A new study by Conservation International, led by researcher Sushma Shrestha Sangat and published in Communications Earth & Environment, has revealed that Afro-descendant communities in South America are playing a vital role in slowing deforestation and preserving biodiversity. The study focused on about 9.9 million hectares of officially recognized Afro-descendant territories in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Suriname. These lands saw dramatically lower forest loss compared to national averages — up to 29% less within protected areas, 36% less outside, and as much as 55% less along the edges of protected zones. These findings highlight the powerful environmental impact of traditional land management practices passed down through generations.
Even more striking, more than half of these territories fall within the world’s most biodiverse regions, with almost all Afro-descendant lands in Ecuador ranking in the global top 5% for species richness. These areas not only shelter unique ecosystems but also hold vast stores of “irrecoverable carbon” — carbon that, if released, would take centuries to be restored. The study attributes this success to the communities’ sustainable agroforestry systems, “food forests,” and centuries-old African knowledge blended with Amazonian experience. These results emphasize the need to formally recognize and support Afro-descendant land rights as a key part of global efforts to fight climate change and protect biodiversity. More