The Amazon rainforest, often called the lungs of Earth, is a vast and intricate ecosystem. It hosts at least 10% of the world’s wildlife and is home to many indigenous peoples and local communities. This vast expanse of rainforest plays an important role in regulating the Earth's climate, sustaining the livelihoods of millions.

Yet, despite its value, the Amazon faces threats from deforestation, illegal mining, and overexploitation. These challenges endanger the environment, cultural heritage, and well-being of the communities that have stewarded these lands for generations.

In response to this urgent crisis, a new initiative is being organized to understand sustainable development in the Amazon. Frontiers has helped coordinate this groundbreaking project in collaboration with Instituto Juruá and ten global partners. 

This initiative, titled Sustainable-Use Protected Areas to Catalyze Enhanced Livelihoods in Rural Amazonia, has been awarded funding by the International Science Council (ISC) as one of two ‘Pilot Science Missions for Sustainability’ and was selected from over 250 expressions of interest. This recognition is not ceremonial. It signifies a commitment to leveraging scientific innovation and traditional knowledge to accelerate environmental conservation while uplifting and promoting local communities. 

The need for action

Traditional conservation efforts, often imposed from the top down, have sometimes marginalized these communities. There is an urgent need for a paradigm shift that places local communities at the center of conservation efforts and recognizes them as the stewards of their ancestral lands.

The degradation of tropical forests and the decline of wildlife populations have consequences that ripple far beyond the Amazon basin. The erosion of these ecosystems threatens global food security, diminishes naturally occurring ecosystem services (such as water purification and carbon sequestration), and exacerbates rural poverty and inequality. For the Amazonian communities intimately connected to the forest, these challenges are a daily reality, hindering their pursuit of sustainable development and an improved quality of life. 

A vision rooted in collaboration

This initiative aims to empower over 100 local communities across over 10 million hectares of the Amazon through science-based strategies, capacity building, and sustainable bioeconomy value chains. Prof Carlos Peres and João Vitor Campos-Silva of Instituto Juruá, both renowned for their dedication to conservation and community engagement, co-lead the project.

"This is a unique opportunity to strengthen an evidence-based model that blends innovative science with traditional knowledge in the Amazon. By improving local quality of life while preserving the forest, we can showcase a positive example of how local communities can sustainably manage their environment, fostering optimism and hope for the future." 

Carlos A Peres, Professor of Ecology at the University of East Anglia, UK

The project’s primary goals include:  

• protect approximately 10 million hectares of land in the Amazon 

• empower local communities and economies to promote forest stewardship 

• set up a collaborative governance system for river basins 

• restore overexploited species that are commercially and culturally important 

• uphold the social rights of indigenous peoples and local communities 

• boost eco-friendly and low-carbon initiatives for sustainable income 

• improve regional infrastructure for better access to services 

Frontiers' focus on open science and community impact

Frontiers' role extends beyond coordination. Their commitment to open science principles underpins the entire initiative. By advocating for transparency, accessibility, and collaboration in scientific research, Frontiers ensures that the knowledge generated by the project is freely available, thus amplifying its impact. 

The Frontiers Research Foundation's support of Instituto Juruá through the Frontiers Planet Prize has been instrumental. The prize award of US$1 million in 2023 provided crucial resources to scale up their research activities and a strong endorsement of the project's innovative approach. This support has enabled Instituto Juruá to lay a solid foundation for the initiative and engage effectively with local stakeholders.

“The Instituto Juruá project exemplifies both the mission of the Frontiers Planet Prize and the potential of open science to work hand in hand with communities and scientists, making real impact on the ground by supporting ecosystems and economies in a way that is sustainable, shareable and replicable. We could not be more delighted by this announcement and the continued success of Carlos’ team. I send them the warmest congratulations from everyone at Frontiers.” 

Dr Kamila Markram, Frontiers CEO

The power of multidisciplinary partnerships

The success of this initiative hinges on the collaborative efforts of a diverse consortium of partners, each coming to the table with unique expertise and resources to the table.  

Organizations such as Swissnex Brazil facilitate international collaboration in education, research, and innovation, while KPMG and Dark Matter Labs offer strategic insights into sustainable business practices and infrastructure development. 

ICLEI, Local Governments for Sustainability, and the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy provide critical networks and connections to policy-making entities and local governance structures. These organizations are essential in building rigorous alliances and partner frameworks to ensure the project's outcomes overcome social challenges to sustainability while helping to influence broader environmental and development policies. 

Senscience, a spin-off from Frontiers, alongside LIFES (Leiden Institute for Fair and Equitable Science), provides AI-driven data science and open data capabilities. This open science approach is crucial for transparency, enabling data sharing that is readily accessible, understandable, and reusable. 

The UNFCCC Global Innovation Hub (UGIH) supports transformative innovations for a low-emission, climate-resilient future, addressing core needs like food, shelter, and mobility. The innovation hub has named this initiative one of the leading projects for 2025. 

The Arista Institute is a collaboration between the Faculty of Engineering Sciences and the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at UCL, UK. It is led by Prof Ruth Morgan, professor of crime and forensic science and editorial board member of Frontiers Policy Labs. By incorporating traditional knowledge and cultural practices, the project aims to strengthen its community engagement and help ensure that conservation strategies and efforts are culturally sensitive and resonant. 

A model for global replication

One of the most compelling aspects of this initiative is its potential to serve as a replicable model for other tropical regions worldwide. By demonstrating that biodiversity protection and community well-being are not mutually exclusive but mutually reinforcing, the project provides a blueprint for sustainable development - adaptable to different contexts and locations. 

The bottom-up approach, which prioritizes the needs and insights of local communities, contrasts sharply with traditional conservation strategies that have sometimes marginalized and overlooked these groups. The initiative showcases how conservation efforts can be both ecologically effective and socially just by addressing urgent needs in freshwater and forest resource management and enhancing local livelihoods. 

The project also reflects the ideals for the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), which will be held in Belém, Brazil. By aligning the initiative with global climate change and biodiversity discussions, there is an opportunity to promote and expand the conversation about the importance of open science and community engagement in addressing environmental challenges.

A call to action

The future of the Amazon and our planet depends on collaborative efforts beyond the traditional boundaries between sectors and disciplines. This initiative invites researchers, institutions, partners, and individuals to join a transformative journey that seeks to protect the environment and uplift the communities most intimately connected to it.

By supporting this project, stakeholders can contribute to a movement that empowers local communities, protects biodiversity, and promotes sustainable development. Involvement can take many forms - from collaborative research and data sharing to policy advocacy and financial support. 

The initiative's success will demonstrate the power of open science and collaborative action in addressing some of the most pressing and complex challenges of our time. It aims to show that when communities are empowered, and their voices are heard, remarkable transformations are possible. 

Interested in finding out more? Watch a live stream of the science mission pilots and recordings of the sessions on the Third ISC General Assembly website.