Deforestation rates on Indigenous-managed lands in Brazil’s Amazon region are up to 83% lower compared to unprotected areas, a paper has found.
Indigenous territories delivered better conservation outcomes compared to other protected areas, though this did not translate into higher incomes, according to the study led by researchers at the UK’s University of Manchester and University of Sheffield and published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution.
Researchers combined satellite imagery for the Amazon region with data from the Brazilian national census in a bid to cross map outcomes for nature and income generated within conserved areas.
Results showed that Indigenous territories reduced deforestation relative both to agricultural and mining land uses.
Yet, they had the lowest levels of socio-economic development, with incomes up to 36% lower compared to strict protected areas (SPAs), such as nature reserves and national parks, and sustainable-use protected areas (SUPAs), which include sites where nature resource use is permitted.
All protection arrangements taken into account in the study – Indigenous territories, SUPAs, and SPAs – proved effective at reducing deforestation arising from mining land uses.
SUPAs and SPAs did not reduce deforestation relative to small-scale agriculture, but did so in larger agricultural landholdings.
“Critically, these reductions in deforestation frequently occurred without negative socio-economic outcomes,” researchers said.
“Although protected areas in the Brazilian Legal Amazon substantially reduced deforestation without compromising local socio-economic development, efforts to secure Indigenous rights need additional interventions to ensure these communities are not further disadvantaged.”
The study argued that returning lands to Indigenous Peoples could help boost conservation efforts across the region, but called for urgent measures to ensure communities are adequately rewarded.
Last year, a separate paper showed that forests managed by Indigenous and local communities tend to have better outcomes for biodiversity, carbon, and livelihoods, with researchers urging governments to hand over forest management as a strategy for preserving and restoring nature.
To date, national governments have largely failed to include communities in their plans for meeting biodiversity goals, though some initiatives have emerged in the lead-up to this year’s COP16 summit to enhance Indigenous participation in conservation efforts.
Last month, Canada’s federal government announced a C$335 million ($245 mln) allocation in blended finance to support First Nations in the preservation and stewardship of the Great Bear Rainforest’s marine and coastal environment.
Within the fledgling biodiversity credit market, the Community Advisory Panel of the UN-backed Biodiversity Credit Alliance (BCA) has taken steps to bring attention to the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
By Sergio Colombo – sergio@carbon-pulse.com
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