Deforestation lower by 55% in Afro-descendant lands: Study
Lands with Afro-descendant communities in Latin America have 55% lower deforestation compared to country norms
Their sustainable land practices, rooted in ancestral knowledge, contribute to high biodiversity and carbon storage
Study urges legal recognition of their territories and integration of their practices into global policies to combat climate change
Afro-descendant communities, who make up nearly 25 per cent of Latin America’s population, remain underrepresented in global environmental policymaking. These communities are the descendants of Africans brought to the Americas through the slave trade.
Those who escaped slavery, settled in remote regions and developed sustainable land practices using ancestral knowledge from Africa. Their contributions to conservation were recognised recently at the 16th Conference of Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity held in Cali, Colombia.
A study published on July 22, 2025 in the journal Nature Communications Earth and Environment quantified this contribution. The study showed that forests are significantly better protected under Afro-descendant community management, with deforestation rates 29 per cent lower inside protected areas; 36 per cent lower outside them; and a striking 55 per cent lower along the edges of protected areas compared to national figures.
Context: Afro-descendant lands hold key to biodiversity, climate resilience
The research, led by Sushma Shrestha Sangat of Conservation International, and experts from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and MIT, combined spatial, statistical and historical data.
The study also indicated that more than half (57 per cent) of land with Afro-descendant communities are among the top 5 per cent globally in biodiversity.
Additionally, these lands contain high densities of irrecoverable carbon — over 486 million tonnes of it collectively — and its continued protection under Afro-descendant community management is essential to preventing the worst effects of climate change. “For centuries, Afro-descendant communities have managed landscapes in ways that sustain both people and nature, yet their contributions remain largely invisible in mainstream conservation,” said Sangat.
Crucially, their land-ownership remains uncertain. For example, in Brazil, 9.1 million hectares and in Colombia 1.76 million hectares of their land remain unrecognised. In Suriname, over 10.5 million hectares of Afro-descendant and Indigenous lands lack legal recognition.
Conclusion: Land rights, funding, global recognition vital for Afro-descendant-led conservation & climate resilience
The study called for action to ensure legal recognition of Afro-descendant territories to ensure their continued protection; increased research and funding to support Afro-descendants and their conservation work; and integration of sustainable land management practices used by Afro-descendant peoples into global climate and biodiversity policies.
The evidence is indisputable that the world has much to learn from their land management practices, Martha Cecilia Rosero Peña, PhD in Social Inclusion Director at Conservation International pointed out in a press release.
“To build on this success, it is essential to advance the formal recognition of property rights in countries where this has not yet been achieved, such as Panamá, Costa Rica and Dominican Republic,” said Angélica Mayolo, former minister of culture for Colombia. Development of innovative financing instruments and economic opportunities for Afro-descendant communities living in biodiverse regions under substantial socioeconomic pressure and vulnerable to climate-related risks is equally important, she added.
Hugo Jabini, a human rights and environmental Maroon leader from Suriname’s Saamaka Afro-Descendant Tribe, said: “This study is very important to us, Saamaka people, as it highlights for the first time how, through our deep cultural and spiritual connection to the land, we have sustained vital forest areas. We hope this raises awareness, so that political leaders no longer see us as mere claimants of land.”
Final summary: A groundbreaking study reveals that Afro-descendant communities in Latin America have lower rates of deforestation in their territories through sustainable land practices rooted in ancestral knowledge. These practices not only enhance biodiversity and carbon storage but also highlight the need for legal recognition of their lands and integration into global climate policies. Despite their significant contributions, these communities remain underrepresented in environmental policymaking, underscoring the urgency for action.