{"id":12872,"date":"2020-01-28T13:05:43","date_gmt":"2020-01-28T16:05:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.amazoniasocioambiental.org\/?p=12872"},"modified":"2020-01-29T10:10:07","modified_gmt":"2020-01-29T13:10:07","slug":"new-study-of-amazon-forest-carbon-reveals-indigenous-territories-protected-areas-continue-to-outperform-other-lands-limiting-net-emissions-evidence-shows-forest-growth-compensates-for-newly-detecte","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.raisg.org\/en\/radar\/new-study-of-amazon-forest-carbon-reveals-indigenous-territories-protected-areas-continue-to-outperform-other-lands-limiting-net-emissions-evidence-shows-forest-growth-compensates-for-newly-detecte\/","title":{"rendered":"New study of Amazon forest carbon reveals indigenous territories, protected areas continue to outperform other lands, limiting net emissions; evidence shows forest growth compensates for newly-detected degradation"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Scientists call for ramping up support to protect significant buffer against climate change in Amazon; findings suggest failure to uphold indigenous rights, laws endangering forests, as global demand grows for mineral wealth, fuel, commodities<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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In a paper published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences<\/em>, researchers analyzed the impact of forest conversion as well as degradation and disturbance\u00a0on four land categories in the Amazon (ITs, PNAs, Other Land, and the overlap between ITs and PNAs), finding that forest growth helped indigenous territories show the lowest net loss of carbon, with 90 percent of net emissions coming from outside protected lands.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur work shows that forests under the stewardship of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities continue to have better carbon outcomes than lands lacking protection, meaning that their role is critical and must be strengthened if Amazon basin countries are to succeed in maintaining this globally important resource, while also achieving their commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement,\u201d said Wayne Walker, scientist and lead author, Woods Hole Research Center, Falmouth, Mass.<\/p>\n

Scientists, policy experts, and indigenous leaders gathered under a consortium formed by the Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC), Coordinadora de las Organizaciones Ind\u00edgenas de la Cuenca Amaz\u00f3nica (COICA), Rede Amaz\u00f4nica de Informa\u00e7\u00e3o Socioambiental (RAISG), and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), participated in the study.<\/p>\n

Almost 90 percent of Amazon indigenous territories have some form of legal recognition, but the authors of the study note that government concessions for mining and petroleum extraction overlap nearly one quarter of all recognized territorial lands, substantially increasing their vulnerability to adverse impacts.<\/p>\n

“Our research reveals what indigenous peoples across the Amazon are reporting to their leaders,\u201d said Tuntiak Katan, an author and vice- coordinator of the Congress of Indigenous Organizations<\/em> of the Amazon <\/em>Basin (COICA)<\/em>. \u201cGovernments are weakening environmental protections, violating existing indigenous land rights, and encouraging impunity in the rule of law. The situation is putting at risk the existence of our peoples and our territories, which contain the world\u2019s most carbon-dense forests.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The authors looked at losses and gains in carbon over the period 2003-2016, using an update to data originally published by Baccini et al. (2017;\u00a0Science<\/em>).\u00a0Additionally, they disaggregated losses into those attributable to forest conversion (e.g., deforestation) and those due to anthropogenic degradation and natural disturbance.<\/p>\n

The new study suggests that, during the 2003\u20132016 time frame, the Amazon region was a net source of carbon to the atmosphere, releasing about 1,290 million tons of carbon (MtC), when both losses and gains are considered. The trajectories of carbon loss from 2003 to 2016 show increases between 2012 and 2016 for all countries and land categories, especially outside ITs and PNAs.<\/p>\n

Of the four Amazon land categories, ITs had the lowest net loss of carbon (-0.1%). Net loss was -0.6% in PNAs and -3.6% on Other Land. The\u00a0authors suggest that the continued growth of forests on indigenous territories have allowed these lands to compensate for emissions from degradation and disturbance.\u00a0Still, 47% of the total loss of carbon for the region as a whole was attributed to degradation and disturbance, \u201ca concerning finding – said Carmen Josse, coauthor of the PNAS report and scientific director of Fundaci\u00f3n EcoCiencia, in Ecuador –\u00a0\u00a0 given the importance that tropical forests have in providing globally important ecosystem services, beyond their role of capturing and storing carbon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur study shows that protected indigenous territories have reduced deforestation and forest degradation in the Amazon rainforest over the last two decades, and continue to be an effective buffer against the recent spike in deforestation,\u201d said Steve Schwartzman, Senior Director of Tropical Forest Policy at Environmental Defense Fund, and one of the study\u2019s authors. \u201cTo save the Amazon, indigenous territories must remain protected.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Lands outside ITs and PNAs (i.e., \u201cOther Land\u201d) accounted for about 70 percent of total carbon losses and nearly 90 percent of the net change\u2014on less than half the total land area. In contrast, ITs and PNAs\u2014on more than half the land area\u2014accounted for just 10 percent of the net change, with 86 percent of losses on those lands offset by gains through forest growth. Thus, there was a nine-fold difference in net carbon loss outside ITs and PNAs (\u22121,160 MtC) compared with inside (\u2212130 MtC).<\/p>\n

