To see the visible effects of the human footprint on natural ecosystems, look no further than the Amazon rainforest. As in most of the world, agricultural expansion and intensification are driving land-use and land-cover change in the Amazon. The world’s largest tropical forest has exceptionally high rates of land use change that are accelerating forest loss to a critical threshold. Scientists and civil society are increasingly documenting the connection between forests and land use that serve as input for government decision-making. Land use planning is a systematic, multi-stakeholder process that can provide a sustainable means for local people to manage natural resources in a way that meets the needs of both current and future generations. In this session, the panelists will present their experiences working in different countries with government agencies in the Amazon on land use planning as a tool to deter deforestation and preserve ecosystem services.

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