in United Nations - UN News
Climate and Environment
20 October 2023
FAO warns of threats in the Amazon and highlights sustainable bioeconomy
FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu emphasized that sustainable bioeconomy can bring solutions to global challenges; he expressed concern about threats to the Amazon, including the El Niño phenomenon and the expansion of agricultural and extractive activities.
A sustainable bioeconomy is key to many challenges we face, including eradicating poverty, inequality, hunger, malnutrition, addressing the impacts of the climate crisis, biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation.
However, solid leadership and effective policies are needed to take advantage of these opportunities. This is the opinion of the director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO , Qu Dongyu.
Protection of the Amazon
He was at an event organized by the Brazilian government during the World Food Forum, which ends this Friday at the agency's headquarters in Rome.
The head of FAO expressed concern about several threats affecting these Amazon resources.
For him, the region's unique ecosystems play a critical role in ensuring access to water, energy, food security and healthy diets for its inhabitants and the planet, in addition to many other benefits for the climate and nature.
FAO highlights that the Amazon is being affected by the El Niño phenomenon and human-induced climate change.
Furthermore, an unprecedented drought has caused rivers to decline, damaging ecosystems and the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people.
Exploitation of natural resources
The UN agency also points out that the rapid expansion of agriculture, extractive industries, infrastructure development, land use changes and urbanization have also depleted the Amazon's natural resources.
The potential for forest loss in the Amazon between 2015 and 2030 is the highest in the world.
The Inter-American Development Bank predicts possible cumulative economic losses of US$230 billion for Amazonian countries if this potential becomes reality.
Qu Dongyu highlighted some positive trends, such as the decrease in deforestation rates by almost half in the first 8 months of this year compared to the same period in 2022.
According to the director general, these trends can be amplified, and losses can be avoided by taking advantage of the immense potential of the sustainable bioeconomy and greater intercontinental collaboration in this area.
Bioeconomy
He emphasized that FAO was the first UN agency to elevate the bioeconomy to the level of strategic priority.
The head of FAO explains that the bioeconomy offers many opportunities to make agri-food systems more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable.
He adds that the bioeconomy still offers possibilities to create economic value, jobs and social well-being through technological, organizational and social innovations, in addition to promoting responsible consumption and production, improving the management of natural resources and reducing waste.
For example, the use of biofertilizers, biopesticides and bioremediation, and the promotion of value chains that produce more with less and transform waste into valuable by-products can significantly reduce pressure on ecosystems.
Sustainable Agriculture
Speaking about the first signs of the bioeconomy in action in the Amazon, he cited as an example the sustainable harvesting and processing of non-timber forest products, such as açaí or nuts, which offer employment and income opportunities.
Qu emphasizes that to expand the bioeconomy, we must bring together a wide range of voices and actors.
According to FAO, approximately 45% of the intact forests in the Amazon are within indigenous territories. Therefore, Indigenous Peoples must be at the forefront of efforts to ensure inclusion in this process.
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