Estimating the effect of the demarcation of indigenous territory on deforestation &amp; the value of natural ecosystem services in the Amazon: A case study in eastern Mato Grosso, Brazil

The creation of Brazilian Indigenous Lands (IL) in the Amazon has shown to be effective in reducing deforestation, but pervasive land tenure insecurity persists with regard to the indigenous people’s exclusive rights to their traditional territory. Understanding the value of the ecosystems that they protect is crucial to discredit the argument that the indigenous occupy too much land. In this study, a quantitative assessment of land cover change and ecosystem service value is undertaken to analyze the impact of the demarcation of the Pequizal do Naruvôtu IL. First, supervised classification of Landsat 5 & 8 images was undertaken to analyze land cover changes in the period before the demarcation (1990-2006), during demarcation (2006-2016) and after the demarcation and recognition of the IL (2016-2021). Then, the meta-regression model developed by Filho et al. was used to conduct a meta-analytic benefit transfer to estimate the monetary value of the natural provisioning, regulating &...Show moreThe creation of Brazilian Indigenous Lands (IL) in the Amazon has shown to be effective in reducing deforestation, but pervasive land tenure insecurity persists with regard to the indigenous people’s exclusive rights to their traditional territory. Understanding the value of the ecosystems that they protect is crucial to discredit the argument that the indigenous occupy too much land. In this study, a quantitative assessment of land cover change and ecosystem service value is undertaken to analyze the impact of the demarcation of the Pequizal do Naruvôtu IL. First, supervised classification of Landsat 5 & 8 images was undertaken to analyze land cover changes in the period before the demarcation (1990-2006), during demarcation (2006-2016) and after the demarcation and recognition of the IL (2016-2021). Then, the meta-regression model developed by Filho et al. was used to conduct a meta-analytic benefit transfer to estimate the monetary value of the natural provisioning, regulating & maintenance ecosystem services provided by the IL. It was found that deforestation increased and the value of natural ES decreased during the ten-year demarcation period. In the period after completion of the IL demarcation, deforestation in the IL was significantly lower and natural ES loss was negligible. Finally, the presence of the indigenous tribe & the demarcation of the IL resulted in US$1.41 million worth of natural ES saved, for a territory that is 293 km2 large.Show less

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Estimating the effect of the demarcation of indigenous territory on deforestation & the value of natural ecosystem services in the Amazon: A case study in eastern Mato Grosso, Brazil