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Global Witness calls for the Colombian government to ratify the Escazú Agreement, noting that 322 land and environmental defenders were killed in Colombia over the last 10 years. The statement highlights the Agreement's role in requiring governments to prevent and investigate attacks on defenders and notes that while Colombia signed the treaty in December 2019, ratification remains pending. It identifies the government of Gustavo Petro and the work of civil society organisations like Somos Defensores as key drivers for potential progress in protecting human rights defenders.

Global Witness calls for the UK, US, EU, and China to end the 'money pipeline' driving deforestation by replacing voluntary initiatives with binding national laws. The organization warns that the Amazon is approaching a tipping point and criticizes the failure of previous pledges, such as the 2014 New York Declaration on Forests. It specifically urges the UK to implement its Environment Act, the EU to finalize laws stopping bank funding for deforestation, the US to include financiers in due diligence regimes, and China to prohibit illegal timber imports and regulate commercial banking risks.

Global Witness calls on the new UK government to address its role in global deforestation by making the 2030 target to halt biodiversity loss legally binding, expanding import laws to cover all deforestation regardless of legality, and stopping financial institutions from funding deforesting companies.

The document highlights that 322 land and environmental defenders have been killed in Colombia over the last ten years, alongside numerous non-lethal attacks such as threats and criminalization. It argues that the ratification of the Escazú Agreement—the first regional treaty for Latin America and the Caribbean on human rights and the environment—is essential to mandate the prevention and investigation of attacks against defenders. While noting that countries like Mexico, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, and Argentina have already ratified the agreement, it points to the government of Gustavo Petro and initiatives like the 'Somos Defensores' program and its emergency plan as reasons for optimism in establishing a safe environment for environmental participation.

Global Witness reports that Cargill has purchased soy from farms in Bolivia where over 20,000 hectares of forest have been cleared since 2017. The investigation finds that Cargill fails to collect necessary origin data for its soy, undermining its public commitments to deforestation-free supply chains. Furthermore, a leaked map suggests Cargill may be targeting an additional 3 million hectares of standing forest for future soy sourcing. The report also highlights that global banks, including Barclays, BNP Paribas, HSBC, and Santander, continue to provide billions in financing to Cargill despite their own pledges to reduce deforestation in their portfolios.

The IAI will support the Belmont Forum's Pathways to Sustainability CRA through network building, capacity building in transdisciplinary approaches, and coordination of in-kind resources from its 19 member Parties in the Americas, despite providing no direct funding for this phase.

The document details a transdisciplinary project in Micaya, Bolivia, designed to combat the effects of climate change—specifically frosts, droughts, and soil degradation—through a 'dialogue of knowledge' between local wisdom and innovative technologies. The project implemented agroecological practices, such as community greenhouses and the use of zeolites, to increase food production and reduce pesticide reliance. Health assessments revealed severe nutritional deficiencies and genotoxic damage linked to pesticide exposure, while the adoption of agroecological methods increased vegetable production by approximately 30%. The brief argues that climate resilience is most effective when built through local engagement and intercultural dialogue, providing a replicable model for other high-Andean communities.

The document details a transdisciplinary project in Micaya, Bolivia, designed to combat the effects of climate change—specifically frosts, droughts, and soil degradation—through a 'dialogue of knowledges' between local ancestral wisdom and scientific technology. The initiative implemented community greenhouses, organic fertilizers, and zeolites to increase vegetable production by approximately 30% and diversify local diets. Health assessments revealed severe nutritional deficiencies, with over 80% of the population lacking vitamin B12 and nearly one-third showing genotoxic damage linked to pesticide exposure. The project argues that climate resilience is most effective when built from the territory through intercultural dialogue and the active participation of women and local authorities.

The IAI Directorate Report covers the period from July 2016 to May 2017, focusing on the implementation of transdisciplinary research and capacity building across the Americas. Key activities include the management of the Third Collaborative Research Network (CRN3), the development of Professional Development Seminars (PDS), and the establishment of a Science-Policy Liaison Directorate (SPLD) to bridge the gap between scientific findings and governmental decision-making. The report also highlights IAI's engagement with international conventions such as the UNFCCC and CBD, and the launch of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on climate change impacts in Latin America.

The IAI report covers its progress in transdisciplinary research, the implementation of the Third Cooperative Research Networks (CRN3) program, and the development of professional seminars to bridge the gap between science and policy in the Americas. Key achievements include the launch of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on climate change impacts in Latin America and the establishment of a science-policy liaison office in Buenos Aires to systematize the impact of IAI research on regional governance.

