Forests thrive where cultural values ​​are deep, discover the study

The forests on the native land of Panama have remained remarkably stable in the past two decades – more than in protected areas – which largely with deeply rooted cultural values, suggests a study led by McGill.

The research team found that forest coverage in indigenous lands had remained stable to double the rate of protected areas of Panama, including parks protected by the government, which means less cases of deforestation and more consistent with the temporal disturbances followed by regeneration over time. Aboriginal lands have been defined using existing legal and customary borders.

The results, published in Ecology and societyDefining a long -standing hypothesis in conservation: that the protection of biodiversity requires keeping people outside.

Science based on history and place

To understand both ecological models and cultural engines, researchers combined a descending analysis of satellite data from 2000 to 2020 with an ascending approach: participatory mapping sessions with eight communities of Emberá in eastern Panama. The researchers were able to work directly with members of the Aboriginal community thanks to a carbon compensation project in the Bayano and a research partnership in the Darién Gap.

“We would print satellite images and ask men and women to highlight the areas they use and appreciate it,” said the main author E. Camilo Alejo, who finished research as part of his doctorate. In the Biology department of McGill. “This included places where they cultivate, hunt or gather, and also where they hold ceremonies or avoid for spiritual reasons.”

Participatory cartography revealed that the forest areas associated with spiritual and cultural meaning tended to remain intact, while agricultural activity was grouped near the forest edges, where disturbances occurred.

“Many indigenous communities incorporate agriculture, spirituality and conservation in the way they use the land,” said Alejo. “Our results show that this diversified ensemble of values ​​is aligned with areas where forests have remained stable, suggesting a strong link between cultural practices and long -term forest stewardship.”

It should also be noted that sacred sites, medicinal plant zones and traditional hunting and gathering terrains were distributed through the forest, strengthening sustainable use.

“Our cards suggest that forests remain intact not only because they are distant, but because of the way people appreciate them,” said Alejo. “They are not only unstructed forests; they are constantly treated.”

Learn visions of the Aboriginal world

The study also points out a critical policy problem. Some indigenous communities, especially in remote areas such as the Darién Gap, still lack formal land titles, even if their stewardship has clearly preserved forests.

“Paradoxically, in many legal frameworks, you must exploit land to claim the title,” said Alejo. “This encourages deforestation, which undermines exactly the types of practices that maintain these intact ecosystems.”

The authors are calling for reforms for land titus policies through Latin America to recognize indigenous stewardship as a legitimate and proven form of land use, including protected areas. They also hope that the results will inspire new frames that mix conservation, food security and cultural heritage.

“This study shows how much we can learn native cosmovitions: visions of the holistic world that connect nature, culture and well-being,” said Alejo. “There is real potential to rethink the way we manage the land, not only in Panama, but in the world.”