BOGOTA (AlertNet)- A lack of adequate research and up-to-date data on the Colombian Amazon is hampering efforts to formulate government policy to conserve the country's rainforest, protect indigenous groups that live there and measure the real impact of climate change on the Amazon, local environmentalist say.
Around six percent of the Amazon, the world's biggest rainforest, is found in Colombia, covering up to 40 percent of the country's territory across 10 provinces.
"The poor state of research about the Colombian Amazon and quality of information we have about our most important natural resource and source of biodiversity is really worrying," said Wendy Avenas, a biologist and head of Alisos, a Colombian non-governmental environmental organization. She spoke during the recent launch of a local initiative that aims to promote research and awareness about the Colombian Amazon.
The grass-roots initiative, known as Amazon 2030, involves three Colombian NGOs and the private sector and seeks to compile and promote better quality research to help define a national policy on preserving the Colombian Amazon and promoting its sustainable development.
It is also hoped more quality research will allow scientists to better measure the impact of climate change on the rainforest, and the effects of increasing numbers of mining and oil exploration activities over the last decade.
"We need to improve research on the impact of climate change on rainforest ecosystems, (something) which is still nascent and lacking, and better use the existing data available to measure the impact of climate change and project future rates of deforestation," Arenas said.
"Without this data, it's difficult to help formulate government policy," she added.
The tell-tale signs of climate change, including higher temperatures and erratic rainfall, are being felt in the Colombian Amazon, local environmentalists say.
"In recent years, we've seen prolonged summers, longer periods of drought and more frequent forest fires, all warning signs of the impact of climate change on the Colombian Amazon," said Martin von Hildebrand, head of Gaia Amazonas, a Colombian environmental NGO.
"But we're not even sure about how much rainfall the rainforest gets," he added.
DEFORESTATION A GROWING THREAT
Deforestation and forest degradation are a growing threat to the Colombian Amazon, and a leading contributor to carbon emissions worldwide.
It is estimated deforestation is responsible for around 20 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, with most forest land cleared for agricultural use and mining projects, according to the United Nations.
"If we don't win the fight against deforestation we will lose the fight against climate change," Hildebrand said.
Despite some advances in monitoring deforestation, especially in Brazil - home to some 60 percent of the Amazon rainforest - significant knowledge gaps remain in understanding the rates and patterns of deforestation across the rainforests of Latin America, and in identifying trends and comparing and integrating this data, scientists say.
Colombian environmentalists are urging the nine South American countries that control parts of the Amazon to share research better - in particular cost-effective adaptation strategies to tackle climate change. They also want to develop a more integrated policy on Amazon conservation in the region.
"The Amazon is not just about Brazil," Arenas said. "We need a more integral way of looking at it and (to) develop regional policies, particularly among Andean nations like Peru, Colombia and Ecuador which all share the Amazon."
COMPILING DATA
To start the project, Colombian environmentalists first had to agree on what constitutes the Amazon, including which municipalities form part of it in Colombia, and define its geographical boundaries. Then came the challenging task of collating existing data.
"Getting local municipalities and government authorities to respond to requests for public information has been a long and arduous task," Arenas said. "Sometimes we had to pay for data from government entities, something we believe should be made available to the public for free."
As part of their effort, Colombian biologists are coming up with new ways of measuring the impact of climate change that take into account the well-being of indigenous tribes, including their access to water and food. The Colombian Amazon is home to over 60 different indigenous people.
Colombian environmental groups also are urging the government to carry out a census of provinces in the Colombian Amazon, and encouraging local governments to include Amazon conservation projects in their development plans and budgets.
"In Colombia, the Amazon still doesn't hold the importance it deserves among Colombians and the government," Arenas said.
The Colombian government is considering plans to earmark 10 percent of its growing oil and mining revenues for the country's main state research institute, Colciencias, in an effort to boost research on climate change issues and to set up a regional research centre on biodiversity along the country's Pacific coast.
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