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Facts and figures
Indigenous peoples physically occupy 404 million hectares in Latin America
That is about one fifth of the total area of the region
Of the 404 million hectares, 237 million (almost 60%) are in the Amazon Basin. That is an area larger than France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Norway, and Spain combined
Indigenous and tribal peoples are involved in the communal governance of between 320 and 380 million hectares of forests
About 35% of Latin America's forests are in areas occupied by indigenous groups.
More than 80% of the area occupied by indigenous peoples is covered with forests.
Almost half (45%) of the remaining intact forests (large undegraded forest areas) in the Amazon Basin are in indigenous territories.
Between 2006 and 2011, the indigenous territories in the Peruvian Amazon reduced deforestation twice as much as protected areas with similar ecological conditions and accessibility
Indigenous and tribal territories have lower average deforestation rates that other forests in practically every Latin American country.
Many indigenous territories prevent deforestation as well or better than other protected areas.
The forests of the indigenous and tribal peoples’ territories store about 34,000 million metric tons of carbon
The forests in indigenous and tribal territories contain almost 30% of the carbon stored in Latin America's forests and 14% of the carbon in the tropical forests worldwide
They store more carbon than all the forests in Indonesia or the Democratic Republic of Congo, the two countries with the most tropical forest after Brazil.
While Amazon Basin indigenous territories lost less than 0.3% of the carbon in their forests between 2003 and 2016, non-indigenous protected areas lost 0.6%, and other areas that were neither indigenous territories nor protected areas lost 3.6%. As a result, even though indigenous territories cover 28% of the Amazon Basin, they only generated 2.6% of the region's (gross) carbon emissions
Between 2003 and 2016 the vegetation in indigenous territories in the Amazon Basin captured almost as much carbon (90%) as emitted from these territories due to deforestation or forest degradation. In other words, these territories produced almost no net carbon emissions.
Governments have formally recognized indigenous and tribal peoples’ collective property over about 277 million hectares
Of that more than 200 million hectares have forest.
Approximately 11.5 million hectares of land have been recognized as reserves for indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation and in initial contact.
Deforestation rates are lower in indigenous and tribal territories where governments have formally recognized collective land rights.
Indigenous territories that received full collective property rights between 1982 and 2016 in Brazil had 66% lower deforestation rates.
Between 2000 and 2012 deforestation rates in titled indigenous territories in the Bolivian, Brazilian, and Colombian Amazon were only between one third and one half of those in other forests that had similar ecological characteristics and accessibility to markets.
As a result, the titled indigenous territories in the Bolivian, Brazilian, and Colombian Amazon avoided between 42.8 and 59.7 million metric tons (MtC) of CO2 emissions each year during that period; the equivalent of taking between 9 and 12.6 million vehicles out of circulation for one year.
Indigenous territories are key to the protection of biodiversity
Brazil's indigenous territories have more species of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians than in all the country's protected areas outside these territories.
Two-thirds of Bolivia's vertebrate species and 60% of its plant species can be found in the Tacana and Leco de Apolo indigenous territories. Government recognition of land and forest rights.
Between 2016 and 2018, deforestation rose 150% in the indigenous territories in Brazil
As a result of deforestation and forest fragmentation the area of large undisturbed forest in indigenous territories fell by 20% in Bolivia, 30% in Honduras, 42% in Nicaragua, and 59% in Paraguay between 2000 and 2016.
Frequently asked questions
What are the main findings of the report?
The forests of Indigenous and tribal territories in Latin America are key for mitigating climate change and conserving biodiversity. Indigenous peoples physically occupy 404 million hectares in Latin America, which is about one fifth of the total area of the region (Garnett et al., 2018). This includes all the places where inhabitants self-identify as indigenous, not just those where they manage forests or territories collectively, and not all 404 million hectares are forested. Of the 404 million hectares, 237 million (almost 60%) are in the Amazon Basin and are covered by forests: that is an area larger than France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Norway, and Spain combined (Garnett et al., 2018).
Traditionally, due to a combination of factors, these forests have been much better protected than other forests in region. (Porter-Bolland et al 2012). In 2019, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) cited findings showing that strong territorial rights play a role in the lower rates of deforestation and forest degradation found on Indigenous territories.
In just about every country in Latin America indigenous and tribal territories have lower deforestation rates than other forest areas. A study of intact forests released last year showed that, between 2000 and 2016, intact forests had declined worldwide. But forests managed by Indigenous Peoples had shrunk by far less than forests outside those areas: 4.9% compared to 11.2%. (Fa et al 2020). Between 2006 and 2011, the indigenous territories of the Peruvian Amazon were twice as effective at reducing deforestation than the protected areas with similar ecological conditions and accessibility (Schleicher et al 2017). The situation in the Brazilian Amazon was similar between 2001 and 2009 (Nolte et al 2013; Jusys 2018). The indigenous community forest management areas in the Maya Jungle (Selva Maya) in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula have had lower deforestation rates than then National Protected Areas (ANPs) (ANPs) (Bray et al 2008).
Threats to these forests are increasing and it can no longer be assumed that they will continue to be well protected without greater support. Almost half (45%) of the remaining intact forests (large undegraded forest areas) in the Amazon Basin are in indigenous territories (Fernández-Llamazares et al., 2020). If the indigenous and tribal territories in the Amazon Basin were to lose a significant portion of their forests, the evidence suggests this could lead to a tipping point, causing a chain reaction, reducing rainfall and increasing local temperatures, which, in turn, leads to greater forest loss due to droughts and forest fires. Indigenous and tribal communities continue to outperform managers of other tropical forests, but fires, mining, and unsustainable logging have taken an increasing toll on forests in almost all the Amazon Basin countries since 2012 (Walker et al 2020).
This trend is reflected in research carried out throughout Latin America, suggesting that forests in the indigenous territories of Bolivia, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Paraguay have become increasingly fragmented. Between 2000 and 2016, for example, the area of intact forests in Indigenous and tribal territories fell by 20% in Bolivia, 30% in Honduras, 42% in Nicaragua and 59% in Paraguay (Fa et al 2020).
Research and experience show that to effectively protect these forests in the future, and the livelihoods and cultures of the indigenous peoples who depend on them will require greater investment in and political support for: Collective territorial rights, Indigenous community forestry; Payment for environmental services; cultural revitalization and traditional knowledge; and strengthening indigenous and tribal organizations, including the equitable participation of women and youth.
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Av. Dag Hammarskjöld #3241, Vitacura, Santiago de Chile
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