Forests on Indigenous lands across the Amazon protect against 27 diseases affecting the region’s 33 million residents, according to the first comprehensive study of its kind published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, as reported in a press release. Researchers analyzed 20 years of health data from 1,733 municipalities across eight Amazon countries and found that areas near healthy Indigenous forests face lower rates of fire-related respiratory and cardiovascular diseases as well as illnesses spread by animals and insects. The study, published in Communications Earth and Environment, examined nearly 30 million disease cases between 2001 and 2019.
The timing proves critical as Amazon fire season begins and climate talks approach in Belém, Brazil. Forest fires deliberately set by illegal loggers and ranchers create thick smoke that triggers respiratory problems, heart disease, and other serious health conditions across vast distances. Between 2002 and 2011, fires in Brazil’s Amazon alone caused an average of 2,906 premature deaths annually from lung and heart ailments. Indigenous territories consistently showed lower disease rates for conditions including Chagas disease, malaria, leishmaniasis, and spotted fever.
“Indigenous forests in the Amazon bring health benefits to millions,” said Paula Prist, IUCN’s Senior Programme Coordinator. “This study offers new evidence that forests themselves are a balm for fire-related threats to people’s lungs and hearts, to illnesses like Chagas, malaria and spotted fevers.”
The research covered Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela and French Guiana, where deforestation from agriculture, oil drilling, and infrastructure projects continues to rise.
The findings strengthen evidence that protecting Indigenous land rights delivers multiple benefits for climate, biodiversity, and public health across one of Earth’s most vital ecosystems.
