Between May 21 and 23, 2025, the Science Panel for the Amazon (SPA) proudly participated in the 2025 Governors' Climate and Forests Task Force (GCF TF) Annual Meeting held in Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil. The GCF Task Force is a group of subnational governments and partners, dedicated to advancing climate goals through forest conservation and sustainable development. This year’s meeting theme, “Building the New Forest Economy: Connecting Governments, Peoples and Opportunities,” was focused on advancing critical conversations on the future of the Amazon and co-constructing pathways toward a regenerative, inclusive, and climate-resilient socio-bioeconomy. The event brought together representatives from 43 subnational states across 11 countries, who are responsible for more than one-third of the world’s tropical forests.

Representing the SPA, Marion Adeney, Amazon Director at Conservation X Labs and Lead Author of the SPA Policy Brief "A Network of Science, Technology, and Innovation Hubs to Catalyze Regenerative Socio-Bioeconomies for the Amazon Region", and Federico Viscarra, Science Officer of the SPA, actively engaged in planning, facilitating, and participating in high-level dialogues and thematic working groups alongside regional governors, policy makers, Indigenous leaders, researchers, and private sector stakeholders.

Strategic Participation in Bioeconomy Discussions

SPA’s engagement was especially visible in the Bioeconomy Working Groups, where key conclusions focused on the need for:

Public incentives and blended finance to boost sustainable value chains;
Stronger coordination and integration across countries, jurisdictions, and sectors;
Information systems and risk mitigation tools to support investment and local entrepreneurs;
Cross-border collaboration in regions like MAP (Madre de Dios–Peru, Acre–Brazil, Pando–Bolivia); and a
Clear emphasis on coordinated value chains for high-value forest products, including traceability systems, and promoting long-term forest conservation with equitable benefits for local communities.

SPA’s expertise and evidence-based approach supported discussions on how to align science, policy, and practice to unlock the region’s vast potential through socio-bioeconomy solutions grounded in forest conservation and social equity.

Bridging Initiatives: GCF TF & SPA Synergies

As part of SPA’s commitment to collaboration, Marion Adeney and Federico Viscarra, together with GCF Task Force Project Director Colleen Scanlan Lyons, are now working on a joint plan to identify synergies and strategic opportunities between the GCF Task Force and the SPA. After the productive meeting in Rio Branco, they will soon present a coordinated roadmap that leverages both platforms to scale up the implementation of nature-based solutions and regenerative socio-bioeconomies throughout the Amazon.

*Jason Gray, GCF TF Project Director; Francisca Arara, Secretary of Indigenous Peoples of Acre; Colleen Scanlan, GCF TF Project Director; and William Boyd, GCF TF Founder and Project Lead.*

The SPA’s deep expertise and approach of promoting science-based action, empowering Amazonian peoples, and strengthening networks of innovation for the long-term protection and prosperity of the region can provide a critical evidence base and support to subnational governments looking to enact concrete measures to protect forests while creating sustainable economic opportunities for the people of the Amazon.

Stay tuned for updates on the upcoming SPA–GCF collaboration plan, which will be shared in the coming weeks.

For more information on the GCF Task Force Rio Branco meeting, read here.

Science Panel for the Amazon Highlights Solutions at GCF Task Force Meeting in Rio Branco

In Memory of Sebastião Salgado