The tenth day of SPSAS begins with a lecture by Andrea Encalada of the Science Panel for Amazon, a group that brings together more than 240 researchers and citizens from 8 countries and one territory in the Amazon. The report organized by the group (available at https://www.theamazonwewant.org/) summarizes the importance of the Amazon to the world, the main problems, and the search for solutions. Aquatic systems are the major focus of the report, not only because they are the least studied systems in the region but also because of their importance: “the rivers connect us from side to side of the continent the interconnection of the basin is not only between different species but for the whole connection between the populations that live in the region”, points out Andrea Encalada.
The group’s proposal is to think about how to synthesize the existing information and think of solutions for the region’s issues. “It is important to stress that there is not just one solution, but many solutions, and solutions with different scales, both local and global,” explains the researcher.
Paulo Moutinho, from IPAM, highlighted the work of third sector institutions in the Amazon, bringing different work experiences built from dialogues with local communities, allied to data and maps of the region. One of these highlights was the SOMAI platform (https://somai.org.br/), a system that brings together scientific information to support indigenous peoples in confronting climate change.
About the São Paulo School of Advanced Science Sustainable and Inclusive AMAZONIA
The São Paulo School of Advanced Science Sustainable and Inclusive AMAZONIA was born focused on the Amazon from a transdisciplinary point of view. During two weeks, questions about the Amazon territory, its inhabitants, and the protagonists of biodiversity and climate change mitigation will be addressed. “We set up the school to provide a vision of the different dimensions of the Amazon, but we know that there are still gaps, such as food security and health”, explains Carlos Joly, the school’s coordinator.
The participants will organize themselves into groups and develop themes that have affinity with each other. “The proposal is to co-construct themes that will be treated at the school and that are of interest to the participants,” explains Joly. At the end, the written material will be transformed into an e-book.