Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ProtectedTrade (The role of area-based conservation measures in reducing impact from agriculture, conserving biodiversity, and supporting local communities’ livelihood)
Reporting period: 2023-09-01 to 2025-08-31
Brazil is the most biodiverse country in the Americas, but its natural ecosystems face huge pressure from land use changes. For example, soybean farming already covers about 10% of the Cerrado region, and cattle ranching is responsible for around 80% of the deforestation in the Amazon. The clearing of native vegetation for agriculture is one of the biggest threats to species that people rely on for non-timber forest products (NTFPs). These products are essential for many communities, providing food, medicine, and materials for cultural and spiritual practices.
The close link between biodiversity (the variety of species) and cultural practices is called biocultural diversity. A common way to protect biodiversity is through conservation areas, such as protected areas or other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs). These can include national parks, indigenous lands, or areas managed by local communities. However, OECMs were only officially recognized in 2018 by the Convention on Biological Diversity, and so far, very few studies have looked at how well they work. This means we still don’t know how much they actually help conserve biocultural diversity.
This project set out to understand two things: (1) how land use change in Brazil affects medicinal plant species, and (2) how OECMs contribute to protecting them. Specifically, this project aimed at identifying plant species used by local communities, studying how land use change affects their conservation status, and assessing the role of different types of OECMs in protecting biocultural diversity.
Our results show that land use change increases the risk of extinction for many medicinal plant species in Brazil. We also found that different OECM types can play an important role in conserving biocultural diversity. This is especially urgent because recent global reports, such as the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) assessment, highlight how severely human activity is damaging biodiversity worldwide.
The close link between biodiversity (the variety of species) and cultural practices is called biocultural diversity. A common way to protect biodiversity is through conservation areas, such as protected areas or other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs). These can include national parks, indigenous lands, or areas managed by local communities. However, OECMs were only officially recognized in 2018 by the Convention on Biological Diversity, and so far, very few studies have looked at how well they work. This means we still don’t know how much they actually help conserve biocultural diversity.
This project set out to understand two things: (1) how land use change in Brazil affects medicinal plant species, and (2) how OECMs contribute to protecting them. Specifically, this project aimed at identifying plant species used by local communities, studying how land use change affects their conservation status, and assessing the role of different types of OECMs in protecting biocultural diversity.
Our results show that land use change increases the risk of extinction for many medicinal plant species in Brazil. We also found that different OECM types can play an important role in conserving biocultural diversity. This is especially urgent because recent global reports, such as the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) assessment, highlight how severely human activity is damaging biodiversity worldwide.
To reach our goals, we reviewed both scientific and non-scientific literature and collected detailed information on medicinal plants in Brazil. All this information was organized into a database that records each plant’s scientific name, conservation status, whether it is native, exotic, or cultivated, and if it is found only in certain regions (endemism). To make sure the plant list was accurate and consistent, we worked with experts from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (UK), on a thorough taxonomic review. Once the list of medicinal plant species was ready, we added information about where each plant grows and the type of environment it prefers. We then measured how land use change (LUC) affects these species using the LIFE metric, a new and reliable tool developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge (UK). Finally, we used a statistical method called matching, which helps reduce bias in comparisons, to test whether the risk of extinction is different for plant species inside conservation areas compared to those outside.
We compiled a list of medicinal plant species used in Brazil and found that land use change (LUC) has greatly increased their risk of extinction. The highest risks were concentrated in certain biomes across the country. We also discovered that some types of governance that could be recognized as OECMs—such as specific management and conservation regimes—help reduce these risks. What makes this study innovative is the way we combined different methods: impact analysis, ethnobotany, biocultural studies, and extinction risk modeling. This cross-disciplinary approach connects ecology, conservation science, and anthropology, providing a fuller picture of the problem. The results offer important guidance for policymakers, especially when it comes to designing trade regulations that can protect medicinal plant species and the communities that rely on them. Results are being writen in a scientific article which will be submited to a high-impact journal.