The results of this study add weight to previous research, including the conclusions of a high-profile report<\/a> on land and climate change, released last August, by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which cited findings showing that strong land rights play a role in the lower rates of deforestation and forest degradation found on Indigenous territories, while the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) proposed strengthening land rights for Indigenous and other local communities as part of an effective approach for addressing biodiversity loss.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur findings suggest that ITs and PNAs were (independently and collectively) more effective than Other Land in maintaining their overall stock of carbon intact,\u201d said Josse. \u201cIn most countries, ITs and PNAs were either at or near net zero emissions, ranging from a small net source in Brazil to a small net sink in Peru. But with deforestation outside ITs and PNAs growing rapidly, our findings on the impact of degradation and disturbance suggest that significant, sustained support for indigenous people is now an urgent priority.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The PNAS study reports that ITs and PNAs continue to resist the expansion of deforestation taking place beyond their borders. But in assessing the impact of degradation and disturbance on Indigenous territories and protected areas, the authors draw new attention to the plight of indigenous peoples, whose leaders report growing impunity on the part of illegal gold miners, ranchers and loggers, seemingly encouraged by the statements of political leaders and legislative efforts to open territorial lands to new mining concessions.<\/p>\n

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Paulo Moutinho, coauthor of the paper and senior researcher at IPAM, said the findings suggest a potential threat to the region\u2019s economic health, “It\u2019s fundamental that the governments of the Amazon countries pay attention to the potential risk to their economies by not preserving their protected areas from illegal deforestation.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Woods Hole Research Center<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Woods Hole Research Center studies climate change impacts around the world, and works with partners\u2014from national governments to corporations\u2014to identify and implement opportunities to reduce levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases. WHRC was founded in 1985 by renowned ecologist George Woodwell to take the insights of science beyond the walls of academia to where they can effect real change. For the last four years, WHRC was named the top climate change think tank in the world by the International Center for Climate Governance. WHRC scientists have contributed to every IPCC Assessment Report, and helped to launch the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In 2007, WHRC Senior Scientist Dr. Richard Houghton was part of the IPCC team awarded the Nobel Prize. WHRC researchers continue to work around the world to understand the rapidly changing climate and how we can address it. The Center is currently led by Dr. Philip Duffy<\/a>, and has about 60 employees, including 46 scientists.<\/p>\n

EcoCiencia<\/a> Foundation<\/strong><\/p>\n

EcoCiencia is an Ecuadorian scientific entity, private and non-profit that was founded with the aim of generating quality information for making the best decisions in favor of the conservation of biodiversity and the welfare of the population. This challenge has demanded the inclusion of broader, comprehensive and complex approaches.<\/p>\n

RAISG<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Amazonian Network of Georeferenced Socio- Environmental Information (RAISG) is a network of civil society organizations from Amazonian countries. RAISG seeks to build a comprehensive vision of the Amazon which links the collective rights of indigenous peoples with the protection of biodiversity and ecosystem services, to advance in terms of sustainable use practices of the forest and its resources. This integral vision of the Amazon overcomes fragmentary approaches and promotes regional, national and transnational initiatives by producing and compiling information on relevant topics and from different sources, always using common standards and technical protocols.<\/p>\n

Coordinadora de Organizaciones Ind\u00edgenas de la Cuenca Amaz\u00f3nica (COICA)<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

COICA is an indigenous organization of international convergence that guides its efforts to the promotion, protection and security of indigenous peoples and territories through the defense of their ways of life, principles and social, spiritual and cultural values. It is dedicated to generating policies, proposals and actions at local, national and international levels to promote the equitable development of Amazonian nationalities and indigenous peoples.<\/p>\n

Environmental Defense Fund<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Environmental Defense Fund (edf.org), a leading international nonprofit organization, creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. EDF links science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships. Connect with us on <\/em>EDF Voices<\/a>, <\/em>Twitter<\/a> and <\/em>Facebook<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

IPAM<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amaz\u00f4nia (IPAM) [Amazon
\nEnvironmental Research Institute] is a scientific, non-governmental, non-
\npartisan and non-profit organization that has worked for the sustainable
\ndevelopment of the Amazon since 1995. Our purpose is to consolidate the
\nAmazonian tropical development model by 2035, by producing knowledge,
\nimplementing local initiatives and directing public policies, in a way that
\ninfluences economic development, social equality, and environmental
\npreservation. Our mission is to promote science, education, and innovation for an
\nenvironmentally sound, economically prosperous, and socially just Amazon.<\/p>\n

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