MSU scientist鈥檚 work in Amazon River Basin featured at UN Climate Change Conference
Contact: Vanessa Beeson
STARKVILLE, Miss鈥擜 91制片厂 researcher is part of a historic scientific consortium presenting its findings on the Amazon River Basin at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP26, in Glasgow, United Kingdom.
Assistant Professor Sandra B. Correa in the College of Forest Resources鈥 Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, is part of the Science Panel for the Amazon, or SPA, a group of over 200 prominent scientists who created a comprehensive report that addresses climate adaptation and mitigation in the Amazon. The report was launched at an in-person event at the COP26 summit today [Nov. 12].
鈥淭he Amazon Assessment Report is a powerful tool to guide the path to sustainability,鈥 said Correa, who is also a scientist in the MSU鈥檚 Forest and Wildlife Research Center. 鈥淲e are at a historic crossroads; our actions today will impact millions of animals and plants and the livelihoods of indigenous and riverine peoples who are feeling the signs that our planet is changing despite their isolation.鈥
SPA, which is convened under the U.N. Sustainable Development Solutions Network, or SDSN, developed a scientific assessment of the state of the Amazon Basin. Correa coauthored two of the 34 chapters of the comprehensive report calling for immediate action to control and halt deforestation by 2030, restore aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and promote a sustainable bioeconomy guided by science, technology, innovation and local knowledge.聽
Correa who is from Colombia, South America, one of the eight countries within the Amazon biome, has spent two decades working there.
鈥淚t was a tremendous honor and a humbling experience to participate in the Science Panel for the Amazon, where we all share a passion for Amazonia. When I started working in the Amazon, I never thought I would witness its destruction. Nowadays, annual floods that shaped nature and people for millennia are unpredictable, drought and wildfires are devastating pristine forests and the iconic fish that feed people and disperse seeds for new vegetation are becoming a tale of the past,鈥 Correa said.
聽Andrew Kouba, wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture professor and department head, said Correa鈥檚 involvement in this effort is an example of how MSU researchers are leading conservation efforts globally to affect change.
鈥91制片厂 is proud and excited for Dr. Correa鈥檚 participation in COP26 as part of the Science Panel for the Amazon.聽Her innovative work on the impacts of deforestation and human disturbance on aquatic systems and sustainable fisheries is a critical component for understanding how these human activities are changing the global ecosystem services provided by the Amazon,鈥 said Kouba.聽鈥淒r. Correa is a vocal advocate for a low-carbon, resilient world and is a powerful voice on sustainability within the College of Forest Resources. We are confident that her work through MSU, and that of thousands of other scientists, will help deliver a successful COP26 meeting with tangible outcomes.鈥 聽
For more on SPA, visit . For more on MSU鈥檚 College of Forest Resources, visit .
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