Indigenous governance and relationality have effectively avoided forest loss in the Southwest Amazon
Virtanen, Pirjo Kristiina (University of Helsinki. Faculty of Humanities)
Gonzaga Roa, Amaia (University of Helsinki. Faculty of Humanities)
Fernández-Llamazares, Álvaro (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Apurinã, Francisco (University of Helsinki. Faculty of Humanities)
Facundes, Sidney (Federal University of Pará)
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Biologia Animal, de Biologia Vegetal i d'Ecologia

Date:	2025
Abstract:	Advanced geospatial analyses have underscored the effectiveness of Indigenous territories in avoiding deforestation, particularly across the tropics. However, the factors that shape such avoidance and their social-ecological contexts are still poorly understood. By using matching methods coupled with community-based and ethnographic approaches, we offer a contextual measure and understanding of deforestation avoidance of Indigenous territories in Southwestern Amazonia. Our counterfactual analysis of 19 Apurinã territories in Brazil over a 20-year period (2001-2021) in different municipalities showed that, even if Indigenous territories are by no means immune to forest loss, they have avoided significant levels of deforestation. Their effectiveness in mitigating deforestation is largely associated with distinct land-based governance, resilient leadership, as well as temporal perspectives and socio-bioeconomies inclusive to more-than-human beings.
Grants:	European Commission 101117423 Agencia Estatal de Investigación RYC2021-034198-I
Note:	Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-M
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Anthropology ; Sustainability ; Tropical ecology
Published in:	Communications earth & environment, Vol. 6 (2025) , art. 289, ISSN 2662-4435

DOI: 10.1038/s43247-025-02174-8

15 p, 3.8 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles