The SPA
The Science Panel for the Amazon (SPA), established on September 23, 2019, at the United Nations in New York, is the world’s first regional high-level science initiative dedicated to the Amazon.
Officially launched in July 2020 and comprising over 300 scientists, the SPA integrates Indigenous and local knowledge with Western science to develop evidence-based solutions for sustainable development.
OUR MISSION
To synthesize and communicate scientific knowledge about the Amazon, integrated with Indigenous and Local Knowledge (ILK), to accelerate solutions for sustainable and equitable development.
OUR VISION
To become a global authority providing state-of-the-art, policy-relevant science and knowledge about the Amazon.
The SPA targets academia, governments, the private sector, civil society, Indigenous peoples, local communities, and the international community, providing expert-led solutions to inform decision-making and promote sustainable practices.
The SPA’s diverse solutions aim to halt deforestation, expand Protected Areas, restore ecosystems, and develop a sustainable socio-bioeconomy of healthy standing forests and flowing rivers, safeguarding the Amazon’s ecological and cultural richness for future generations.
SPA Leadership
The SPA is convened under the auspices of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN)
Professor Jeffrey Sachs
SDSN President
SPA Convener
Ms. Emma Torres
SPA Strategic Coordinator
Dr. Carlos Nobre
SPA Co-Chair
Dr. Marielos Peña-Claros
SPA Co-Chair
Composed of global thought leaders, the Strategic Committee advises the SPA, supporting the effective communication of its findings and recommendations to ensure wide-reaching dissemination and impact.
SPA Strategic Committee
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Mr. Achim Steiner
Administrator, United Nations Development Programme
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Dr. André Lara Resende
Former President, The Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES)
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Dr. Angel Guevara
President, Academy of Sciences of Ecuador
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Dr. Avecita Chicchon
Program Director, Andes-Amazon Initiative, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
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Ms. Beka Munduruku
Young Indigenous Leader, Munduruku People
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Mrs. Christiane Torloni
Actress, Rede Globo
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Mr. Clarence Seedorf
Football Legend
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Dr. Enrique Forero
President, Colombian Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences
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Dr. Fernando Roca
Member and Designated SPA Representative, National Academy of Sciences of Peru
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Mr. Gaston Acurio
Co-Founder, Acurio Restaurantes
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Mr. Guilherme Leal
Co-Founder, Natura
(Emeritus) -
Mr. Gustavo Dudamel
Music and Artistic Director, Los Angeles Philharmonic
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Dr. Helena B. Nader
Brazilian biomedical scientist, Federal University of São Paulo
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Mr. Jose Gregorio Diaz Mirabal
Indigenous Leader and Former COICA Coordinator
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President Juan Manuel Santos
Former President and Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Mr. Luis Moreno
President, Inter-American Development Bank
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Dr. Luiz Davidovich
President, Brazilian Academy of Sciences
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Monsignor Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo
Chancellor, Pontifical Academy of Sciences and Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences
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Mrs. Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garcés
Former President of the United Nations General Assembly, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defense of Ecuador
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Ms. Marina Helou
Congresswoman, Legislative Assembly of the State of São Paulo
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Dr. Ricardo Galvão
Awarded Brazilian physicist and engineer
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Mr. Roberto Waack
Chairman of the Board of the Arapyaú Institute, co-founder of the initiative Uma Concertação pela Amazônia
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Ambassador Rubens Ricupero
Former Secretary General, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
(Emeritus) -
Mr. Sebastião Salgado
Photographer and Co-Founder of Instituto Terra
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Minister Valerie Garrido-Lowe
Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Affairs, Government of Guyana
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Thomas Lovejoy
World-renowned Ecologist
(In Memoriam)
SPA Science Steering Committee
The Science Steering Committee supports the overall scientific oversight of the Panel, including reviewing outputs, advising on science strategy, and nominating and approving the Co-Chairs. Members serve terms with a staggered rotation to ensure continuity.
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Adalberto Val
Senior Researcher, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA)
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Andrea Encalada
Provost and Professor of Ecology, Universidad San Francisco de Quito
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Carlos Mena
Professor, Universidad San Francisco de Quito
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Dolors Armenteras
Professor, Universidad Nacional de Colombia
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Dr. Fernando Roca
Principal professor, Academic Director, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP)
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Germán Poveda
Professor, Universidad Nacional de Colombia
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Jon Paul Rodriguez
Professor of Ecology, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (IVIC)
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Jos Barlow
Professor of Conservation Science, Lancaster University
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Luciana Villa Nova
Founder, Mangará Inovação e Sustentabilidade
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Mariana Varese
Director of Amazon Landscapes, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
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Mercedes Bustamante
Professor, University of Brasilia
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Paulo Moutinho
Senior Scientist, Amazon Environmental Research Institute - IPAM Amazonia
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Scott Saleska
Associate Professor, University of Arizona
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Simone Athayde
Research Integrity Lead, World Resources Institute - WRI
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Susan E. Trumbore
Professor, University of California
SPA Members
The Science Panel for the Amazon comprises over 300 scientists, 42% of whom are female-identifying, with 69% from the eight Amazonian countries and French Guiana, including Indigenous communities. The Panel members bring decades of expertise in diverse disciplines such as biology, geology, ecology, climatology, hydrology, anthropology, economics, and political science.
SPA Youth Advisory Committee
The Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) is an initiative aimed at integrating the voices, expertise, and energy of young scientists and leaders into the conservation and sustainable development efforts of the SPA. The YAC promotes SPA’s scientific and policy recommendations, fosters collaboration with youth organizations, and advances science communication representation and networking.
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Alejandra Gonzales Rocabado
Bolivia
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Anaïs Salabert
French Guiana
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Beka Munduruku
Brazil
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Carla Daniela Guevara Inga
Ecuador
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Criseyda Román Córdova
Peru
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Felipe Storch de Oliveira
Brazil
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Gustavo Nascimento
Brazil
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João Pedro Braga
Brazil
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Maryane Bento Trindade de Andrade
Brazil
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Meset Fernando Mashingashi Unkuch
Ecuador
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Nohora Alejandra Quiguantar
Colombia
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Pedro Neves de Castro
Brazil
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Sorayadebie Jhagroe
Suriname
SPA Technical-Scientific Secretariat
The Science Panel for the Amazon is supported by a Secretariat with offices in São Paulo, Brazil, and New York, USA. The Secretariat hires staff from all regions and countries and is dedicated to providing high-level support to the SPA.
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Federico Viscarra
Science Officer
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Isabella Leite
Senior Manager
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Julia Arieira
Technical-Scientific Secretariat
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Julie Topf
Program Manager
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Diego O. Brandão
Technical-Scientific Secretariat
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Gabriela Arnal
Communications Manager
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Daniel Bernstein
Special Assistant & Program Associate
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Gabriel Sperandeo
Administrative Assistant