Study Warns Amazonia Could Lose a Third of Indigenous Plant Knowledge by 2100

A research article published in Nature by a team from the University of Zurich, headed by Prof Rodrigo Cámara Leret, highlights the dual threats of climate change and language extinction to the biocultural heritage of the Amazon. The researchers examined more than 90,000 records of plant usage across Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana over a span of 500 years. Indigenous groups utilize at least 5,800 plant species, representing one-third of the region's biodiversity. Projections indicate that by 2060–2080, climate change could lead to a 28%–34% reduction in useful plant species. Coupled with language loss, the documented knowledge of plants may decline by 26%, with medicinal applications making up 46% of this decrease. Co-authored by Prof Jordi Bascompte and Patrick Roehrdanz, the study calls for biocultural restoration and the safeguarding of Indigenous rights by governments.