Appalachia and the Amazon - United Plant Savers

The Boat of Hope: A Journey of Amazonian Leadership

The Boat of Hope was conceived as a platform to unite leaders from Amazonian communities, offering them the opportunity to travel together from Manaus to Belém, Brazil. This four-day voyage was designed to culminate at COP 30, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, marking the first time the event was hosted in the Amazon region.

In preparation for COP 30, people from across the Amazon organized for months, determined to ensure that the voices of those living within the rainforest would be represented and heard. The Foundation for Sustainable Amazon (FAS) played a pivotal role in orchestrating the Boat of Hope, overseeing the coordination and logistics to bring community leaders together.

Throughout the journey, participants engaged in thoughtfully planned workshops and capacity-building sessions. These activities empowered community leaders with the skills and knowledge needed to take meaningful action once they arrived at COP 30. The experience onboard was not only inspiring but also demonstrated thoughtful organization and dedication invested in supporting Amazonian communities as they advocated for their region on the global stage.

Reflections from the Boat of Hope: Parallels with Appalachia

During the journey on the Boat of Hope, I listened closely as participants shared both the challenges they face and the solutions they envision for their communities. These conversations naturally led me to reflect on the similarities between the Amazon and Appalachia. A central theme that emerged was the concept of a “Bio-Economy,” which focuses on the opportunities of non-timber forest products. This idea resonates deeply with the work we undertake alongside our partners in the Appalachian Forest Farming Coalition, where we aim to foster an economic model in which standing forests are valued more highly than those that are logged.

The discussions highlighted the need to reclaim economic vitality for local communities, ensuring that the benefits of natural resources do not accrue solely to a select few, but instead support the wellbeing of the entire region. This challenge is not unique to the Amazon; it is also at the core of many efforts in Appalachia, where resource extraction has historically left communities behind.

Another noteworthy parallel is the abundance of medicinal plants found in both the Amazon and Appalachian regions. The Amazon is estimated to have around 40,000 plant species while Appalachia has around 25,000. These plants are integral to a thriving natural products industry worth billions of dollars. In Appalachia, United Plant Saver’s Brick House Apothecary is situated just a few miles from the sanctuary, in the historic river town of Pomeroy. The architecture of Pomeroy has a striking resemblance to Manaus, reflecting their shared histories as river economies. In the early 1900s, these economies flourished: in Appalachia, salt, timber and coal drove growth, while in the Amazon, rubber, fish and timber were the resources fueling prosperity.

Demographically speaking the Amazon currently has rapid population growth, with nearly 40 million people and a much younger population, while Appalachia’s population is around 25 million and the population growth rate is slow if not in decline in some areas and its demographic is older, with 18% aged 65 and above. Both regions are vital for biodiversity and face significant environmental challenges and threats, requiring cooperation among local communities, indigenous knowledge, and modern conservation methods to protect their natural and cultural heritage.

As I journey down the Amazon River I could not help but imagine the boat of hope floating down the Ohio River with next generation of leaders organizing and strategizing to stop the reckless deforestation of our national forests, ending mountain top removal, fracking, pipelines and charting a new “bio-economy” that uplifts the cultural use of plants, ecotourism, herbal medicine and puts forest biodiversity and climate resiliency at the forefront.

A Personal Journey into Ethnobotany

My passion for ethnobotany was ignited by reading “The Healing Forest: Medicinal and Toxic Plants of the Northwest Amazonia” by Shultes, published in 1990. This influential book inspired me to travel to Iquitos, Peru, where I dedicated a year to volunteering at the Sacha mama Ethnobotanical Garden. The Sacha mama, (mother earth), a mythical serpent spirit, believed to possess both magical and destructive powers; its tranquil nature is said to allow medicinal plants to flourish on its back and to attract animals to devour, representing life and death cycles of the forest.

Living in the Amazon profoundly changed my perspective on other forested regions. My experiences there led me to see the Appalachian forests through a new lens. It was only after studying medicinal plants in the Amazon that I recognized the unique healing potential of forests elsewhere. Growing up, I was never taught that the forests of Appalachia are a biodiversity hot spot for medicinal plants, much like the Amazon. This realization underscored the idea that all forests possess innate healing qualities and are critical to healing the planet in this climate crisis.

Now, more than thirty years since I last visited the region, this message resonates with even deeper significance. My journey has reinforced the understanding that the healing power of forests extends far beyond the Amazon and is a vital aspect of Appalachia’s natural heritage.

Shifting Climate Discourse and the Role of Leadership

As COP 30 concludes, the people of the Amazon have collectively influenced the global climate conversation. The momentum generated by their efforts feels transformative, as if a rising tide is altering the direction of climate action. While the United States’ absence from international discussions is regrettable, other nations have stepped forward to assume leadership roles. One such example is that of Colombia and the Netherlands, they have agreed to co-host the first international conference on Just Transition away from fossil fuels because the fossil fuel language was removed from the final COP agreements. In addition to fossil fuels being absent in the climate negotiations the elephant in the room deforestation seems to also be taboo in the climate space. Activists brought a giant snake puppet to the COP, called “A Gente Cobra” which is a Portuguese phrase meaning, “We Demand Action”.

The Critical Importance of Protecting Old-Growth Forests

While there is widespread advocacy for planting new trees, it is essential to recognize that regrown forests typically recover only about a quarter of the carbon lost when the original forests are cut or damaged, not to mention the compounded loss of biodiversity. This makes the protection of enact, and especially old-growth forests indispensable, as their full capacity to store carbon cannot be replaced once they are destroyed. The Amazon rainforest historically served as one of the planet’s most effective systems for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. However, recent changes mean that parts of the Amazon are now emitting more carbon than they absorb. This troubling reversal underscores the urgent need to address deforestation, especially in areas where healthy forests are being lost.

Globally, the ability of forests to act as carbon sinks is diminishing due to ongoing deforestation, with the most significant losses occurring in mature forests. The Amazon is estimated to store approximately 71.5 billion metric tons of carbon both above and below ground. In comparison, Appalachian forests held an estimated 2.75 billion metric tons of carbon, encompassing living biomass, litter, and soil. Despite the Appalachian region being much smaller than the vast Amazon basin, it is a critical landscape that stores nearly a quarter of the forest carbon found in the contiguous United States. Furthermore, Appalachian forests are currently considered more stable and reliable as a net annual carbon sink than the Amazon. These figures, derived from various climate science methods, including satellite data and scientific estimations, offer valuable perspective on the scale and function of major ecosystems. They highlight the essential role forest ecology plays in addressing the global climate crisis. Carbon accounting is rarely ever considered against the short-term economic gain of logging. And yet deforestation and illegal logging remain the silent killer in the climate debates.

Envisioning a Future of Forest Stewardship

Envisioning ourselves aboard the Boat of Hope, floating along the rivers of Appalachia, brings into focus the immense opportunity to recognize and value our forests with the same reverence afforded to the Amazon. This imaginative journey symbolizes the need to acknowledge the ecological significance inherent in both regions. By drawing parallels between the rivers and forests of Appalachia and the Amazon, this vision encourages us to foster a deeper appreciation for their unique biodiversity and vital environmental roles.

Ultimately, this perspective serves as inspiration to embrace sustainable stewardship practices. It calls for a commitment to protecting and managing these landscapes so that their ecological richness can endure for future generations. By valuing the forests of Appalachia alongside the Amazon, we are reminded of our shared responsibility to champion conservation and ensure the resilience of these irreplaceable ecosystems. Not to mention a tangible solution to the climate crisis.