The Amazon Network Initiative

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The Amazon Network Initiative

• Conserving the Legacy of a Living Amazon
• Daniel Arancibia
• WWF
• October 20, 2009

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Amazon Network Initiative (ANI)

• Background
• Geographic scope
• WWF in the Amazon
• New Challenges for the region
• Strategy development process
• ANI
• Vision
• Principles of Action
• Main Strategies
• Scales of intervention
• Current Status Next Steps
• ANI and LAC

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Amazon Geographic Scope

• 6.7 million square kilometers in size
• Shared by 8 countries 1 overseas territory
• gt 33 million people living in the Amazon

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The Amazon Biome Importance

• gt90-140 billion tons of carbon significant for
  climate change mitigation
• 40 of the Earths remaining Tropical Forests
• 20 of worlds freshwater flows through the Basin
• gt 10 of the known species on Earth found here
• 350 indigenous groups dependent on its resources
  gt 60 still living in voluntary isolation

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WWF in the Amazon

• gt 40 years of experience in the region
• Presence in 8 out of 9 countries
• Work with partners across scales local to
  global
• Thematic expertise on footprint biodiversity
  issues

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ANI Strategy Development Process

• May 2006 GIS WG tasked with developing ecological
  vision
• October 2006 ANT established to oversee
  development of Pan-Amazon Strategy
• December 2006 ANI WG tasked with developing
  technical inputs for Strategy
• February 2007 ANT decides that AKI will become
  part of larger ANI
• June 2007 White Papers commissioned
• Jun/Sept 2007 ANT met to review ANI inputs to
  date
• October 2007 ANI prospectus submitted using ANI
  inputs to date
• December 2007 ANI prospectus approved by CC
• April 2008 ANI WG presents ANI Strategy proposal
  to ANT for endorsement

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ANI Process Inputs

• Technical and decision-making bodies established
  to develop an Amazon strategy at the Biome scale
• Spatially explicit data across Amazon Biome
• White Papers commissioned externally to obtain
  Amazon wide data on

• Climate change
• Agriculture cattle ranching
• Infrastructure
• Hydrocarbons
• Forest economy

• Aquatic resources
• National development policies
• Protected areas
• Indigenous peoples
• Funding trends

• Network Thematic Groups to review WPs
• Feedback from ANT staff from WWF offices

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ANI Methodology

• WWF Program Management Standards
• Explicit assumptions hypotheses
• Foundation to monitor effectiveness, learn
  adapt in dynamic environment

• Decision Support System
• Spatially explicit information at Biome scale
• Tool to model trends make spatially explicit
  decisions

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Amazon Conceptual Model
Conservation Targets
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Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems
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Environmental Flows
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Regional Climate Patterns
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ANI Goals

• By 2030, the diverse terrestrial and freshwater
  ecosystems of the Amazon are conserved to ensure
  the survival of the animals and plans that live
  there and the continued provision of
  environmental goods and services to local
  peoples, the countries of the region and the
  world.
• By 2030, the quality, quantity, and timing of
  flows in priority rivers and headwaters are
  maintained to ensure the integrity of aquatic
  ecosystems and the continued provision of
  ecological services that sustain local
  livelihoods and regional development.
• By 2030, sufficient forest cover is conserved in
  a configuration appropriate to maintain regional
  rainfall and build resilience to climate change
  thus ensuring a healthy Amazon that continues to
  regulate climate regionally and globally.

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Major Threats to the Amazon Biome
Threat Ranking (Based on relative impact on Amazon Biome)
Climate Change
Cattle Ranching
Mechanized agriculture (commodities)
Water infrastructure development
Mining
Unsustainable logging
Small scale Agriculture (subsistence)
Unsustainable extraction of non timber terrestrial resources
Hydrocarbons prospecting and extraction
Unsustainable extraction of aquatic natural resources
Sewage disposal
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Amazon Conceptual Model
Main Threats
Main pressures
Conservation Targets
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Climate Change

• Amazon a regional and global climate regulator
• Links between deforestation and climate change
• Potential tipping points

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Extensive Cattle Ranching

• 80 of deforestation in the Amazon Biome brought
  about by cattle ranching
• Low productivity cattle ranching pervasive

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Mechanized agriculture

• Amazon increasingly integrated into national and
  global demand
• Booming demand for animal feed and biofuels
• Soy
• Sugar cane
• Palm oil

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Large-Scale Water Infrastructure

• Increasing energy demand
• Large hydropower potential
• Disruptions at large scales

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Linkages among Threats
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Amazon Conceptual Model
Main drivers
Main Threats
Main pressures
Conservation Targets
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Drivers of change in the Amazon

• Market demand for agro-commodities and energy
• Transport infrastructure
• Amazon as critical provider of ecosystem goods
  services not factored into development paradigm
• Comparatively low economic value of natural
  ecosystems
• Opportunistic land use

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Amazon Network Initiative Vision

• We envision an ecologically healthy Amazon Biome
  that maintains its environmental and cultural
  contribution to local peoples, the countries of
  the region, and the world, within a framework of
  social equity, inclusive economic development and
  global responsibility

