Indigenous territories in Ecuador's Amazon outperform state-protected forests

A study published in the journal Biological Conservation reveals that Indigenous territories in the Ecuadorian Amazon maintain forest conditions comparable to, or better than, state-protected areas. Researchers utilized satellite observations to analyze vegetation greenness, disturbance patterns, and productivity over the last decade.

The findings indicate that forests managed by Indigenous communities—even those without formal conservation agreements—showed high resilience, particularly during the 2015-2016 El Niño drought. In contrast, government-protected forests exhibited the highest rates of degradation, with significant negative vegetation trends observed in northern Ecuador.

Communities operating under formal conservation agreements, such as those participating in Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) programs, ranked highest in drought resilience. The study suggests that long-term Indigenous land management practices are vital for forest health, challenging the assumption that strict, top-down state protection is the most effective conservation model.