#OcupaPanda: Documentary short provokes reflection on the destruction of the Amazon

outubro, 15 2025

Closing the event held by WWF-Brazil, the screening of the film was followed by a debate on ways to reverse the crisis in the biome

By WWF-Brazil

The second day of Ocupa Panda, event promoted by WWF-Brazil in preparation for COP30, ended with the exhibition of the documentary short “Amazon Tipping Point", released in November 2024 in the Chamber of Deputies. After the session, a debate brought together experts to discuss the impacts of deforestation and forest degradation on the biome, local populations and the climate — and reflect on possible solutions to halt the destruction.

The film brings together the voices of scientists, indigenous leaders and seed collectors who live in the Amazon and warn of the seriousness of the current scenario. About 17% of the forest has already been completely deforested and an equivalent area is degraded, according to WWF's Living Planet Report 2024. If destruction reaches between 20% and 25%, researchers point out, the Amazon may reach the so-called “tipping point” — a stage in which the biome loses the ability to regenerate naturally and maintain fundamental ecosystem services for the planet, such as carbon capture, climate regulation and maintenance of the rainfall regime.

The debate was mediated by Solange Azevedo, Engagement Specialist and Content Leader at WWF-Brazil, and was attended by Helga Correa, Biologist and Leader of Sciences at the organization, and Andressa Neves, Environmental Manager and Conservation Analyst.

“The point of no return is made up of a sequence of events that lead to the forest not being able to sustain itself anymore. The existence of one event strengthens the next, contributing to a progressive degradation," highlighted Helga.

Solange pointed out that if this limit is exceeded, about 47 million people who live in the Amazon will be directly impacted, including 511 indigenous peoples. She also recalled that the biome is home to 10% of the world's biodiversity. "It is not only an environmental problem, it is also a social, economic and global survival problem," she said.

Bringing a message of hope, Andressa reinforced that the same human activities that exert pressure on the biome also have the potential to change this trajectory. “If humans put pressure, they can also decompress. But with other types of activities, such as those that we support at WWF-Brazil, like the sustainable use of biodiversity, which is not an economic activity, but a way of life," she pointed out.

Helga concluded with a call for more support for traditional forest populations and projects that make their sustainable economic activities viable: “The world needs to recognize the role of these people. By promoting the permanence of these people in their territories, with self-management and their knowledge and protagonism respected, we can help and reverse this current situation."

At the end of the conversation, the audience watched the trailer of the new WWF-Brazil documentary short, scheduled for release in November, during COP30: “Amazon Tipping Point”, which highlights sustainable actions — such as those mentioned by Andressa — as possible paths for the future of the biome.

ATTENTION!

Helga Correa, Conservation Specialist at WWF-Brazil

“When there is deforestation, less rain goes into the forest, fewer plants grow and it becomes more susceptible to fires. The tipping point is when we lose more than 20% of the forest cover. And we're getting closer and closer to it.”

Andressa Neves, Conservation Analyst at WWF-Brazil

“Droughts are going to be longer and more severe. In these years of drought (2023/2024), there was no production of chestnuts. The sustainable economic activities of the forest are also impacted by extreme events."

HOW WWF-BRAZIL OPERATES

WWF-Brazil is committed to contributing to the construction of a sustainable future in which the country advances towards emission neutrality, with its biodiversity conserved and driven by a fair, inclusive and responsible development model. Our strategy is structured in four pillars:

Zeroing deforestation and fostering Nature-Based Solutions.
Strengthening the conservation of biodiversity.
Protecting rights and promoting the well-being of traditional peoples and communities.
Promoting low-impact development.

The second day of Ocupa (Occupy) Panda, an event promoted by WWF-Brazil in preparation for COP30, ended with the exhibition of the documentary short “Ponto de Não Retorno da Amazônia” (Amazon Tipping Point), released in November 2024 in the Chamber of Deputies

© Jacqueline Lisboa / WWF-Brazil

The film brings together the voices of scientists, indigenous leaders and seed collectors who live in the Amazon and warn of the seriousness of the current scenario

After the session, a debate brought together experts to discuss the impacts of deforestation and forest degradation on the biome, local populations and the climate — and reflect on possible solutions to halt the destruction

Andressa Neves, Conservation Analyst at WWF-Brazil, warned that droughts in the Amazon are becoming longer and more severe, as in the last two years, when there was death of dolphins, isolation of communities and drop in forest production, including Brazil nuts. According to her, these impacts are already visible, even before reaching the tipping point

Solange Azevedo, Engagement Specialist and Content leader at WWF-Brazil, warned that exceeding this limit would directly affect about 47 million people in the Amazon, including 511 indigenous peoples, and recalled that the biome concentrates 10% of the planet's biodiversity

Helga Correa, Conservation Specialist at WWF-Brazil, explained that deforestation reduces the forest's ability to pump water, which causes less rain, more fires and greater degradation. She warned that by losing more than 20% of the Amazon, the biome could enter an irreversible cycle of collapse — a point of no return that is closer and closer