This week’s edition of the Um Grau e Meio newsletter kicks off the celebrations for the 30th anniversary of IPAM (Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia).
Sign up to receive the IPAM newsletter free of charge in your e-mail.
Paulo Moutinho, co-founder and senior scientist at the Institute, comments in an interview on IPAM’s 30th anniversary, the Brazilian environmental context during this period and what lies ahead.

IPAM’s senior scientist, Paulo Moutinho (Photo: Rafael Coelho/IPAM)
How was IPAM born?
IPAM emerged from in-depth field experiences and strong interaction with local populations. Activities were based on what we called “participatory research” at the time. In other words, scientific research involved the direct involvement of small producers, indigenous populations and traditional communities in solving the environmental and social problems they faced.
Thus, the Institute was formally created on May 29, 1995, when it signed its founding charter in Belém. It is therefore a genuine Pará institution, which gives us great pride. With the founding, a group of researchers was brought together with the mission of putting science and education at the service of environmental conservation, with social justice, protection of rights and economic prosperity. This mission prevails unshaken to this day.
What was the environmental landscape at the time and what has changed?
When IPAM was created, the scenario was characterized by high rates of deforestation, persistent social conflicts over land and low social awareness of the role of the Amazon for a minimally balanced climate future.
Since then, there has been a lot of progress. A large area of the region has been set aside for native peoples and traditional communities, which has guaranteed environmental conservation that is now considered vital for the country and the planet. Much has also been learned. For example, we were successful in reducing deforestation in the Amazon. From 2005 to 2012 we saw a series of measures that brought down the rates of forest destruction in the region by 80%, while simultaneously doubling meat and grain production.
IPAM and its partners carried out countless research and demonstration projects which showed that it is possible to stop the destruction of the forest without compromising, for example, the production of food or even commodities. It has shown that it is possible to advance production without cutting down a single tree. Obviously, it’s not all flowers.
At different times after 2012, deforestation and social conflicts, with veiled threats to people’s fundamental rights, resurfaced. And they persist today, especially involving public lands.
The fact is, given the ongoing climate emergency, when are we going to use all our accumulated knowledge once again to put an end to deforestation in the region and the conflicts it generates? We certainly have the technical/scientific elements to do so, as well as the social will. What we need is political will.
What do you expect for the country’s future in the sector, given the expectations for COP30?
IPAM has officially participated in the Climate COPs since 2000. It was the first Amazonian institution to bring the voices of family farmers, indigenous peoples and extractivists to the UN climate negotiations. Since then, the Institute has promoted and supported representatives of these social segments at each COP.
As for COP30, it has always been a dream to have an edition of the Conference on Brazilian and Amazonian soil. This represents a huge opportunity to demonstrate how Amazonians, by maintaining the protection of the region’s dense forest, are making a fundamental contribution to the “habitability” of the region, the country and the planet. This is no small feat.
To give you an idea, the Amazon as a whole stores the equivalent of a decade’s worth of global carbon emissions. If destroyed, the global climate situation will be greatly aggravated.
Therefore, what is expected of the country at this COP is a substantial increase in the commitments of regional and national governments to protect this heritage and put an end to forest destruction. With respect for the rights of those who carry out this protection and with more economic opportunities geared towards sustainability, with social justice.
It is also essential that Brazil takes a vanguard stance on fossil fuels, in particular by demonstrating that prospecting for oil at the mouth of the Amazon River is unreasonable in the face of worsening climate change.
How does the Institute complement civil society’s work for the climate?
As already mentioned, IPAM has always been close to the dynamics and context “on the ground” of the populations living in the Amazon and, more recently, in the Cerrado. As it is a science institute, this proximity allows the results of the numerous research projects that are developed with partners to have a major impact on civil society. This research is always shared with local and general society and is also published in the world’s leading scientific journals, which gives academic credibility to what we produce.
There are more than 1,000 scientific publications signed by IPAM. Complementarity occurs when these results are appropriated by sectors of society. A good example is our research that demonstrates the “air conditioning” role of indigenous lands in the region. By conserving their forests, indigenous peoples provide an environmental service of reducing the regional temperature by up to 5°C, as well as producing atmospheric humidity that contributes to the formation of rain clouds, which are so important for agribusiness.
What does it mean to be 30 in 2025? What can we expect in the next 30 years?
For me, who has lived in this institute since the beginning, and of which I have been director twice, it makes me euphoric. It hasn’t been an easy road. Great strides have been made in favor of the region and its people, but many defeats have been suffered.
I try to believe that we have reached 30 years of conquering and consolidating respect, not only regionally or nationally, but also internationally. We have proven time and time again that a science that is practiced with credibility and legitimacy and that is attentive to people’s wishes is the one that can contribute to tackling the global challenges that lie ahead.
What’s more, IPAM has grown and renewed itself. It has become young! Most of its employees are talented young people who have the next 30 years ahead of them. Personally, this is what makes me happiest. It gives me peace to see that the dream of building an institute focused on the next generations is being realized within its ranks.