A five-year interdisciplinary study on the Peru-Brazil Inter-Oceanic Highway found that while the road improved infrastructure and food access, it caused biodiversity loss and altered wild rodent populations. In the Madre de Dios region of Peru, researchers found high prevalence of Bartonella (78%) and Leptospira (24%) bacteria in sampled rodents, increasing the risk of lethal infectious diseases for local populations. The study highlights a critical gap in community awareness, as 90% of surveyed residents who saw rodents could not name the diseases they transmit. The report recommends integrated public health strategies and land-use policies that prioritize ecosystem health to mitigate the risks associated with deforestation and agricultural expansion.

This research paper describes the BEST-P initiative, a project supported by the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) that examines the relationship between territorial arrangement plans and ecosystem services in three South American ecosystems. The project, involving 23 researchers from nine institutions across five countries, aims to integrate the concept of ecosystem services into land use planning to balance conservation with agricultural productivity.

The project 'Towards usable climate science' established an interdisciplinary network to provide climate services for sectors sensitive to climate, such as energy, water, agriculture, and health. It developed a consolidated database of meteorological records from 329 weather stations across southern South America, covering the period from 1961 to the present. Key outputs include a regional drought monitoring system with a focus on soil moisture and yield prediction software for soybean, maize, and wheat. In the Argentine Pampas region, the project achieved accurate yield predictions for 14 localities by linking the database with simulation models, providing data useful for estimating insurance indices.

The report addresses the disconnect between scientific research and policy implementation regarding biodiversity conservation in the Andean region. It argues that the primary obstacle is not a lack of data, but a failure in communication and the translation of complex science into actionable knowledge. The authors propose a six-stage knowledge management process to develop indicators that are technically valid yet simple and useful for both technical advisors and political decision-makers, supporting both proactive planning and reactive crisis management.

The report argues that climate change adaptation in the Tropical Andes requires a shift from fragmented, traditional science to a holistic, interdisciplinary approach that integrates natural and social sciences with traditional knowledge. It identifies key barriers, such as the disconnect between scientists and policymakers, fragmented information, and a lack of institutional support for interdisciplinary work. The document highlights national examples from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, emphasizing the need for government-led funding strategies that prioritize transdisciplinary research to ensure the sustainability of natural resources and human well-being.

The report examines the challenges of fragmented public policies in Latin America and proposes the Ecosystem Approach—a holistic strategy from the Convention on Biological Diversity—as a framework for integrating biodiversity conservation and climate adaptation. It emphasizes the role of territorial planning (Ordenamiento Territorial) and Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) in building resilience, using the Integrated National Adaptation Project (INAP) in Colombia's Chingaza Massif as a practical example of bottom-up implementation.

The report argues that while biodiversity information exists across the Andean countries, it is often inaccessible or poorly standardized for policy use. It highlights the leadership of Colombia and Peru in implementing federated information systems and notes that a significant amount of regional biodiversity data is held in institutions outside the countries of origin. The author identifies critical gaps in functional and relational data—such as the impact of climate change on health and economy—and proposes a regional framework for metadata cataloging, data standardization, and the creation of strategic information products to support decision-making.

The report examines how the expansion of commodities, forestry, and biofuels—particularly sugarcane—affects soil carbon stocks in the La Plata Basin. It highlights that converting native vegetation to agriculture generally reduces carbon stocks, though no-tillage systems can mitigate these losses. Case studies in the Brazilian Cerrado demonstrate that pre-harvest burning of sugarcane and the removal of crop residues negatively impact soil bacterial communities and mycorrhizal associations, respectively.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) and the Belmont Forum are coordinating the Collaborative Research Action (CRA) on Climate, Environment and Health (CEH). The first round of CEH funding, launched in 2019, provided over 12 million euros and in-kind contributions from 13 funding agencies across 10 countries to support 9 projects involving 69 researchers from 20 countries. A second round of funding (CEH2) is currently being developed through a scoping process involving virtual workshops in the Americas from July to September 2021 to identify science and funding priorities.

The document details the implementation of twelve CRN II projects focused on environmental change, biodiversity, and climate risks across the Americas. Key activities include the establishment of research sites in countries such as Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina, the development of geospatial databases for Caribbean coastal scenarios, and the analysis of tropical cyclones and paleotempestology. The IAI Directorate emphasizes interdisciplinary cooperation, such as linking biodiversity projects and integrating fishery information systems to improve policy relevance.