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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.

 

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Dates

December 2023 to November 2029

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Countries

Peru and Ecuador

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Themes

Climate resilience and Farming

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.

Project overview

Full title: Biodiverse Landscapes Fund’s Andes Amazon Project

Dates: December 2023 to November 2029

Location: The Amazon Andes landscape is a vast region between Peru and Ecuador, stretching across 11.4 million hectares, an area equivalent to the size of Bulgaria. This area is home to 920,000 people and contains over eight million hectares of primary tropical forests.

Our role: Practical Action will lead a consortium that brings together indigenous organisations, conservation organisations, development agencies, and governments in Peru and Ecuador. By adopting an approach that prioritises connecting local people with the land, we will focus the efforts of all key actors on a common goal of sustainable management and conservation. This consortium includes Nature and Culture International (NCI), Inter-Ethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Jungle (AIDESEP), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Terra Nuova, and Cooperazione per lo Sviluppo dei Paesi Emergenti (COSPE).

Participants: The governments of Peru, Ecuador and the UK, 10 indigenous organisations, international cooperation agencies, local organisations, and 7,500 families (26% indigenous).

Budget: GBP 14.2 million

Aims: Climate resilience and Agriculture

Funded by: UK International Development

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.

 

Specifically, we will:

  • Create 50,000 hectares of new protected areas.
  • Improve management of 100,000 hectares.
  • Increase sustainability of 2.86 million hectares of indigenous land, known as territories of life.
  • Strengthen 10 indigenous organisations to better influence governments and participate in decision-making processes that affect their lives and futures.
  • Increase financial access for 25 producer and bio-business organisations and support 13 bio-businesses will be supported.
  • Increase incomes by 10% for 7,745 families (26% of them indigenous).
  • 15,000 hectares will be certified organic or in transition, among other key aims.

Our work addresses immediate environmental and social challenges while laying the groundwork for long-term sustainability. By integrating indigenous knowledge with modern practices, we aim to create resilient landscapes that benefit both people and the planet. 

Download more information
Logos of various organizations: Biodiverse Landscapes Fund, UK International Development, Naturaleza y Cultura Internacional, AMBES (Association of Mammals and Birds of Ecuador), WWF, Terra Nuova, COSPE.

“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.

 “We will work with farmers to enable them to get them the money they need to increase sustainable agroforestry. We will work with indigenous groups to support a range of sustainable bio-businesses and we will work with all partners so they can get financial support to protect nature, increase biodiversity and their climate resilience.”

Sarah Roberts, Practical Action CEO


 

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