Promotion of Best Environmental and Social Management Practices

Tension is increasing in the Amazon between the seemingly opposing goals of biodiversity conservation and natural resource extraction and infrastructure development.

Due to a lack of coherent regulatory frameworks, political will, and enforcement capacity, economic development in the Amazon region has generally resulted in the destruction and degradation of forests and waters, but these goals do not have to be at odds.

Utilizing best environmental and social management practices (BMP) in the development of large-scale infrastructure and extractive industry projects (e.g., planning development around biological corridors, using new technology to conduct petroleum exploration, or burying pipelines) can drastically reduce unintended negative impacts and facilitate both economic development and environmental conservation.

This activity will engage with private sector companies, regional governments, and civil society groups (particularly vulnerable indigenous populations) to foster the use of innovative BMPs in new large-scale development projects, focused on selected biodiverse landscapes in Peru, Colombia and Brazil.

Geographies will be prioritized by a multi-sector advisory group, where BMPs could be adopted in infrastructure projects (e.g., roads and hydropower dams) and extractive industries (e.g,, mining and hydrocarbons).

Key implementation approaches will include: engaging development champions from different sectors within existing networks; deploying quantitative tools and predictive modeling to demonstrate the effectiveness and differential impact of deploying BMPs; building strong partnerships to oversee BMP implementation at the site level; and replicating and scaling up the use of proven interventions.