Indigenous lands in protected areas have high forest integrity across the tropics

Intact tropical forests have a high conservation value.1 Although perceived as wild,2 they have been under long-term human influence.3 As global area-based conservation targets increase, the ecological contribu-tions of Indigenous peoples through their governance institutions and practices4 are gaining mainstream interest. Indigenous lands-covering a quarter of Earth's surface5 and overlapping with a third of intact forests6-often have reduced deforestation, degradation, and carbon emissions, compared with non -pro-tected areas and protected areas.7,8 A key question with implications for the design of more equitable and effective conservation policies is to understand the impacts of Indigenous lands on forest integrity and long-term use, as critical measures of ecosystem health included within the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.9 Using the forest landscape integrity index10 and Anthromes11 datasets, we find that high -integrity forests tend to be located within the overlap of protected areas and Indigenous lands (protected -Indigenous areas). After accounting for location biases through statistical matching and regression, protected-Indigenous areas had the highest protective effect on forest integrity and the lowest land-use intensity relative to Indigenous lands, protected areas, and non-protected controls pan-tropically. The pro-tective effect of Indigenous lands on forest integrity was lower in Indigenous lands than in protected areas and non-protected areas in the Americas and Asia. The combined positive effects of state legislation and Indigenous presence in protected-Indigenous areas may contribute to maintaining tropical forest integrity. Understanding management and governance in protected-Indigenous areas can help states to appropriately support community-governed lands.

Automated summary

Intact tropical forests are of high conservation value and have been influenced by long-term human activities. Indigenous lands, which cover a quarter of Earth's surface and overlap with a third of intact forests, often exhibit reduced deforestation, degradation, and carbon emissions compared to other areas. Understanding the impacts and contributions of Indigenous lands to forest integrity is crucial for effective conservation policies. A study using forest landscape integrity index and anthropogenic datasets found that high-integrity forests are mainly located within protected-Indigenous areas. Protected-Indigenous areas showed the highest protective effect on forest integrity and the lowest land-use intensity. However, the protective effect of Indigenous lands on forest integrity was lower in the Americas and Asia. The combined positive effects of state legislation and Indigenous presence in protected-Indigenous areas can help maintain tropical forest integrity.