The Scientific Panel for the Amazon (SPA), coordinated by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), aims to discuss sustainable solutions for the Amazon through a scientific evaluation of the state of the various ecosystems in the region, the causes and tendencies of climate change and the land use.
The last meeting of the Panel took place online on September 3rd. There was a debate on the possibilities of creating a bioeconomy based on biodiversity and indigenous knowledge.
UFOP PARTICIPATION - In 2021, the Panel will launch a scientific review with more than 20 chapters with the participation of professors Gustavo Melo and Pedro Val from the Geology Department at Federal University of Ouro Preto. The researchers contribute to the first chapter of the publication, entitled "Geological history and geodiversity of Amazonia".
The chapter will outline the evolution of the Amazon rainforest and how it has come to what it currently represents, from the geological point of view. "This is one of the most important steps to understand how Amazonia has generated the largest continental biodiversity on the planet. This report will describe the main scientific challenges, the frontiers of knowledge and why it is so important to invest in obtaining this knowledge from the strategic point of view for the countries that share the Amazon region, besides its importance to the planet," explains Gustavo.
AMAZON - Covering eight countries and one territory and home to more than a tenth of all species on the planet, Amazonia is threatened by deforestation, fires, mining, oil and gas exploration, large dams for hydroelectric power and illegal invasions.
