Indigenous territories maintain Amazon forest just as well as protected areas, study finds

A study using satellite data on Ecuador's Amazon found that Indigenous territories without formal conservation agreements maintained forest health comparable to government-protected areas and community-managed forests under contract. The research tracked vegetation greenness, abrupt disturbances like roads and settlements, and resilience after the 2015-2016 El Niño drought.

Indigenous territories, where residents can use resources for subsistence and cultural purposes, actually showed the highest proportion of areas with improving vegetation trends. Government-protected forests, by contrast, showed the most long-term degradation, especially in the north where oil development and roads are heaviest.

The lead researcher said the findings suggest conservation outcomes depend more on governance and local participation than on the formal designation drawn on a map.

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