ARCC joins the Science Panel for the Amazon (SPA) conference—The Amazon We Want!
On April 9th 2025, ARCC participated in The Amazon We Want (La Amazonía Que Queremos) conference, hosted by Universidad San Francisco de Quito in the capital city of Ecuador. This event stemmed from the first international scientific initiative dedicated to the protection of the Amazon, the “Scientific Panel for Amazonia”, which included more than 280 scientists. The group was funded in 2019 and was inspired by the Leticia Pact, a pact signed by representatives from seven Amazon countries intended to protect the rainforest by expanding regional cooperation.
The event included multiple panels featuring scientific, political, and Indigenous leaders from several Amazonian countries.
““Our wise grandparents say that to find solutions one needs to seek the root of the problem. We need to find the origin of troubles that are now destroying the Amazon.””
During the conference, scientists, politicians, lawyers, Indigenous leaders, and activists convened to discuss the many threats that are harming the integrity of the Amazon. Central to these discussions were the acknowledgement that indigenous leadership is key to implementing nature-based solutions to biodiversity loss and cultural degradation. Outside the conference, there was an incredibly rich mixture of artists and scientists sharing their wisdom, from the beautiful artisanal crafts of Waorani women to the stunning paintings of the Secoya artist Ramón Piaguaje. Leaders from Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil and Ecuador were dressed in their traditional clothing, filling the room with colorful feathers and seeds, standing up for their territories and cultures.
Secoya Indigenous artist Ramón Piaguaje stands with his beautiful painting at The Amazon We Want Conference.
This event was also an opportunity for our organization (The Amazon Research & Conservation Collaborative) to make new connections and collaborations, learn more about conservation threats and resistance efforts across the Amazon, and draw inspiration from the diversity of projects and programs being implemented by NGO’s and Indigenous peoples.
““I want to send a message of inspiration and hope. We are facing an apocalyptic scenario where hope must win.””
While the conference is titled "The Amazon We Want," it's also the Amazon we need—for our planet, our future, and generations to come. Organized efforts like this inspire hope and demonstrate the power of collective action to protect the world’s largest rainforest for the long term.
The event was also an opportunity to showcase many Indigenous-led economic activities helping protect the rainforest and the cultural traditions that enable such work (Waorani artisan crafts shown).
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