The Amazon Rainforest: Celebrating 10 Years of ARPA for Life
Listen now
Description
Today’s episode celebrates an important milestone: the 10th anniversary of the largest tropical forest conservation program on Earth. It’s called the Amazon Region Protected Areas Program for Life, or ARPA for Life, for short. And since 2014 it has helped provide the resources required to protect 150 million acres of the Brazilian Amazon, an area larger than the state of California. The Amazon rainforest is one of the most biodiverse places on Earth, containing about 1 in 10 of all known species. It also stores an abundance of carbon, and regulates regional weather as the moisture from the forest contributes to rainfall in one of the most important agricultural regions in the world. In short, we all have a stake in keeping the Amazon rainforest vibrant and intact. And ARPA for Life is the single biggest initiative attempting to do that. Joining the show today to reflect on 10 years of ARPA for Life is Dr. Mariana Ferreira, Director of Strategy for WWF-Brazil. Mariana shares some of the history behind the creation of ARPA for Life (2:35), how it has endured political challenges presented by changes in the Brazilian government (10:34), and how it has benefitted people, biodiversity, and the climate through its first 10 years (16:41). LINKS: Dr. Mariana Ferreira bio ARPA for Life web story Amazon Rain Forest fact page Enduring Earth website
More Episodes
Today’s episode focuses on the latest efforts to conserve wild tigers. After a century of decline, tiger populations began to rebound in the last decade, growing from just 3,200 in 2010 to over 5,500 today. But tigers are still an endangered species. So what are the most important steps we can...
Published 05/28/24
Published 05/28/24