The Amazon is home to 33 million people, 60 percent of the world’s remaining rainforests, and one-third of all known plant and animal species. Local communities rely on the region’s natural capital for water, food, and livelihoods. Populations worldwide benefit from the Amazonian ecosystem, which affects global weather patterns and holds up to 140 billion tons of carbon dioxide – the equivalent of 14 decades worth of human emissions. This region’s importance cannot be overstated; the threats it faces cannot be underestimated.
USAID’s Amazon Vision seeks to support a healthy and resilient forested region valued by society, promote human well-being, and safeguard our global climate. The Vision describes, guides, and measures USAID’s investments and conservation impact at a regional scale and includes the work of the Amazon Regional Environmental Program (AREP), the bilateral Missions, and USAID/Washington projects in the Amazon.
The purpose of this report is to describe the regional context, the current status and achievements of USAID’s biodiversity and sustainable landscape initiatives in the Amazon basin through the lens of the Amazon Vision.