Forest carbon in Amazonia: the unrecognized contribution of indigenous territories and protected natural areas

Background

Amazonia stores an estimated 80–120 Pg of aboveground carbon, and changes in this stock have global climate implications. Indigenous territories (ITs) and protected natural areas (PNAs) together cover roughly one-third to one-half of the Amazon region, yet their specific contribution to maintaining forest carbon has often been overlooked in regional mitigation discussions. Quantifying their role is important for designing REDD+, climate finance, and land rights policies that reflect on-the-ground conservation performance.

Goals and Methods

This study quantifies aboveground forest carbon stocks and deforestation dynamics in ITs, PNAs, and non-protected lands across Amazonia. The authors combine spatial datasets on land tenure, forest cover (e.g., Landsat-based maps), and biomass density (Mg C ha⁻¹) to estimate total carbon stored in each land category, summing to tens of Pg C within ITs and PNAs alone. They analyze deforestation and degradation rates over a multi-decadal period (e.g., early 2000s to 2010s), comparing annual forest loss percentages and associated emissions between protected and unprotected areas.

Conclusions and Takeaways

The results show that ITs and PNAs hold a disproportionately large share of Amazonian forest carbon—often over 50% of remaining high carbon forests—while experiencing deforestation rates several times lower than surrounding lands (for example, <0.2% yr⁻¹ inside versus >0.5–1% yr⁻¹ outside in some regions). Consequently, these areas avoid gigatonne-scale CO2 emissions over the study period relative to counterfactual loss rates, underscoring their central role in regional mitigation. The authors argue that climate and conservation policies should explicitly recognize ITs and PNAs as core pillars of Amazonian carbon strategies and direct substantial finance and governance support to the communities and institutions that sustain these low deforestation landscapes.