Indigenous-led conservation in the Amazon

This alliance aims to transform the Amazon into a regenerative bioeconomy

Spotted: It’s estimated that 10 to 47 per cent of the Amazon rainforest could be at risk of collapsing by 2050 because of environmental and human-related stresses like logging, mining, and oil drilling. Deforestation from these activities, coupled with climate change, is warming and drying the region, putting entire ecosystems under threat.

Now, the Amazon Sacred Headwaters Alliance (ASHA) is fighting to protect 86 million acres of forests for indigenous communities by advocating for a regenerative bioeconomy. With 28 member organisations, including 25 indigenous groups from Ecuador and Peru, ASHA is the world’s largest indigenous-led conservation initiative. This collaborative model brings together diverse perspectives and indigenous wisdom to facilitate cohesive action and impactful environmental protection.

Key to the model is ASHA’s vision of transitioning the Amazon from an extractive economy to a regenerative bioeconomy. Set out in the organisation’s “Bioregional Plan 2030,” ASHA seeks to improve the livelihoods of indigenous people, ensure the legal protection of land, and strengthen indigenous territorial governance. It also addresses key issues like education, health, transportation, food security, and clean energy access.

As well as its bioeconomy plan, the Alliance also focuses on reforestation and restoration efforts, and has also founded La Escuela Viva de la Amazonia (the Living School of the Amazon) to raise awareness. The school, which is in the Ecuadorian Amazon, teaches young people about governance, human rights, and ancestral knowledge, and some of the first 30 graduates are now working in leadership roles at local and regional levels.

In addition to funding from various governmental and non-governmental organisations, ASHA was named as a finalist for the 2024 Earthshot Prize.

Written By: Lisa Magloff