The new political landscape in Brazil after the recent election is worrying for several reasons and we believe that many other actors and individuals working with the region share our concerns for both human rights and the biocultural diversity of the Amazon. This informal dialogue allows actors from different sectors in Sweden to exchange knowledge and discuss what the new Brazilian government means for the Amazon rainforest, its biocultural diversity and the world as a whole.

For this first meeting we have invited experts on the Amazon and Brazil who will deepen our understanding of:

·        The importance of the Amazon for people across scales, biodiversity and the climate

·        Current national forest protection, its strengths and loopholes

·        The situation for indigenous/local communities and their land rights

After a few short presentations and video reports from Brazil we will engage in an open discussion and jointly explore the continuation of this dialogue initiative and how we can collaborate to contribute to make a positive change.

Register online via the SIANI webpage

Or send an email to the Focali Coordinator: maria.olund@gu.se

Program:

 9.30 -   Coffee, registration and mingle

10.00 - Welcome notes from organizers
Jan Pettersson, Director of Gothenburg Centre for Sustainable Development, GMV
Maria Ölund, Coordinator of the Focali research network at GMV, and Coordinator SIANI
Allison Perrigo, Coordinator of Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre GGBC at GU

10.15 - Introduction to the Amazon region and the new political landscape in Brazil
Torsten Krause, Associate Senior Lecturer at LUCSUS, Lund University and Focali member

Reflections on implications for Amazon biodiversity
Josué Anderson Rêgo Azevedo, PhD candidate at the Antonelli lab and GGBC at GU

10.30 - Reflections on implications for Amazon livelihoods and land rights
Gabriela Rodrigues Eklund, Phd candidate and Grant Management Coordinator at The International Land and Forest Tenure Facility.

10.45 - Video reports from Brazil on the current development and possible implications
Mairon G. Bastos Lima, Post-doc Physical Resource Theory Chalmers and Trase at SEI
Prof. Gerd Sparovek, Agriculture College of the University of São Paulo, Brazil

11.00 - Current forest protection and presentation of new study findings on a legal loophole
Flavio Luiz Mazzaro de Freitas, PhD candidate KTH and previous work for FAO

11.15 - Participant dialogue: concerns, interest and ideas for continued collaboration
All participants attending the dialogue
Moderated by: Torsten Krause and Maria Ölund

11.55 - Teaser for the theme of next dialogue meeting to be held in Stockholm early 2019
Martin Persson, Associate Prof. Department of Space, Earth and Environment, Chalmers

12.00 - 13.00   Lunch and mingle
(Registration is needed for lunch and morning coffee) 

New dialogue initiative on tropical deforestation 

The second dialogue meeting, to be held early 2019, will focus on the main drivers behind deforestation in tropical forest areas and how different initiatives such as zero deforestation pledges and transparency of value chains can mitigate the associated risks. Other possible themes to bring up in this dialogue initiative could be: the role of international conventions, COP25 to be held in Brazil 2019 and the role of environmental and civil society movements.

Even if our first meeting focus on Brazil it is important to remember the drivers of ongoing tropical deforestation in the wider Amazon and other regions as Indonesia and the Congo basin and its severe environmental and human consequences. This new dialogue platform will therefore enable a broad exchange on global tropical deforestation, but due to the risk of the environmental crisis that may unfold, if the treats to the Amazon will materialize, it is our responsibility to start with a focus on the development in Brazil and options ahead.

We are currently seeing a critical time where global challenges, foremost climate change and the loss of biological diversity are more acute than ever. We therefore need to find new ways to collaborate, both between sciences and sectors, and get even better at communicating to a broad spectrum of stakeholders and policy-makers.

Welcome to contribute to this process together with us!