Climate change threatens 30% of plant species used by Indigenous Amazonian

A Swiss research group warns that climate change threatens roughly 30 percent of edible and medicinal plant species used by Amazonian Indigenous groups.

Amazonia harbors more than 10 percent of the Earth’s terrestrial biodiversity and is home to more than 400 Indigenous groups.

The research group, which includes scientists from the University of Zurich, published their findings in the journal Nature this month, after reviewing a database of over 90,000 reports to assess the effects of climate change on Indigenous populations.

The team found that local people use about 5,800 native plant species.

It predicts that these communities “may lose an average of 28-34% of their utilized plant species and 18-23% of their associated services” by 2080 due to climate change.

Furthermore, the researchers warn that many of these Indigenous groups’ languages, which are vital for passing down knowledge about these plants, are also threatened.

The research group says its findings point to the severe climate and linguistic vulnerability of Amazonian biocultural heritage. It stressed the need to address the entire socio-environmental sphere, rather than its parts in isolation.