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ANI Challenges

• ? EXTERNAL
• Intrinsic complexity of Amazon region
• Drivers of degradation fueled by multi-million
  dollar economies
• Current potential resources to promote
  conservation insignificant compared to those
  available to drivers
• ? INTERNAL
• Ability to overcome competition distrust to
  join forces with relevant parties
• WWF governance for concerted action
• WWF capacity to act at scale required by NIs
• WWF discipline to implement strategies to
  complete learning cycles of adaptive management
• Concrete synergies with other NIs

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ANI Principles for Action

• Informed adaptable
• Effective catalyst networker
• Enabler, lowering WWFs visibility when needed
• Promoter of regional leadership
• Coherent in our messages approach
• Based on team-based approach that
• bolsters internal capacity

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Amazon Network Initiative Building Partnerships

• Envisioning an alternative scenario for the
  Amazon

• This is a partnership initiative not
  WWF-exclusive
• Large-scale, long-term initiative requires
  involvement of players at all levels
• Seeking far-reaching, powerful collaboration with
  governments, civil society, NGOs and private
  sector

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ANI Building a common agenda
Concerted Amazon Initiative
Regional Actors Agendas
WWF ANI
Investors priorities
National Governments plans
International / National NGOs priorities
Private sector profit goals
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Amazon Conceptual Model
Main Strategies
Main drivers
Main Threats
Main pressures
Conservation Targets
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Amazon Network Initiative Strategies

• Five (5) major strategic lines of action
• Interdependent, mutually reinforcing
• Applied at multiple scales
• Address main threats drivers

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ANI Strategies

• Shifting the Paradigm
• Bolstering the Value of Natural Ecosystems
• Sound Land Planning and Conservation
• Sustainable Agro-Commodities
• Free-flowing Rivers and Forest-friendly Roads

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ANI Strategy 1 Shifting the Paradigm

• Amazon ecosystem services incorporated as
  critical ingredient of development
• Amazons regional global contribution
  understood as vital
• Responsibility fostered at all levels
• By
• Showing policy / economic
• benefits of healthy Amazon
• Building committed informed
• constituencies for the Amazon

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ANI Strategy 2 Bolstering the Value of Natural
Ecosystems

• Increased market value of natural ecosystems by
• Promoting Carbon Credits
• Payment for Environmental
• Services (other than carbon)
• Advocating for comprehensive
• forest policies
• Promoting demand for
• sustainable forest products

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ANI Strategy 3 Land Planning Conservation

• Secure the foundations of a healthy ecosystem
  through a landscape approach by supporting
• Land-use plans in priority landscapes
• Strengthening of land tenure and resource rights
• Creation of Protected Areas
• Effective management of critical
• protected areas, indigenous lands
• key areas without legal
• protection

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ANI Strategy 4 Sustainable Agro-Commodities

• Influence markets to signal need for improved
  performance through
• Adoption of socio-environmental standards
  better management practices
• Designation of go vs. no-go zones

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ANI Strategy 5 Forest Friendly Roads
Free-Flowing Rivers

• Infrastructure development recognizes importance
  of ecosystem and local residents needs by
• Improving social environmental criteria
• Influencing national and regional transportation
  and energy policies
• Enhancing civil society capacity participation
  during infrastructure design implementation

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Synergies among ANI strategies
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Concerted action with other NIs

• Some NIs key to the success of the Amazon NI
• Forest-based Carbon NI
• Market Transformation NI
• New Global Climate Deal NI
• China Shift NI
• Consultations during ANIs design
• Development of joint work plans now that NIs are
  underway

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ANI Multi-Scale Approach

• Source Folke et al.(1998)

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WWF Presence in Amazon
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Marxan Best SolutionEcological Priority Areas
(EPA)

• At least 30 of Amazon ecosystems

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Potential WWF Priority Landscapes
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Current Status

• 3 year core budget (FY09-FY11) of 3,873,300 81
  secured or committed as of May 2009  gap of
  733,823 for FY10-11.
• Existing projects being assessed for alignment
  with the ANI should be completed by the end of
  the first quarter of FY10.
• Hosting arrangements and readiness assessment
  completed
• A permanent ANI Leader (Francisco Ruiz, former
  Executive Director of the Amazon Cooperation
  Treaty Organization)  has been recruited and will
  start, based in Brasilia at the end of July.
• ANI Strategic Plan v2.0 completed
• Core Team (permanent and temporary) at work
  implementing high-priority initiatives and
  raising funds
• ANI Community on CONNECT all relevant documents
  available there

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Next Steps

• Establish permanent governance structure (SHG and
  SET)
• Fill remaining core budget gap
• Decide priority blocks/landscapes
• Complete project alignment exercise
• Complete GAA strategy/fundraising plan
• Complete ME plan and implement
• Consolidate permanent core team

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What the ANI needs from LAC

• Support for making the ANI operational
• Support for effective governance
• Financial management and reporting on ANI Core
  and Project funding
• Time and talent of staff for Core and
  Extended/Enabling Teams
• Facilitation/coordination amongst NOs, POs and
  NIs
• Facilitation/support for multi-country
  fundraising

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Thank You