The Living Amazon: Science, Cultures and Sustainability in Practice

The Living Amazon: Science, Cultures and Sustainability in Practice, offered by SDG Academy through edX, is an online course designed to provide an overview of the Amazon’s ecosystems, cultures, and sustainability challenges. The course examines the Amazon as the world’s largest rainforest and river system, vital to climate stability, biodiversity, and the well-being of the millions of people who live there, including more than two million Indigenous people. It focuses on how deforestation, degradation, fragmentation, and criminality are placing the region under unprecedented pressure and explores why the Amazon is central to both local livelihoods and global sustainability.

Core Content

The curriculum explores the state of the Amazon’s ecosystems, current trends, threats, and long-term impacts, while also examining opportunities for conservation and sustainable development. The course spans multiple disciplines, including international development, agriculture and global commodity chains, fisheries, climate science and action, geology, anthropology, biodiversity, community engagement, and human rights. It is built to help learners understand both what is placing Amazonian ecosystems and communities at risk and what kinds of solutions can help protect the region for current and future generations.

Key Skills

Participants will develop the ability to understand the environmental, cultural, and development significance of the Amazon and assess the major threats facing the region. The course helps learners build a broader understanding of how biodiversity, climate, livelihoods, Indigenous communities, and sustainable development are interconnected in the Amazon. It also supports more informed thinking about conservation strategies, sustainable development pathways, and region-specific responses to ecological and social risk.

Target Learners

This course is designed for practitioners and professionals from all sectors, whether or not they are already familiar with the Amazon. It is particularly relevant for people working in government, civil society, academia, the private sector, and international agencies, as well as undergraduate and graduate students. SDG Academy also presents it as useful for parents, teachers, students, climate change activists, and policy-makers interested in conserving the world’s largest tropical forest and promoting sustainable livelihoods.

Learning Format

Hosted through edX and SDG Academy, the course is delivered in a flexible online format and is available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. The learning experience includes pre-recorded lectures, readings, quizzes, a final exam, and a discussion forum, allowing learners to progress at their own pace while building practical understanding step by step. The course is self-paced and available any time, making it suitable for learners seeking a globally accessible and multilingual introduction to the Amazon’s sustainability challenges and opportunities.

Additional Benefits

The course offers strong practical value for learners who want a deeper understanding of one of the world’s most important ecological and cultural regions. Its collaboration between the Science Panel for the Amazon, the World Bank, the Global Environment Facility, and WWF adds institutional credibility, while its grounding in the 2021 Amazon Assessment Report gives it a strong scientific foundation. For learners interested in climate, biodiversity, Indigenous knowledge, and regional sustainable development, it provides a broad and applied introduction to the Amazon in global context.

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