Policy Brief: The role of Amazonian Indigenous Peoples in fighting the climate crisis

Indigenous territories (ITs) in the Amazon protect approximately 24.5 GtC aboveground, act as significant barriers to deforestation and forest degradation, and serve as an important buffer against climate change. Demarcated ITs have significantly less deforestation than unrecognized lands, demonstrating the importance of demarcating ITs to both protect the livelihoods and cultures of the Amazon’s native peoples and to conserve its forests and rivers.