Deforestation in indigenous lands caused the emission of 96 million tons of CO2 – 04/26/2023 – Environment

Deforestation in indigenous lands (TIs) in the Brazilian Amazon caused the emission of 96 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) between 2013 and 2021, modifying the forest’s role as a “carbon sink” in these areas. Of this total, 59% were issued in the last three years analyzed (2019-2021), when devastation intensified.

The data are the result of a survey led by Brazilians and were published in the journal Scientific Reports. The scientists show that deforestation in the ILs reached an area of ​​1,708 km², which is equivalent to 2.38% of all deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon in the period. In 232 ILs analyzed, the devastation rate was, on average, 35 km² per year, representing an increase of 129% between 2013 and 2021. Considering only the last three years, the growth was 195%.

In addition, the study presents other worrying information: forest clearance is 30% further from the borders towards the interior of indigenous lands, entering up to 8.87 km per year beyond the border.

“In absolute numbers, the area devastated in the ILs may seem small, but, as it is a region destined for environmental protection, the magnitude of the impact is much greater. In addition to the loss of forest, deforestation also serves as a vector for other problems to the interior of these areas, such as the spread of diseases and threats to the survival of isolated indigenous people. A recent case is that of the Yanomami people, where there were several deaths of indigenous people after the entry of miners”, Celso HL Silva-Junior tells Agência FAPESP , permanent professor of the Graduate Program in Biodiversity and Conservation at the Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA) and first author of the article.

Considered an efficient model of forest preservation, ILs have been under increasing pressure, such as the increase in illegal mining. As devastation advances —induced by recent environmental setbacks such as weakened governance and reduced protection and peoples’ rights — indigenous lands could revert to the vital role of protected areas in combating climate change and maintaining the forest. standing.

Tropical forests, like the Amazon, are one of the most important ecosystems in mitigating climate change. But they can work as a two-way street, absorbing carbon while they grow and maintain themselves and releasing gases when degraded or deforested, hence the importance of conservation and policies to combat deforestation, among other actions.

“We need to remember that ILs are essential for Brazil to be able to meet the environmental goals that seek to reduce the impacts of climate change. Preserving them is essential. It is necessary to enforce compliance with the laws so that these areas maintain their role of being a kind of shield for the standing forest and the traditional peoples that live in them”, adds researcher Guilherme Mataveli, from the Earth Observation and Geoinformatics Division (DIOTG) of the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe), who is a post-graduate PhD from FAPESP and one of the authors of the work.

The study also received funding through the Greenhouse Gas Research and Innovation Center (RCGI) – an Engineering Research Center (CPE) constituted by FAPESP and Shell at the University of São Paulo (USP)— and a thematic project linked to the FAPESP Research Program on Global Climate Change (PFPMCG).

In a text published last year in the journal Science, the researcher had already warned that the increasing deforestation in ILs is a threat to the fulfillment of the Brazilian goals (read more here). Brazil assumed in the Paris Climate Agreement the goal of recovering 12 million hectares of forest by 2030 and committed to neutralizing carbon emissions by 2050.

A third study carried out by scientists from the same group had already mapped another threat: the advance of mining in indigenous lands in the Legal Amazon. There has been an increase of 1,217% over the last 35 years, from 7.45 km² occupied by this activity in 1985 to 102.16 km² in 2020.

According to this work, almost all (95%) of these illegal mining areas are concentrated in three ILs: Kayapó, followed by Munduruku and Yanomami, located in the states of Pará and Roraima (more information here).

Concentration

Now, the research shows that 42% of the ILs analyzed had an increase in the deforestation rate, and in 20 of them the trend was more significant. Among these, TI Arara recorded the lowest rate (0.02 km2 per year), while Apyterewa had the highest (8.58 km2 per year). Both are located in the State of Pará.

On the other hand, 11% of the analyzed areas reduced deforestation, with five more significantly. Among them is the TI Alto Turiaçu, in Maranhão, where around 1,500 indigenous people from the Awa Guajá, Ka’apor and Tembé peoples live.

“The focus of the study was to show the risks that indigenous lands have been suffering. But an interesting fact was also this reduction. We know that, in the case of Maranhão, for example, the indigenous people achieved this positive result because they have their own initiatives to combat the illegal deforestation, groups that act as guardians of the forest”, says Silva-Junior.

The professor highlights the multidisciplinarity of the team of researchers, with the participation of two anthropologists —Maycon Melo, from the Graduate Program in the Environment at Ceuma University (Maranhão), and Bárbara Maisonnave Arisi, from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Netherlands)— , allowing for different perspectives on the issue.

Recommendations

At the end of the article, the researchers made six recommendations aimed at contributing to the advancement of public policies aimed at preventing the advance of deforestation in these areas.

They are: the repeal of laws and norms that caused environmental setbacks; the strengthening of oversight institutions; the creation of buffer zones of 10 km between ILs and mineral exploration areas or high-impact projects, in addition to canceling all CARs (Rural Environmental Registry) within ILs.

They also propose support for initiatives that promote agriculture and other sustainable land use practices, including ecosystem restoration projects, and the strengthening of remote sensing monitoring, with investments in the development of new systems with improvements in frequency and scale.

Finally, they address the strengthening of the National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (Funai), the federal body responsible for guaranteeing indigenous rights, suggesting more funding and hiring new employees. This year, for the first time, Funai has the presidency occupied by an indigenous woman, the lawyer Joenia Wapichana.

The article Brazilian Amazon indigenous territories under deforestation pressure can be read here.