About
Partnership for the Conservation of Amazon Biodiversity (PCAB)
The Amazon biome spreads for almost half of Brazil’s national territory: 4.1 million km². Over 30,000 species of plants and 2 million species of animals are found in the Amazon. In addition, the region is home to half of the country's indigenous and 89.5% of the recognized indigenous lands, plus 357 quilombola communities, and hundreds of traditional communities, including rubber tappers, Brazil nut gatherers, riverine groups, and land reform settlers. Despite that, the Legal Amazon – covering 60% of the country, represents less than 8% of the country’s GDP.
Yet all this wealth is endangered. The region has lost more than 18% of its forest. Protected areas account for 46% of the Amazon, including indigenous lands and Protected Areas (23% and 25%, respectively). .
In 2014, USAID/Brazil signed a technical cooperation agreement with the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) for the creation of the Partnership for the Conservation of Amazon Biodiversity (PCAB). The objective is to strategically support conservation efforts in the region. The partnership involves the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), National Indian Foundation (FUNAI), private companies and various civil society organizations, as well as the US Forest Service and US National Parks Service.
PCAB has three lines of work: 1) Strengthening protected areas to meet their management, implementation, monitoring and conservation roles 2) Expanding biodiversity-based value chains and businesses, 3) Private sector engagement actively fosters sustainable-livelihoods toward a sustainable economic model for Amazon communities; and 4) Using science, technology and innovation to improve biodiversity conservation practices.
Learn more about the projects and partners in the Project section.
Private Sector Engagement
As threats increase, it has become clear that new and innovative strategies are needed to sustain people’s livelihoods and conserve biodiversity. That is why USAID/Brazil has started working with the private sector to find solutions that help create a new sustainable economic model for the region.