During a meeting at the 10th Conference of the Parties on Biological Diversity (COP-10) in Nagoya, Japan, on October 27, Brazil 's Minister of the Environment, Izabella Teixeira, said the international community must recognize the efforts of the Amazon countries in establishing protected areas, and should provide necessary financial support to continue the programs established for this purpose.
According to Ms. Teixeira, the Amazon countries have invested about US$ 100 million annually in maintenance of protected areas. However, according to representatives of regional governments, there is still a need for an extra contribution of at least US$ 150 million annually for these projects.
"We must also invest US$ 500 million in infrastructure so that these areas may have basic levels of consolidation", she said.
Given the overall importance of the Amazon biome, Ms. Teixeira said, a significant financial gap must be covered adequately and predictably through investments from other governments and international financial institutions.
"The Amazon forest has a key role in the global climate system, contributing to the tropical atmospheric circulation and the maintenance of rainfall in the American continent. In addition, the biome has almost 10% of global reserves in terrestrial ecosystems", the minister said.
She mentioned that 75% of all protected areas created in the world between 2003 and 2009 are located in the Amazon, which represent 2.16% of all protected areas of the planet.
With about 6.6 million square kilometers, the Amazon is home to more than half the world's tropical forests, has the largest catchment basin - with about 15% to 20% of freshwater on the planet - and one of the most biodiverse areas on Earth.
At the event, directors of protected areas of the nine Amazon countries presented the first regional report on implementation of the Programme of Work on Protected Areas of the CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity) in the Amazon.
"These data are fundamental to the positive indicator of the last protected areas of the Global Biodiversity Outlook", Ms. Teixeira said.
Ministers and representatives of the Amazon countries have also confirmed interest in working jointly for the conservation of the region. They issued an action plan for the region set for the period 2011 to 2020.
RF
Redes Sociais