The Amazon – The challenge of communicating diversity.
Communication is an enormous challenge in the Amazon basin,not just because ofenvironmental issuesbut because this is a vast and diverseregion that is home to a multitude of cultures. The area covers 6.74 million square kilometers and, according to Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization(OCTA), has a population of 35 million people.
DW Akademie, together with its partners in the region, is seeking to strengthen communication processes thereto increase the visibilityof both its biological and cultural diversity as well as its social andenvironmental conflicts. It aims to boost public debate onpossible solutions, with inhabitants as the champions of the debate and their voices being heard, and with access to the information they need to actively participate in decision-making processes.If the Amazon rainforest is to be saved, it is crucial to empower those who live there so they can better defend their territories and ecosystems.
The right to freedom of expressionand access to information, as anchored in Article 19 of the UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights, plays a central role here and is whythecurrent communications processes in the Amazon are the focus of this study.
The data presented here are the results of research conducted between October 2019 and February2020 using a mixed methodology comprised of ananalysis of written sources, interviews with experts from differentareas and visits to 19 Amazonian communities located in Ecuador, Peru and Colombia.A series of workshops and discussions onalternative communication strategies were also held.
This study looks at the region’s existing infrastructure, including transport routes and means of transportation, electricpower, Internet availability and access, and the local media and communications landscape. It also looks at the many social and environmental conflicts affecting the region and providesresults of the fieldwork. In its conclusion, the study offers communication alternatives for this vast and diverse region.
