The Amazonia+ program—funded by the European Union and implemented by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), Expertise France, and the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP)—is working to build the capacity of Amazonian countries to reduce CO2 emissions, adapt to climate change, and protect biodiversity
The Amazon, the largest tropical forest in the world and a cornerstone of global climate stability, faces unprecedented threats from deforestation, climate change, and ecosystem degradation.
In response, the Amazonia+ program—funded by the European Union and implemented by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), Expertise France, and the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP)—is working to build the capacity of Amazonian countries to reduce CO2 emissions, adapt to climate change, and protect biodiversity.
A central component of this initiative is high-level political dialogue. In collaboration with the International Conservation Caucus Foundation (ICCF), we have advanced a strategic agenda to prioritize the strengthening of legislative capacities and the provision of technical tools to support more informed and harmonized decision-making in integrated fire management.
Integrated Fire Management: A Key Approach to Sustainability
Fire, often seen as a threat, can be a valuable tool when properly managed to contribute to ecosystem conservation and sustainable development. This approach, known as integrated fire management, combines three essential pillars: fire management (prevention, control, and strategic use), fire ecology (understanding the impacts and benefits of fire on sensitive ecosystems), and fire culture (recognizing traditional knowledge and socioeconomic needs).
In the Amazon, where wildfires often result from traditional agricultural practices and illegal activities, this approach is indispensable. However, its effective implementation requires robust, harmonized, and sustainable public policies that balance these perspectives.
Political Dialogues and Legislative Strengthening: Steps Toward Action
In this context, the Amazonia+ program, in partnership with ICCF, has been working with the Amazon Parliamentary Group (Parlamaz) and other key regional stakeholders. At the Parlamaz meeting in June 2024 in Tarapoto, Peru, and the launch of the Conservation Caucus in Ecuador in September 2024, we illustrated to legislators the importance of integrated fire management as a tool to address the region’s environmental, social, and economic challenges.
Through these sessions, and further engagements planned for 2025, the aim is to facilitate the analysis of current public policies in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, identifying legislative gaps, inconsistencies, and opportunities to improve fire management. This effort is critical for developing a roadmap focused on policy harmonization and inter-institutional cooperation to enable more effective and coordinated actions.
Key Strategies Include:
- Strengthening Legislative Capacities: Creating intersectoral dialogue spaces to train legislators on integrated fire management approaches based on scientific evidence and local knowledge. These dialogues will involve representatives from national governments, NGOs, academia, and rural and Indigenous communities to ensure a holistic vision.
- Promoting Cross-Border Policies: Recognizing the shared nature of Amazonian ecosystems, cross-border cooperation among countries is prioritized to address common challenges.
- Integrating Cutting-Edge Knowledge and Traditional Practices: Respecting and leveraging the knowledge of Indigenous peoples and local communities, as well as scientific research, in the formulation of fire management strategies.
A Long-Term Vision for the Amazon
The success of these efforts depends on decision-makers’ ability to adopt ambitious and sustainable policies that address the complexities of the Amazon region. Integrated fire management is not just a technical tool but an opportunity to build an inclusive and resilient environmental governance model.
Looking ahead, collaboration with international actors like the ICCF Group, alongside local stakeholders, will be essential to ensure that initiatives driven by the Amazonia+ program not only mitigate current impacts but also lay the foundation for sustainable Amazon management. Legislators, governments, the private sector, and international cooperation must unite in this collective effort.
Only through determined and coordinated action can we safeguard the Amazon for future generations.
The Amazon is not only a vital ecosystem for the countries it spans but also a global common good whose conservation demands commitment, innovation, and leadership. The Amazonia+ program, in partnership with the International Conservation Caucus Foundation and regional parliaments, is contributing to bridging the gap between science, policy, and action to address the challenges of our time.
This is an opportunity to demonstrate that, together, we can make the Amazon a model of sustainability and hope.
By Pietro Graziani, Technical Coordinator of the Amazonia+ Program, Italian Agency for Development and Cooperation
Pietro Graziani is an Italian biologist with 20 years of international experience in designing, managing, and evaluating environmental programs funded by organizations such as the European Union, CAF, and the United Nations across Europe, Africa, and Latin America. Since 2016, he has been with the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), overseeing fire prevention projects. In 2023, he assumed the role of Technical Coordinator for the Amazonia+ regional program, funded by the European Union and based in Bogotá.
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