University of Birmingham celebrates UK–Amazonia collaboration ahead of COP30

Professor Marcel Botelho, President of FAPESPA – Fundação Amazônia de Amparo a Estudos e Pesquisas – visited the University of Birmingham to celebrate its deepening ties with Amazonian researchers as experts gather at COP30 in Belém.

During his visit to the University of Birmingham Brazil Institute (UBBI), Professor Botelho met with students who took part in Immerse Amazonia. He heard about their transformative experiences and aspirations as they prepare to participate in COP30 activities in Belém.

Three of the students – Benika Lal, Hadil Touihri, and Lennox Stevenson - are representing the University at COP30, contributing to youth-led panels and events focused on climate action, biodiversity, and Indigenous knowledge. They will be joined by Dr Angelo Martins Junior, UBBI Co-Director.

FAPESPA is a strategic partner in UBBI’s Engage Amazonia 2025 programme, co-funding two flagship initiatives: the Immerse Amazonia summer school, held in Caxiuanã in July; and the Connect Amazonia seed fund, which supports interdisciplinary research collaborations between Birmingham and institutions across the state of Pará.

Dr Angelo Martins Junior commented: "COP30 is a historic moment for the Amazon, and it’s vital that the voices of those who live under the canopy - Indigenous peoples, riverine communities, and youth - are at the heart of the conversation. But beyond being heard, these communities must have a genuine role in shaping the policies and decisions that will determine the fate of their territories - and, ultimately, of the planet itself.

“We’re proud to support our students in sharing their experiences and learning from Amazonian communities. Their presence at COP is not just symbolic; it’s a powerful act of solidarity and co-responsibility for our shared future."

The UBBI delegation will contribute to a range of high-impact events at COP30, including:

• Voices of Youth Panel: A transnational dialogue featuring students from Pará and Birmingham sharing insights from joint learning experiences in the Amazon.
• MCTI Casa da Ciência: Roundtable on scientific communication in the Amazon to combat climate denial.
• International Cooperation: The Role of Funding Agencies and Universities in Advancing Socio-environmental Science
• Solidary Bioeconomy and Climate Impacts on the Peoples and Communities of the Amazon
• Bridging Research and Policy for Global Climate Action, Birmingham Institute for Sustainability and Climate Action policy report launch
• Internationalisation Workshop: Introducing academic collaboration opportunities with UBBI and supporting early-career researchers.
• Gender, Youth and Agency in Rural and Urban Amazon Regions

Professor Botelho also met with academic leads of UBBI’s Connect Amazonia projects, which showcase the kind of collaborative, impact-driven research that defines Engage Amazonia 2025 - a programme integrating multidisciplinary academic expertise, community knowledge, and youth voices to address global challenges. Funded projects include:

• Decolonising Climate Change: Advancing interdisciplinary research on climate justice, bioeconomy innovation, and decolonial knowledge-making.

• Voices of the Forest: Developing immersive, bilingual forest education materials that integrate biodiversity science with Indigenous and riverine wisdom.
• Climate, Citizenship and Riverine Resilience: Documenting community-led responses to drought and co-producing policy materials to amplify forest peoples’ voices.
• Ecopedagogy for Amazonian English Teachers: Creating bilingual teaching materials rooted in Amazonian environmental and cultural themes.
• From Forest Waste to Local Wealth: Transforming Amazonian fruit waste into functional food prototypes using green extraction technologies and AI modelling to strengthen the regional bioeconomy.

UBBI Co-Director Dr Courtney Campbell commented: "We are honoured to welcome Professor Botelho and proud of our growing partnership with FAPESPA. As COP30 approaches, this visit highlights the importance of sustained engagement with Amazonian science and communities, and the role of universities in shaping inclusive, global responses to environmental challenges."