Chapter 10: Critical interconnections between the cultural and biological diversity of Amazonian peoples and ecosystems
Simone Athayde, Glenn H. Shepard, Thiago M Cardoso, Hein van der Voort, Stanford Zent, Martha Cecilia Rosero-Peña, Angélica Almeyda Zambrano, Gasodá Wawaeitxapôh Suruí, Daniel M. Larrea‐Alcázar
Abstract
This chapter explores the Amazon’s biocultural diversity, focusing on IPLCs’ worldviews, knowledge systems, livelihood strategies, and governance regimes. It synthesizes the main social and political processes that have led to the formal recognition of IPLCs’ lands and/or territories across the Amazon. The chapter highlights IPLCs’ critical role in using, shaping, conserving, and restoring Amazonian ecosystems and biodiversity, despite historic ongoing processes including violence, displacement, and conflicts between conservation and development agendas.