Distinguished Anthropologist Eduardo Brondizio Receives 2023 Volvo Environment Prize for Amazon Sustainability Efforts

(IN BRIEF) Eduardo Brondizio, an Anthropologist Professor from Indiana University, Bloomington, has been awarded the 2023 Volvo Environment Prize for his extensive research spanning over three decades on the Amazon region’s environmental challenges. Contrary to common belief, Brondizio highlights the significance of urban areas in the Amazon, where most of its population resides, often facing poverty and violence. His research emphasizes the need to address these urban realities for sustainable development in the Amazon. Brondizio’s work underscores the importance of equitable resource distribution and inclusive development pathways. The award ceremony and seminar will be streamed live on November 22, 2023, in Gothenburg, Sweden.

(PRESS RELEASE) GOTHENBURG, 30-Oct-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — The Volvo Group (STO: VOLV-B), a Swedish multinational manufacturing company, announces that the Volvo Environment Prize Foundation unveils Eduardo Brondizio as the recipient of the Volvo Environment Prize in 2023. Eduardo Brondizio, a distinguished Anthropologist Professor hailing from Brazil and affiliated with Indiana University, Bloomington, USA, has been recognized for his remarkable research spanning over three decades, focusing on the multifaceted challenges of the Amazon region.

The vast Amazon holds a pivotal role in the global discourse on climate stability and biodiversity conservation. Eduardo Brondizio’s groundbreaking work has delved into the intricate interplay between land use, deforestation, climate change, and food production within the Amazon. His research has notably illuminated the impact of these factors on indigenous communities, rural populations, and urban centers.

Contrary to the common misconception that the Amazon is primarily an untouched rainforest with minimal human presence, Brondizio emphasizes the significance of its urban areas, where nearly 80% of the Amazon’s approximately thirty million inhabitants reside. These urban regions often grapple with poverty and underrepresentation on the global stage.

Eduardo Brondizio asserts, “Unfortunately, the problems of urban Amazonia are largely invisible, but they need to come in focus if we want to address the sustainability challenges of the region.”

Over centuries, human activities have left their mark on the Amazon, from the 19th-century rubber boom to the domestication of vital crops like cacao, cassava, and peanuts, which are now integral to the global agricultural economy.

“Amazonia has been part of the global history of economic and resource trade for over 400 years, and that history is still there,” says Eduardo Brondizio.

“When we talk about the Amazon today, we tend to think about the last few decades, when deforestation problems came to bear. But Amazonia has this deep history where the region’s people have developed intensive production systems with the forest without destroying it.”

One example of sustainable development in the Amazon is the cultivation of Acai, a popular palm fruit in high demand both domestically and internationally. It is often grown using agroforestry techniques, showcasing the potential for harmonizing agriculture with forest conservation.

Eduardo Brondizio advocates for the sustainable utilization of the Amazon’s resources, particularly through small-scale agroforestry. However, he emphasizes the need for equitable distribution of benefits to local communities to mitigate the region’s challenges effectively.

“But for it to succeed, the social conditions must improve, and we need to see how the people who live here can find the best requirements for more sustainable and inclusive development pathways,” says Eduardo Brondizio.

The Volvo Environment Prize jury commended Eduardo Brondizio’s contributions, stating, “Eduardo Brondizio is a world leader in complex systems thinking, which is embedded in an ethnographic approach. He has made extensive contributions to policy development through the engagement with the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and the Intergovernmental Science-policy platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).” 

The Volvo Environment Prize, now in its 34th year, stands as one of the most esteemed environmental awards in the scientific community. The award ceremony and seminar will be streamed live on November 22 in Gothenburg, Sweden.

For additional information about the 2023 laureate, the award, and access to the online seminar and prize ceremony, please visit www.environment-prize.com.

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SOURCE: AB Volvo