Summary of my doctoral research (2021-2025)

Building a Strategic Roadmap for Ecologically Sound and Socio-politically Supported Conservation of the Brazilian Amazonia

Global biodiversity is in crisis because of human activity. We transform landscapes, we use land intensively, we contribute to climate change, and we place biomes and ecosystem services at risk for our own benefit. Because of this we are causing a major reorganization of living organisms on planet Earth, and we may witness a mass extinction of historic proportions.

Tropical forests are one of the ecosystems most affected by our actions. The conservation of the forests and the sustainable use of land in tropical areas are critical to preserving global biodiversity and mitigating climate change.

Amazonia contains the largest tropical rainforest in the world, and its wellbeing is of paramount importance to alleviating the global climate crisis. The scientific community already understands the dynamics and the devastating effects of deforestation and forest fires in Amazonia, and science-based recommendations are widely available for decision-makers. However, national governments of the Amazon region have been oblivious to the environment and to the widespread criminal activities in Amazonia and are reluctant to put these recommendations into practice.

In my doctoral research, I propose to find new paths for the conservation of Amazonia. I want to find out what are the appropriate instruments and policies that need to be developed, and how to realistically put these into practice. Because both using and conserving the tropical forests are profoundly linked to prevailing socio-economic and political structures, effective conservation policies must be both ecologically sound and socio-politically supported.

This research combines academic expertise of futures studies, political sciences, and conservation biology, together with the knowledge of various local actors.

The final product of this research will be a strategic roadmap that includes various pathways towards more just and more sustainable futures for Amazonia. The roadmap will include action plans for various actors, and it is planned to be published both in English (for the academic community) and in Portuguese (for non-academic readers).

Various publications targeting different audiences are planned to be produced by the end of my doctoral training. For the scientific community, I will produce a compilation dissertation (a doctoral dissertation that compiles several scientific journal articles). And for the wider audience, I plan to write not only the final roadmap, but also smaller popularized articles and materials that can be used by conservation practitioners and advocates of environmental preservation.

This research serves as an expansion of my master’s thesis, where I investigated the socio-environmental impacts of the construction of the Belo Monte Dam, and where I developed four scenarios for the future of the region. Now, I continue to investigate the complex system dynamics of the region, but instead of merely forecasting possible future scenarios, I will also produce a roadmap for sustainability transformations that can make the desirable scenarios a reality.

Keywords: Futures Studies, Conservation Biology, Political Science, Amazonia, Strategic Roadmap, Sustainability transformation, Interdisciplinary Studies, Sustainable Development.