Global discussions on protecting the Amazon rainforest often focus on carbon storage and forest cover. In a recent study, Torsten Krause and Carlos Hernández-Vélez concentrated on the interconnected web of human and non-human life under the canopy. Since 2022, they have worked with Indigenous researchers in the Colombian departments of Vaupés and Amazonas to learn how local knowledges can help sustain wildlife in tropical forests.
“For forest conservation under the climate change regime to work, we must take care of the animals,” says Krause. “Research studies show that they disperse the seeds of large trees, which aids forest regeneration. Without them, the rainforest would consist of smaller trees that store less carbon.”
The local researchers have met monthly to document their knowledge of forest fauna. Their work highlighted the cultural foundations of wildlife management. Hunting is central to this. Traditional norms – based on an understanding of the relationship between animals, plants, and people – determine where, when, and how hunting takes place and still shape local stewardship of forest fauna.
“If you want to understand tropical forests, ask the hunters,” Krause says. “They spend so much time in there and have observed its changes for decades. And they rely on generational, ecological knowledge embedded in Indigenous cosmovision, rituals and stories.”
The researchers also documented the impacts of state education, market pressure, depopulation, and the erosion of cultural norms and local languages, all of which threaten the continuation of Indigenous knowledge transmission.
“It is almost a miracle that the ancestral knowledge that these communities have transmitted over at least 10,000 years survived the nations and religions aiming to absorb and eradicate them,” says Hernández-Vélez. “It is about time that external research activities, instead of contributing to this degradation, do the opposite. We value honour, learn from the Indigenous knowledge, and contribute to its strengthening with respectful dialogues of knowledge.”
The allure of urban lifestyles, promoted on social media, draws many young Colombians from rural areas to cities, contributing to local depopulation and cultural degradation. Yet, city life is not for everyone. The researchers hope the project will support those who remain and those who return to the Amazon in keeping their traditions and local knowledge alive.
Krause points out, “Protecting Amazon forests depends on supporting Indigenous communities with tools and resources to maintain the ecosystem from which everyone benefits.”
Final Workshop Brings Communities Together
The project culminated in a four-day workshop at the intercultural learning centre Organizmo, north of Bogotá. It was the first time the two community-based research teams met during the four-year project. Other participants were representatives of Colombian authorities, NGOs, and academia.
The workshop showcased the researchers’ cartography, ecological calendars, storytelling, and field observations documenting species behaviour, cultural practices, and ecological change.
As the project concludes, the team hopes its outcomes inspire new initiatives and support ongoing conversations with environmental authorities and conservation organisations.
“We have learned how to identify individuals and institutions interested in learning from Indigenous knowledges,” says Hernández-Vélez. “We have created links and reversed learning scenarios where environmental officers learn from indigenous experts and practices new methods to understand, monitor and protect the relationship with forest fauna.”
Looking ahead, Krause and Vélez plan to build on the project by applying for research grants to continue documenting and sharing Indigenous knowledge. They will produce illustrated educational booklets in local languages for community schools, ensuring that these materials remain with the communities to strengthen local ownership of knowledge.
“Supporting Indigenous communities and recognising their knowledge is essential not only for justice, but for the Amazon’s future,” says Krause.
Learn more about this research in the Lund University Research Portal:
