US EditionWell-preserved Amazon rainforest on Indigenous lands can protect people from diseases, study finds
Study finds Indigenous lands with over 40% forest cover reduce cases of fire-related and zoonotic diseases, underscoring the health value of forest preservation, researchers say.
- A study in the journal Communications Earth & Environment found that preserving areas of the Amazon rainforest for Indigenous peoples reduces instances of several diseases.
- The study emphasizes the link between human health and the natural environment, known as reciprocity in Indigenous perspectives.
- The research warns that failing to protect Indigenous rights and territories could harm their health and the ecosystem.
- From an Indigenous perspective, this research aims to make ancestral knowledge more visible and supports the need for healthy landscapes.
32 Articles
32 Articles
Associated Press News
Well-preserved Amazon rainforest on Indigenous lands can protect people from diseases, study finds
A new study finds well-preserved areas of Amazon rainforest occupied and managed by Indigenous peoples show lower incidences of multiple diseases in the regions around them.
Deforestation Threatens Public Health. Securing Indigenous Land Rights Can Help, Researchers Find - Inside Climate News
A new peer-reviewed study examined the impact Indigenous territories have on human health in two categories of diseases, finding that municipalities located close to Indigenous lands with intact forests have a reduced risk.
Protecting Indigenous Amazon territories can benefit human health
Protecting Indigenous territories in areas of the Amazon rainforest with high levels of forest cover may help reduce the number of cases of several diseases (including malaria and respiratory conditions) in the surrounding areas.
"The forests are a balsam (medicine) for the threats to fires that affect lungs and heart, as well as diseases such as Chagas disease, malaria and maculus fever," said researcher Paula Prist of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the organization that led the study. Research published by the scientific magazine Communications Earth & Environment indicates that forests in indigenous lands reduce the spread of 27 diseases.
Deforestation, decomposition and expansion of agriculture and infrastructure significantly increase health threats.
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