“Bogotá Declaration advances coordination but falls short of targets”, 25 August 2025
…Heads of State and representatives of member countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) released the Bogotá Declaration on Saturday (Aug. 23). The document had been approved the previous day in the Colombian capital during the fifth meeting of regional leaders…
Among the points in the declaration, Amazonian countries emphasized the urgency of coordinated action against deforestation and biodiversity loss, in line with the Paris Agreement, to prevent the so-called “point of no return” for the forest – a threshold beyond which it may no longer regenerate, triggering irreversible collapse. This shift could turn the Amazon into a drier, less dense biome, weakening its ability to absorb carbon and regulate the global climate.
The absence of clearer targets on this issue frustrated members of civil society who participated in the summit in Bogotá…
The same concern about the lack of deforestation targets, according to Ramalho, also applies to the issue of energy transition and fossil fuel exploration, which divided the countries of the region in the Bogotá Declaration. “The topic is mentioned only in the declaration’s preamble, which recognizes the need to ‘advance towards a just, orderly, and equitable energy transition.’ We know that the Colombian government has focused its efforts on including a commitment in the declaration to transition away from an economy based on fossil fuel extraction, such as oil and gas exploration. The Brazilian government, however, maintained its official position – reflected in the preamble. Peru, Ecuador, and Venezuela were the ones who opposed this proposal,” the coordinator added.
For the climate activist, fossil fuel exploration in the Amazon poses a serious threat to the biome…
The Bogotá Declaration also reaffirmed the differentiated protection of Indigenous Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact (PIACI)..
The bloc also expressed its support, through a joint statement, for the launch of the Tropical Forests Forever Fund (TFFF) during COP30 in Belém…
WACOCA: People, Life, Style.