The aggressive deforestation process in the Brazilian Amazon has always attracted international attention.

Until the beginning of the last decade, the aggressive deforestation and illegal land appropriation processes in the Brazilian Amazon seemed to be uncontrollable. The deforestation peaked at a rate of 27.000 km2/yr in 2004. However, the problems of the region goes far beyond deforestation. It is a region of social contrasts and with a history of conflicts for land and use of natural resources. It has a population of approximately 24 million people, 75% living in unstructured urban areas, with very low social indicators, below the country’s average.

After 2004, due to a combination of governmental enforcement, private sector and civil society measures, deforestation rates have drastically decreased, but not ceased. It has oscillated around 6000 km2/yr for some years. However, in 2018 deforestation rates achieved the decade peak of 7.900 km2/yr, raising again the international concern about the fate of region – fueled by the public positioning of the recently elected Brazilian government in relation to environmental and social issues, especially disregarding climate change, the environmental enforcement agencies, the landless social movements, human rights activists and - last but not least - indigenous peoples rights and their lands.

In February 2019, a group of researchers and students from Stockholm University (SU), the Royal Institute for Technology (KTH), Swedish University of Agricultural Studies (SLU) and other organisations in Sweden met at the Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC) to discuss the future of the Brazilian Amazon.

The first keynote speaker, Dr. Carlos Nobre, provided an overview of the changes in the Amazon over last decade and its implications. He introduced the The Amazonia Third Way, a programme that proposes to reconcile the conservation and production views for the region through the development of a competitive, vibrant standing forest - flowing rivers bioeconomy. The Amazonia Third Way programme will open up new technology and learning-based opportunities to value and to protect the Amazon ecosystems, along with the interests of indigenous and traditional peoples who are their custodians. In summary, this initiative will explore the role of innovative technology and learning to unveil the potential of a novel tropical biodiversity-based economy. Download presentation here