Rethinking Amazonian Conservation: The Power of Indigenous Archipelagos

Redacción HC
03/01/2024

The Amazon rainforest, a vast cradle of biodiversity and a vital carbon sink, faces mounting threats from extractive industries, agricultural expansion, and infrastructure development. Amid these pressures, Indigenous Territories (ITs) have emerged as essential bastions of conservation. However, most conservation frameworks still treat these territories as isolated and static patches of land. A groundbreaking study challenges this view and proposes a new lens: Indigenous Archipelagos — interconnected, culturally cohesive networks of territories — as a key to more effective biocultural conservation.

Indigenous Territories: More Than Isolated Patches

Conservation efforts in the Amazon often fail to account for the complex, relational nature of Indigenous land governance. Traditional approaches tend to consider Indigenous Territories as discrete units, overlooking the dynamic social, political, and ecological ties that connect them.

But many Indigenous nations manage multiple, geographically dispersed territories as interconnected systems. These "Archipelagos of Indigenous Territories" (AITs) are bound not just by geography, but by shared languages, kinship, customary law, and collaborative governance. Failing to recognize these ties results in conservation strategies that miss the full potential of Indigenous-led stewardship.

A Dual-Method Approach to Understanding Amazonian Connectivity

The study, published as a preprint on OSF by Esbach, Correia, Valdivia, and Lu (2023), employed a mixed-methods approach. First, the authors analyzed 3,572 Indigenous Territories across the Amazon, categorizing them into four types based on national affiliation and spatial continuity. AITs — grouped but not necessarily contiguous — emerged as a distinct configuration.

Using spatial data overlays, researchers assessed biodiversity richness, carbon reserves, and exposure to deforestation and extractive pressures. A striking pattern emerged: AITs outperformed singular ITs in both ecological value and resilience potential.

Complementing the large-scale spatial analysis, the study included an ethnographic case of the Cofán Nation in Ecuador. Over years of collaborative research, the authors documented how the Cofán’s networked governance, community-driven decision-making, and resistance to external threats created a robust model for adaptive conservation.

Key Findings: Connectivity Boosts Conservation Outcomes

The research delivers transformative insights into the Amazon's conservation landscape:

• AITs Cover 45% of Amazonian Indigenous Lands: This significant spatial footprint suggests that interconnection is not an exception but a norm for Indigenous governance in the Amazon.
• AITs Hold Greater Biodiversity and Carbon Reserves: Compared to isolated territories, AITs harbor more species richness and higher carbon stocks — a powerful argument for recognizing their conservation value.
• Governance as Infrastructure: AITs facilitate cross-territorial exchange of ecological knowledge, cultural practices, and defense strategies, forming an organic infrastructure for resilience.
• Case Study Evidence: The Cofán experience shows that local communities, when supported in maintaining cross-boundary ties, can enhance both ecological health and cultural continuity.
• Exposure to Risk: Ironically, the ecological importance of AITs also makes them more exposed to threats — including mining, agriculture, and infrastructure. Their very richness attracts external pressure.

Shifting Paradigms: From Patches to Networks

This study urges a reimagining of Amazonian conservation. Drawing from island theory and relational geography, it posits that connectivity — not just area — is the key variable in sustaining resilient landscapes. Like archipelagos linked by underwater currents, AITs are bound by invisible but powerful forces of culture and politics.

This networked perspective marks a departure from static, cartographic views of territory. It resonates with a growing body of ecological theory that prioritizes landscape connectivity, social-ecological resilience, and adaptive governance.

Furthermore, it aligns with long-standing Indigenous worldviews that emphasize reciprocity, kinship, and stewardship beyond geographic borders.

Implications for Policy and Practice

The policy implications of recognizing AITs are profound:

1. Support Trans-Territorial Indigenous Governance: Conservation planning must accommodate political and cultural linkages between ITs, not just geographic boundaries.
2. Prioritize AITs in Climate and Biodiversity Strategies: Their superior ecological indicators justify targeted investment and protection.
3. Safeguard Against External Pressures: Given their vulnerability, AITs require legal, financial, and political support to resist extractive incursions.
4. Center Indigenous Knowledge: Conservation efforts should not just include, but be shaped by, Indigenous ways of knowing and managing the land.

This shift is not merely strategic — it's an ethical imperative. As the Amazon teeters on ecological tipping points, embracing Indigenous leadership is both a matter of justice and survival.

Conclusion: Weaving a Web of Resilience

The Amazon is not a jigsaw puzzle of disconnected pieces. It is a living web, and Indigenous Archipelagos are its strongest strands. Conservation must evolve to recognize this — to move from protecting isolated patches to nurturing networks of life and governance.

The study by Esbach and colleagues offers a compelling framework to guide this transition. It reminds us that the future of Amazonian conservation depends not only on protecting trees and species, but on strengthening the relationships — between territories, peoples, and ecosystems — that sustain them.

Topics of interest

Biodiversity Climate