In Colombia, some Afro-descendant communities derive much of their diet from fish and shellfish caught in waters bordered by mangrove stands. (Photos by Conservation International)
Afro-descendant communities not only occupy some of South America’s most biodiverse regions—from the Amazon rainforest to mangrove-fringed coast—but they also play a key role in protecting these ecosystems from threats such as deforestation, new research shows. A study published July 22 in Nature Communications Earth and Environment analyzed lands managed by Afro-descendant communities in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Suriname. It found forest loss in these areas is 29% to 55% less than in surrounding territories. Martha Rosero, an environmental scientist and coauthor of the study, said the findings reveal how Afro-descendant people’s land management had adapted African knowledge to new environments in the Americas. She noted that these communities rely on forests for food, medicine, and refuge, which has led to greater biodiversity protection. “With this study, we wanted to make visible the contribution of Afro-descendants to the conservation of biodiversity and to... [Log in to read more]
