In the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve in Ecuador, a yellow-streaked woodpecker still drums against ancient trees that would have been cut down long ago if not for the protection status of this land. A new study now proves what conservationists have long suspected: these special areas are doing their job. Researchers at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona found that seven biosphere reserves across Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru together prevented the loss of more than 7,400 square kilometers (2,900 square miles) of Amazon forest over the past 20 years. That's an area larger than the island of Oahu in Hawaii.
The researchers analyzed nearly 96,400 square kilometers using powerful supercomputers to compare what actually happened inside these reserves against what would have happened in similar unprotected areas. The results, published in the journal Conservation Science and Practice, show that while forest loss continues accelerating across the Amazon, these protected zones are doing better at stopping it.
What surprised researchers most was where the protection worked best. Buffer zones—the areas ringing the cores of reserves where farming, settlements, and Indigenous territories exist alongside nature—actually prevented more deforestation than the strictly protected inner zones. "This result shows that conservation does not depend solely on restricting land uses but also on participatory governance models capable of integrating nature conservation with its sustainable use and the well-being of local communities," said Álvaro Fernández-Llamazares, one of the study's authors.
Yasuní led the results. Located in one of the most biodiverse spots on Earth, this Ecuadorian reserve prevented an estimated 4,745 square kilometers (1,800 square miles) of forest loss—more than any other reserve in the study. The nearby Podocarpus–El Cóndor, Yasuní and Sumaco reserves in Ecuador; Manu and Oxapampa-Asháninka-Yánesha in Peru; and Beni and Pilón Lajas in Bolivia were also studied.
The findings add to growing evidence that putting local communities at the center of conservation works better than simply locking land away. Indigenous Peoples' territories, which make up much of these biosphere reserves, show particularly strong results. There are now 797 biosphere reserves worldwide, spread across 145 countries, and more than 300 million people call these areas home. The study suggests these models could help achieve the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which aims to stop and reverse biodiversity loss worldwide. The lesson from the Western Amazon is clear: protecting forests and protecting people can go hand in hand.