Indigenous Lands with secure land-tenure can reduce forest-loss in deforestation hotspots

Due to human activities, most natural ecosystems of the world have disappeared and the rest are threatened. At a global scale, 40% of the remaining forests occur in Indigenous Peoples Lands (IPL). While several studies show that IPL contribute to conserve forest-cover and halt forest-loss, other studies have found opposite results. The differing results on the role of IPL in forest conservation and loss are probably because of the effect of other variables, e.g. land tenure security. In this study, we addressed the role of IPL in forest conservation and loss, differentiating IPL with land-tenure security (IPL-S) and insecurity (IPL-I). We worked in a deforestation hotspot, the South American Dry Chaco region. First, we mapped IPL in the Dry Chaco. Then, covering the period 2000–2019, we measured forest cover and loss in IPL-S, IPL-I and in areas that are not Indigenous (non-IPL). Finally, we used a matching estimators method to statistically evaluate if IPL-S and IPL-I halt forest loss. To avoid bias, we accounted for the effect of variables such as Country (Argentina/Bolivia/Paraguay), Protected Area (yes/no), etc. We created the first map of IPL for the Dry Chaco, and found that at least 44% of the remaining forests are in IPL, and 67% of them are IPL-I. Our results also showed that IPL-S work as deforestation barriers. Inside PA, the effect of IPL-S was not always significant, probably because PA were already reducing forest loss. The effect of IPL-I on halting forest-loss was variable. We conclude that land-tenure security is key for IPL to reduce forest-loss, adding evidence on the importance of securing land-tenure rights of Indigenous communities for conservation purposes. At a regional scale, a large proportion of the remaining forests are Indigenous and conservation initiatives should be co-developed with locals, respecting their rights, needs and cosmovisions.