Protecting ecosystems and supporting communities in Biodiverse Landscapes

The Biodiverse Landscapes Fund (BLF) Andes Amazon project is a crucial piece of work in a critical region, with the potential to showcase how the world can address biodiversity loss and climate change

The planet is facing rapid climate change and unprecedented biodiversity loss. Global extinction rates  are higher than they have been for millions of years, and are accelerating. Around one in four plant and animal species is threatened by human activity, and hundreds of thousands face extinction in the short term. The destruction of tropical forests and other essential landscapes for agriculture and other uses further contributes to human-made climate change.

Biodiversity loss is also a development issue. Seven out of ten people living in poverty live in rural areas. The degradation of their environment, which is both a cause and a consequence of climate change, exacerbates their day-to-day issues.

This vitally important programme of work is part of a £100m fund operating in six environmentally critical landscapes across the globe. It will address the triple challenge of poverty, biodiversity loss, and the climate emergency. Practical Action will focus on one landscape: the Andes Amazon region in Peru and Ecuador. We will focus on protecting nature and the communities that live there by promoting sustainable livelihoods, strengthening local governance, empowering women and enhancing climate resilience.

 

Located between Peru and Ecuador, the Andes Amazon landscape is rich in biodiversity and cultural heritage.

It covers more than eleven million hectares, is home to countless species and a source of life and livelihood for nearly a million people, including seven distinct Amazonian indigenous groups. It has a huge variety of ecosystems, including cloud forests, jungle mountains, Andean grasslands, and tropical dry forests. It is a powerful carbon sink, absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere and helping to stabilise the global climate.

However, this landscape is under threat. Climate change is altering weather patterns and increasing temperatures, putting pressure on all ecosystems within it. Unsustainable agricultural practices and illegal activities are accelerating deforestation and degrading the environment, even within protected areas. This endangers the region’s rich biodiversity and undermines the well-being and futures of the communities relying on these natural resources.

Environmental degradation goes hand-in-hand with social inequality, deepening divides between local communities. Indigenous peoples, who have been living in these lands for generations, often find themselves side-lined in decision-making processes, despite their invaluable knowledge and connection to the environment.

Breaking this cycle requires a bold approach, challenging the systems, decision-making structures, and ways of working that have created the underlying causes of the current crisis.

The BLF Andes Amazon Project is committed to reshaping the future of this vital landscape, with support from the Peruvian and Ecuadorian governments. It will join up efforts to respond to the needs and plans of the communities living in this remarkable landscape. We aim to protect biodiversity, support effective governance, promote gender equity, secure climate finance, and develop sustainable value chains with crops such as coffee, cacao, and banana. Our approach is comprehensive and collaborative, designed to halt deforestation, prevent biodiversity loss, and enhance the resilience of both the environment and the communities.

From 2024 to 2029, we will implement a series of strategic actions to support indigenous peoples, small-scale farmers, civil society, and government institutions. Working in harmony with other grassroots initiatives, we aim to maximise the impact of our efforts. As the lead organisation, Practical Action is responsible for coordinating the project, securing additional funding, and ensuring our work leaves a lasting legacy.

As a consortium, we will focus on three key outcomes:

1. Nature: Safeguarding and restoring natural ecosystems to slow, halt, or reverse biodiversity loss.
2. People: Investing in sustainable practices to create economic opportunities and strengthen community resilience, indigenous rights protection, and governance of territories.
3. Climate: Mitigating climate change through innovative, nature-based solutions and sustainable land management practices.

“This is a crucial piece of work, not just for people living in and around areas of critical biodiversity but for all of us. Bringing together an approach which improves livelihoods and addresses the biodiversity and nature crisis is vital.

“The role of UK International Development in supporting long term change is hugely important and we are proud to be leading such a strong partnership, which places indigenous people at its heart in the Andes Amazon region.

“I have witnessed huge threats to these globally important forests, and the people who depend on them. I spent time with people we work with. They are already confronting these threats, and farming close to the forests and we discussed mechanisms that could support long term sustainable livelihoods and conservation in the area.