ACTO launches groundbreaking Rapid Assessment of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
In a joint effort that brought together more than 100 specialists and experts from Amazonian countries, the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) is pleased to announce the publication of the "Rapid Assessment of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in the Amazon Basin/Region." This report represents a crucial step in understanding the status and trends of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the Amazon Region, addressing biological, social, cultural, economic, and political dimensions.
At the instruction of Member Countries, including Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela, ACTO has led the generation and application of the latest scientific knowledge to strengthen public management of Amazonian territories. The Rapid Assessment is a milestone, being the first subregional assessment in the world prepared under the conceptual framework and methodology of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).
The rigorousness of this process stands out for its basis in technical-scientific information and other available knowledge systems, as well as for its transparent development with continuous internal and external reviews. The Assessment promotes integration with similar processes, encompassing integral approaches that consider biophysical, economic, social and cultural perspectives. In addition, the legal framework of ACTO Member Countries relevant to biodiversity and ecosystem services has been taken into account, with author selection criteria that maintain multidisciplinarity, gender equity, geographic balance, independence and voluntary work, among others.
The main objective of the Rapid Assessment is to generate technical-scientific synthesis reports that strengthen the interface between science, policy, and society. These reports are presented in the Technical Document, composed of six chapters, and in the Summary for Decision Makers. Both documents consolidate themselves as crucial tools to substantiate the growing importance of the Amazon Region at the global level.
Furthermore, it is anticipated that the Assessment will be a valuable working tool for the future Intergovernmental Technical-Scientific Panel for the Amazon, whose creation is foreseen in the decision adopted by the Presidents of the Amazonian Countries during the IV Summit of Presidents of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty and the XIV Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of ACTO Member Countries.
The IAI Executive Directorate extends an invitation to all to explore, use and disseminate the "Rapid Assessment of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services of the Amazon Basin/Region", available (in Spanish) at https://otca.org/project/evaluacion-rapida-de-diversidad-biologica-y-servicios-ecosistemicos-de-la-cuenca-region-amazonica/
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