menudo opuestas cosmovisiones sobre el desarrollo de la región entre los pobladores Amazónicos 5 .…”
Es necesario un nuevo paradigma para adaptar la infraestructura existente y también para planificar y construir la infraestructura futura, tanto a nivel nacional como sub-nacional. Este nuevo paradigma debería basarse en el concepto de configuración espacial e incluir la consideración de soluciones basadas en la naturaleza y el Conocimiento Indígena y Local (ILK).
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