The Influence of Indigenous Land Tenure on Deforestation in the Paraguayan Chaco

Abstract

Forests are historically linked to the livelihoods and identities of Indigenous Peoples. Remote sensing of land use trends using geographic information systems (GIS) monitoring forest loss over time can increase the evidence base on how Indigenous communities and other groups impact deforestation. Geospatial monitoring offers the potential to strengthen monitoring and land use planning to benefit Indigenous territorial disputes and track deforestation trends. Paraguay’s deforestation is now the second highest in Latin America after Brazil. Taking the Paraguayan Chaco as a case study, the research applies geospatial monitoring and quantitative analysis of longitudinal data to assess the relationship between the two key variables of forest cover changes and Indigenous vs non-Indigenous lands.The results demonstrate that Indigenous controlled lands had lower rates of deforestation during the 2001-2018 period. Evidence using GIS data over time to showed nuanced land management practices among Indigenous communities. The research provides longitudinal data and an evidence base for potentially formalizing Indigenous land tenure across greater spatial scales according to those Indigenous communities with the best performance on forest conservation.