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HEIndividual fellowship2023–2025

ProtectedTrade · The role of area-based conservation measures in reducing impact from agriculture, conserving biodiversity, and supporting local communities’ livelihood

Horizon Europe — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2023-09-01 → 2025-08-31
EU contribution
€230,774
Participants
1
Scheme
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Results in brief

The role of area-based conservation measures in reducing impact from agriculture, conserving biodiversity, and supporting local communities’ livelihood

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.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

Pressures on natural landscapes due to soybean and cattle ranching have been increasing in Brazil over the last decades. This is largely driven by exports, including to the European Union, making these commodities some of the most important threats to biodiversity and non-timber forest products. Some of these products can be used for medicinal and food security purposes by local communities, and often are managed either by women or men differently. Area-based conservation measures are an important global conservation strategy and include the newly defined “other effective area-based conservation measures” (OECMs). OECMs can play a larger role in nature conservation in areas managed by local communities, yet it remains unclear to what extent they are contributing to conservation. This project will evaluate the impact of soybean and cattle expansion in Brazil on biological and cultural diversity and gender, and the contribution of OECMs on their conservation. Specifically, I will (i) identify species used by local communities and assess their conservation status as well as potential gender-differences in their uses; (ii) analyze the impact of soybean and cattle ranching expansion on biocultural diversity and the potential gender-biased consequences; and (iii) evaluate the contribution of different OECM-types to the conservation of cultural and biological diversity. To do that, this action will combine methods and techniques across disciplines (literature review on the relationship between species and gender) and geoprocessing and statistical analysis (land-use change and matching analysis). Expected results include three scientific publications and outreach activities to amplify societal awareness about the impact of agriculture on culture and nature and provide evidence of how OECMs can support both biodiversity and the livelihood of women and men, being considered as a promising conservation tool in the next decade.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITET · KOBENHAVNCoordinatorDenmark

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union