ARO

Amazon Regional Observatory

The Amazon Regional Observatory (ARO) was created in 2021, a result of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), as a space for integrating knowledge and data about the largest tropical forest on the planet.

From the beginning, ARO’s mission has been to gather strategic information about the Amazon and share it among the countries of the region, strengthening cooperation and expanding the capacity to make evidence-based decisions.

In 2024, ARO was restructured to expand its reach and respond to the demands set by the Belém Declaration.

WHAT IS THE TIPPING POINT?

The tipping point is the limit at which the Amazon loses its capacity to regenerate. If deforestation and degradation exceed this threshold, the forest may cease to function as a humid tropical forest and transform into a drier ecosystem. This would lead to a massive loss of biodiversity, reduced rainfall, and increased greenhouse gas emissions, irreversibly compromising the environmental balance of the region.

What is the function and objective of ARO?

More than just a data repository, the Observatory has established itself as a space for multilateral cooperation. Its work is to monitor critical elements of the Amazonian system that could accelerate irreversible changes, such as the approach of the tipping point.

Based on this monitoring, it seeks to establish the causes, evidence, and consequences of these processes, supporting governments, scientific institutions, and civil society in building joint responses.

The objectives of the ARO are clear: to strengthen the integrated management of the Amazonian ecosystem, to support public policies with reliable technical information, to produce and disseminate high-quality and accessible scientific knowledge, and to ensure that the Amazon is understood and cared for as a common heritage of the countries that share it.

Learn more about ARO