#23 Amazonian Cities Peer learning about the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems UCLG peer learning Riberalta · Bolivia, April 2018 Credits Coordination Latin American Federation of Cities, Municipalities and National Associations of Local Governments (FLACMA) Association of Municipalities of Bolivia (AMB) United Cities and Local Governments (CGLU) International Labor Organization (OIT) Andalusian Municipalities Fund for International Solidarity (FAMSI) Write and Edit UCLG Learning Team Roxana Tapia, Urbanist, Expert in Intermediary Cities Photos: The images in this publication were taken from the participants' presentations during the learning event For more information please contact: UCLG Learning [email protected] 3 Amazonian Cities Table of Contents Introduction page 4 Context page 9 The Amazon rainforest, a worldwide symbol of biodiversity and exploitation page 12 The challenges posed by Amazonia page 19 Shared reflections and peer learning page 28 Roadmap: actions to be taken to enhance acquired know-how page 32 4 UCLG Peer Learning Introduction FLACMA, the Latin American Federation of Cities, Municipalities and Local Government Associations, as part of the umbrella organization United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), acts as the voice of numerous small and intermediary cities who wish to ensure that the opinions of local governments are taken into consideration and represented in global agendas. One of FLACMA’s goals is that all members are strengthen through city to city exchanges. In this way, the management at technical and political level is improved, and societal well-being enhanced. The continent of Latin America has an overwhelmingly urban-dwelling population, with around 85% of its inhabitants living in cities. Urban growth has taken place at such speed in many of these cities that nature finds itself with no say in any debates that affect it, even though Latin America is a continent with unique natural resources. To speak about Amazonia is to speak about a space of worldwide scale and importance, the so-called ‘lungs of the earth’. It is to speak about nature in its purest state, ecosystems, ecology, biodiversity, cultural diversity, a transnational region. Amazonia is also home to nearly 40 million people who live in cities of varying size, rural settlements,1 and indigenous villages. It is no coincidence that the first celebration of the International Conference on Peer Learning and Cooperation between Amazonian Cities took place in Bolivia, a country which has taken significant legislative strides to protect the environment,2 promote integrated sustainable development and recognize nature as a subject of law.3 The city of Riberalta is an intermediary city, where the rivers Beni and Madre de Dios come together, one of the most historically symbolic and important river ports of the region and today a major exporter of the Brazil nut. Thanks to the vision and talent of Mayor Omar Nuñez and his work team, as well as the Association of Bolivian Municipalities (ABM), Riberalta accepted 1. The term ‘vereda’ in the original Spanish, is used in Columbia as a geopolitical division that refers to a small agrarian community. 2. Environmental Act 1333 (1992) Art. 1 Purpose. “…the protection and preservation of the environment and natural resources, regulating the actions of mankind in its relationship with nature and fostering sustai- nable development for the purpose of enhancing the quality of life of the population”. 3. Framework Act 300 on Mother Earth and Comprehensive Development of the ‘Living Well’ Concept (2012) Art 1. Purpose: “…to establish the vision and bases for integrated development in harmony and ba- lance with Mother Earth for ‘Living Well’, guaranteeing the continued capacity for regeneration of the living components and systems of Mother Earth, recovering and strengthening local knowledge and ancestral wisdom within the framework of the complementarity of rights, obligations and duties”. 5 Amazonian Cities the role of regional leadership of this event in collaboration with the Military School of Engineering at a decisive moment for the region. Extractive and hydroelectric activities, high levels of deforestation, the growth in cattle- rearing and agricultural activities, the scarcity of drinking water, the contamination of rivers, the spreading urban sprawl, etc., are all contributing to an unprecedented impact on the natural environment. This is leaving indigenous peoples unprotected and endangering the preservation of one the most important ecosystems in the world. It is time to coordinate actions and policies that aim to reverse the negative impact of the above. In promoting the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, as proposed in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15 (Life on land) of the 2030 Agenda of the UN, the Amazonian municipalities play a crucial role. A total of 60 local authorities attended the event, including 40 mayors and mayoresses. With the support of their national associations, they came by land, air and river to a meeting that lasted three days. In addition to the UCLG and FLACMA, the meeting was also supported by the International Labor Organization (ILO), the Andalusian Fund of Municipalities for International Solidarity (FAMSI), the government of Bolivia and, in particular, its Vice- Ministry of Autonomy. In the sessions of peer learning, dialogue and experience-sharing, the leaders acknowledged the existence of common challenges and designed a roadmap that reflects their commitment to the sustainable development of the Amazonian territory. The specific actions to be undertaken have been set out in the Riberalta Declaration, the result of a historic event which points the way to a new pathway for the region to follow. As President of FLACMA and Mayor of Sucre, the constitutional Capital of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, and an intermediate city considered Amazonian due to its many important River Amazon sources, I hereby join forces with my colleagues and sign the commitments that will ensure, through FLACMA, the implementation of networked actions that will benefit our communities and territories. Iván Arciénega Chairman of FLACMA, Mayor of Sucre, Bolivia 6 UCLG Peer Learning The results of the three days of working and learning together are summarized in the Riberalta Declaration In 2018, in the city of Riberalta, Beni Department, Bolivia, an international event, “Peer Learning and Cooperation between Cities – Policies and Projects for Small- and Medium-sized Cities in Amazonia” was held from April 16-18. This event was attended by representatives of local and regional governments and national associations of municipalities from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The event was headed by FLACMA, co-organized by the Vice-Ministry of Autonomy of the Bolivian Government, the Association of Municipalities in Bolivia (AMB), ILO and UCLG, and hosted by the Autonomous Municipal Government of Riberalta. Its celebration underlines the extensive south- south and inter-city cooperation which aims to consolidate interaction among small- and medium-sized municipalities in Amazonia. 