Commission and Amazon countries look to strengthen partnership
The European Commission and the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) are looking to work together to establish pan-Amazonian environmental information systems. With one-third of the Earth's biodiversity, one-fifth of the world's freshwater, including the largest river and rainforest - the Amazon and its basin. Both are believed to play a key role in the global climate. The partnership is likely to be formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding, between the Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) and ACTO. The partnership would examine European Commission support for Amazon-related activities across a range of European policy fields, such as scientific cooperation, development cooperation, the environment and agriculture. The agreement would complement national efforts of Amazonian countries to produce new and more reliable data on the Amazon region. For example, the JRC's work could provide new estimates on deforestation rates for the tropical and boreal forests around the planet. As a precursor, an expert joint workshop took place in 2005, and a follow-up will take place in Brazil on 22 and 23 May. ACTO is a multilateral organisation founded by the eight South American states sharing the Amazon Basin and Rainforest: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela. Its mandate is to work towards sustainable development for this key eco-region.
Countries
Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela