SPA Kicks Off 2025 with Exciting and Firm Steps

On January 7, 2025, Carlos Nobre and Marielos Peña-Claros, Co-Chairs of the Science Panel for the Amazon (SPA), led a pivotal working meeting. This session brought together the SPA Science Steering Committee (SSC), Panel scientists serving as lead authors for an upcoming report, and the SPA Technical-Scientific Secretariat. This kick-off meeting aimed to lay the groundwork for developing the new report, including revisiting its structure and themes, clarifying roles for all contributors, and outlining the timeline for this significant endeavor.

Since its inception in 2020, the SPA has launched the Amazon Assessment Report in 2021 and actively produced a variety of publications, including 18 Policy Briefs, 8 Statements, and other contributions presented at key international events. These publications have tackled a wide range of critical topics for the Amazon and sustainable development, such as large-scale restoration, socio-bioeconomies, Indigenous territories and protected areas, illegal activities, biodiversity, droughts, and more.

The Panel is now committed to producing a new report, this time centered around the theme of Amazonian connectivity. To follow the 2021 report, often referred to as the "encyclopedia of the Amazon," this new publication will be shorter, solutions-oriented, and focused on actionable strategies to maintain Amazonian connectivity while highlighting its synergies with the region and the world. The report's development will be integrative and interdisciplinary, incorporating diverse perspectives, including Indigenous and Local Knowledge.

The new report is scheduled to launch at COP30 in Belém (November 2025), a historic moment for the Amazon region. Between now and then, the path will be marked by collective efforts and initiatives, including an in-person meeting of SPA lead authors to workshop the report's first draft. Additionally, strategies are being envisaged to ensure that the development of the report is shared with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) through knowledge dialogues and to plan its effective dissemination on the ground, across the region, and beyond through a robust communication strategy.

This first meeting was filled with energy and optimism, marking a crucial first step in what is sure to be a significant contribution from the SPA toward the conservation and sustainable development of #TheAmazonWeWant.

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Watch this video to learn more about the SPA's accomplishments in 2024.