New research unveils groundbreaking conservation achievements through community-led management in the Amazon, challenging the paradigm of traditional protected area enforcement. As the Amazon basin grapples with the escalating threats of habitat degradation due to insufficient regulation enforcement, increased resource competition, and external encroachment, this study highlights a transformative pathway by empowering local stakeholders to safeguard biodiversity effectively across vast landscapes. The implications of this research resonate profoundly amidst global biodiversity commitments, especially the ambitious “30×30” goal set by the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which aims to protect 30% of Earth’s terrestrial and marine areas by 2030.
Historically, tropical protected areas have encountered significant challenges, primarily underfunding, understaffing, and a lack of adequate infrastructure, rendering their conservation potential limited. Traditional models rely heavily on state governance and enforcement, often disconnected from local communities who bear the brunt of environmental degradation. This disconnect has motivated researchers to explore alternative conservation strategies that leverage community governance. The latest study published in Nature Sustainability introduces a compelling example of Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs), which broaden the conservation landscape beyond state-protected zones by integrating community stewardship to achieve sustainable biodiversity outcomes.
A multinational team from Brazil and the United Kingdom meticulously examined the conservation impact of community management strategies deployed along a 1,200-kilometer stretch of the Juruá River, a crucial tributary of the Amazon located in the Brazilian state of Amazonas. These riverine communities have implemented a complex network of floodplain and upland forest protection through the coordinated management of oxbow lakes, which serve as critical habitats for the arapaima, one of the world’s largest freshwater fish. The study reveals a striking amplification in protected area extent, with each community effectively safeguarding an ecological footprint nearly 86 times larger than the specific aquatic habitats they directly manage.
Quantitatively, the cumulative protected floodplain forests in Amazonas amount to approximately 15 million hectares—an area commensurate with some of the world’s largest national parks. This paradigm shift highlights how community-based resource governance can substantially elevate conservation coverage at scales previously unattainable under traditional state-centric models. The multidisciplinary team comprised scientists from Instituto Juruá in Brazil, the University of East Anglia (UEA) in the UK, Universidade Federal de Alagoas in Brazil, and the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazonia, underscoring the scientific collaboration underpinning this achievement.
Professor Carlos Peres of UEA’s School of Environmental Sciences, a senior author of the study, remarked on the transformational potential embedded in community empowerment. Unlike external enforcement approaches that struggle with persistent gaps in coverage and high financial costs, local stakeholders bring an unparalleled advantage: continuous, year-round presence coupled with vested interest in preserving their natural heritage. This continuous stewardship drives unprecedented conservation dividends, yielding sustainable wildlife populations and ecosystem integrity at a fraction of conventional enforcement expenses.
Central to the community-based model is active, locally coordinated enforcement that protects oxbow lakes from overexploitation by outsiders. These lakes harbor commercially valuable fisheries, and communities have collaboratively established protections that secure not only fish stocks but also the livelihoods dependent on them. The model demonstrates that sustainable harvesting practices can yield both ecological and economic benefits, creating a positive feedback loop that incentivizes ongoing conservation participation.
Importantly, the conservation impact extends beyond the target fish species, the arapaima. The protection of critical habitat cascades to safeguard multiple co-occurring species historically vulnerable to overharvesting, including giant otters, Amazonian manatees, and giant river turtles. This multifaceted biodiversity benefit highlights the importance of ecosystem-wide approaches, rather than narrowly focused species conservation, in promoting resilient and functional landscapes.
One challenge illuminated by the research is the socio-economic burden borne by local communities, who voluntarily shoulder costs related to patrolling, including fuel and sustenance for volunteer rangers. Currently, these essential conservation activities lack formal compensation, raising concerns about the model’s scalability and sustainability. The study advocates for innovative financial mechanisms such as Payments for Environmental Services (PES), which could provide fair remuneration to communities while remaining significantly more cost-effective than standard protected area enforcement.
Dr. Ana Carla Rodrigues, who led the research at Universidade Federal de Alagoas, emphasized that safeguarding the Amazon’s vast and intricate biomes hinges on recognizing and supporting indigenous and local community efforts. The researchers stress that beyond ecological benefits, community-led protection represents a vital social justice issue, reinforcing local rights and ensuring equitable conservation partnerships.
The research team conducted granular analyses across 96 protected oxbow lakes, averaging 47.4 hectares each, which together host a population of approximately 109,000 adult arapaimas under community stewardship. By extending protection into adjoining flooded forests and upland “terra firme” areas—critical for wildlife life cycles—the communities have dramatically expanded their conservation footprint to encompass multifunctional landscapes integral to Amazonian biodiversity.
Dr. João Vitor Campos-Silva, Co-Director of Instituto Juruá and co-author of the study, highlighted the human dimension of conservation. With an estimated six million people in the Brazilian Amazon directly dependent on wild natural resources, explicitly integrating local peoples into conservation strategies not only amplifies ecological success but also enhances societal well-being. This inclusive approach stands as a compelling model for global conservation efforts aiming to harmonize human development and biodiversity preservation.
Collectively, this study provides robust evidence advocating for a paradigm shift in biodiversity conservation frameworks. By demonstrating that community-based management delivers exceptional ecological returns with comparatively minimal investment, it challenges policymakers and funding agencies to reimagine protected area governance. Support for local conservation initiatives will be essential not only to meet international biodiversity targets but also to sustain the vitality of one of Earth’s most biologically diverse and environmentally crucial regions.
The publication titled ‘Community-based management expands ecosystem protection footprint in Amazonian forests’ was released in Nature Sustainability on September 19, 2025. This seminal work underscores the critical need to realign conservation funding and policy to empower the “unsung heroes” residing at the frontline of the Amazon’s ecological stewardship.
Subject of Research: Community-based management and conservation effectiveness in Amazonian protected areas
Article Title: Community-based management expands ecosystem protection footprint in Amazonian forests
News Publication Date: 19-Sep-2025
Web References:
References: Published scientific article in Nature Sustainability
Image Credits: Edimar Costa / Instituto Juruá
Keywords: Amazon conservation, community-based management, OECMs, arapaima, biodiversity protection, sustainable fisheries, Payments for Environmental Services, tropical protected areas, ecosystem footprint, local stewardship