7 Amazonian Cities Riberalta Declaration Riberalta, April 18, 2018 We, the local representatives of Amazonia meeting together for the first time to speak about the challenges we face and the opportunities that present themselves before us, hereby acknowledge that we are: jointly responsible as politicians for the protection of Amazonia, an area of worldwide importance that is essential for the sustainability of the planet; key players in the management of our territories, sharing the idea of Amazonia as a natural and cultural heritage; and the prime movers of public policies which respond to the need to find sustainable alternatives to the exploitation of the resources which our territory has made available to us. In this context, we hereby declare: Amazonia is a natural and human environment of enormous wealth, which must be protected and should be seen as a model for the harmonic relationship between different peoples on the basis of respect for diversity. Our local and regional governments must work together in a joint vision of our Amazon region which allows territorial and leadership coordination to confront the challenges we face in common. We therefore ask national, regional and international organizations: To generate a scenario which fosters multi- governance and enables all levels of government to be active players in the construction of a shared future. To promote funding management models to keep the geographical, territorial and social conditions of the region and attending to its real needs and requirements. To review legislative frameworks at national level and adapt them to the reality of the challenges and requirements of the region. To acknowledge the role played by municipalities in the associative management of Amazonia and their participation in a process whose goal is sustainable 8 UCLG Peer Learning territorial management with special emphasis on strategic planning, territorial legal codes, economic diversification, gainful and ecologically sustainable employment, etc. And we hereby express our commitment: To support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda of the UN. In particular: SDG 5 (Gender Equality) SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 15 (Life on Land). To align with FLACMA in the integration of coordinated efforts aimed at meeting the needs of the cities of Amazonia. To create a permanent space for joint evaluation with all participants in the planning, coordination and monitoring of the sustainable territorial development of Amazonia. To work towards the creation of a set of good practices and to foster the development of the skills and abilities of local leaders of the region, with special emphasis on increasing the participation of young people and women in the decision-making processes. To accept the challenge of a change in focus in terms of economic development to one which facilitates coordinated territorial conservation and the sustainable management of natural resources through ecotourism, ethno-tourism, green employment, the generation of added value, etc. To motive our citizens to actively participate as main actors in the protection and promotion of the Amazonian territory. To work together on reviewing and approving the documentation that we will begin to generate under the leadership of FLACMA and on the basis of the ideas and opinions generated by the roundtables. 9 Amazonian Cities Context Amazonia is spread over nine South American countries: Bolivia, Brazil (which has the largest area), Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, French Guiana, Surinam, Peru and Venezuela. With a total surface area of around 8 million km2, Amazonia integrates political-administrative boundaries, environmental characteristics connected to the extension of the Amazon rainforest, and the geographical configuration of the Amazon river basin. And yet Amazonia is also a region of numerous cities. The Brazilian city of Manaus is the most important in the region, with a population of over 2 million. Like many other cities in Amazonia, its origins can be found in the exploitation and colonization of the region as a fortification in the control of the flow of goods. Other cities have arisen from indigenous settlements which grew over time 4. “Intermediary into rural centres before becoming cities which integrate into the territory cities are urban eventually as a set of city systems with different hierarchies according to sites which create important bridges their territorial condition. These can include intermediary cities, twin cities, for the connection of rural and urban border cities, rural centers in forest reservations, indigenous territories, areas […] As a etc. Many of them have transnational and/or multinational characteristics. result of their ‘inter- mediary’ position, As the economy diversifies, the population grows and establishes nodes they also constitu- te, for the majority of varying importance in the territory, thereby generating a hierarchical of the population, a focal point of tran- system which is reflected in the cities. The so-called intermediary4 cities sition to overcome are especially important as articulation hubs in the rendering of services rural poverty […] the relationships and as agents of development which consolidate their role as intermediary that they generate cities able to revitalize the territory. with large urban centers allow them to complement There are numerous intermediary cities in Amazonia. An intermediary each other and city can be defined as a city whose essence and economy are based on the operate as a set of cities” (Translated surrounding territory. It generates proximity to its surroundings and tries into English from to be competitive by diversifying its economic foundations, connecting the original version in Spanish) (Llop, with markets and communicating in a more open and direct way with other JM. Construyendo una nueva agenda governmental bodies to ensure a quality of life for its citizens which creates urbana para las ciu- identity, solidarity and togetherness. dades intermedias. UCLG, 2015). 10 UCLG peer learning Percentage of population by countries in the Amazon Region Source: Own elaboration based on data obtained from Geo Amazonía. Perspectivas del medio ambiente en la Amazonía. PNUMA, OTCA, CIUP. Lima, 2009 73% 13% 4% BRAZIL PERU COLOMBIA 3% 2% 0% BOLIVIA SURINAME VENEZUELA GUYANA ECUADOR FRENCH GUIANA The importance of Amazonia in political agreements An important precedent for joint action in Amazonia was the signing of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty (ACT) in 1978. Eight out of nine countries in Amazonia (the only absentee being French Guiana) signed an agreement whose goal was to foster sustainable development in Amazonia through joint actions which took into consideration preservation of the environment and the rational use of natural resources.5 This can be considered a first step which demonstrates the interest and need for integration of these countries for sustainable management of the region, the balanced exploitation of its natural resources and the generation of joint policies of comprehensive development. 5. Amazonian Institute of Scientific Research, Another important step in addressing the need for joint action was the Paris SINCHI (2016). Agreement of 2016 on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through Perfiles urbanos en la Amazonía the mitigation, adaptation and resilience of ecosystems for a progressive Colombiana 2015. decrease in climate change. In this Agreement, Amazonia was identified as Publishing house: Scripto S.A.S. one of the last ‘lungs’ of the planet. Bogota.