In a recent article published in the journal Nature Sustainability, researchers explored how local communities in the Brazilian Amazon are actively contributing to the conservation of their natural environments through traditional surveillance practices linked to community-based fisheries management.
The study emphasizes that community participation in protecting vast, ecologically sensitive areas offers a cost-effective alternative to conventional governmental enforcement strategies. The study underlines the importance of recognizing and supporting these community-led efforts as vital components of sustainable environmental stewardship, particularly in regions with limited or absent formal enforcement mechanisms.
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Background
Amazonian communities have historically relied on subsistence fishing and resource extraction, often operating within a context of limited external oversight. These communities undertake continuous surveillance and resource management activities to safeguard their territories against illegal activities such as poaching, logging, and unregulated fishing, which threaten biodiversity and ecosystem integrity. Despite the ecological significance of these efforts, their contribution has often been underestimated, overshadowed by more traditional, resource-intensive conservation models. This research aims to quantify these indigenous and local community initiatives' scale, efficiency, and costs, positioning them as crucial elements of sustainable land and resource management.
The Current Study
The study was conducted within the municipality of Carauari, Amazonas, Brazil, covering approximately 2.58 million hectares along the Juruá River, an Amazon tributary. Community members engaged in pirarucu co-management carried out routine surveillance routes across floodplain and upland forest areas, especially during the receding floodwaters when fish are most vulnerable.
These surveillance activities involved traditional guarding techniques, coordinated efforts among local residents, and collective expulsion of illegal fishers, loggers, and miners. The effort required significant logistical support, including boats, fuel, food, and volunteers, with intensified efforts during critical periods to prevent illegal activities.
The spatial extent of protection was mapped using GPS and GIS tools, revealing that community surveillance coverage was nearly eight times larger than the lakes themselves, extending into floodplain channels and upland forests, thus providing broader ecosystem protection. Cost analysis compared the expenses incurred by local communities with alternatives such as government hired guards, demonstrating that community-led efforts were substantially more cost-effective.
The study also accounted for social costs, recognizing the opportunity costs borne by local households who devote time and resources to protection activities. Overall, the methodology integrated spatial mapping, logistical evaluation, and cost comparison to demonstrate the broad scale, efficiency, and ecological significance of community-based territorial surveillance in Amazonian fisheries management.
Results and Discussion
Findings reveal that community-based surveillance achieves extensive environmental protection, safeguarding nearly eight times the physical spatial area targeted directly by community activities. This expanded protection encompasses both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, including upland forests adjacent to floodplain lakes.
Community members routinely carry out surveillance efforts, which are remarkably cost-efficient, requiring substantially lower financial input compared to government or NGO-led initiatives. These efforts not only prevent illegal resource extraction but also extend the effective reach of protected areas, ensuring the conservation of biodiversity on a much larger scale.
However, the study emphasizes significant opportunity costs for community members, whose ongoing surveillance efforts limit their ability to engage in alternative livelihood activities. The heavy time investment and effort could otherwise be directed toward income-generating pursuits, raising concerns about social justice and sustainability of such models without external support.
Recognizing and valuing their contributions thus calls for mechanisms to compensate communities, ensuring the long-term viability and fairness of conservation practices. The article underscores that these community activities serve as a low-cost, non-invasive, and sustainable approach to ecosystem stewardship, capable of complementing formal conservation regimes when appropriately supported.
Conclusion
The research illustrates that local communities in the Amazon are indispensable custodians of their environments, employing routine surveillance that effectively extends conservation efforts over vast and ecologically critical areas. Their involvement results in significant ecological benefits at a fraction of the cost of traditional enforcement strategies, highlighting the potential for scalable, community-driven management to serve as a sustainable complement to formal protected area systems.
To sustain and enhance these efforts, there is a pressing need for policies and funding schemes that recognize, support, and financially reward community contributions. Such recognition would foster greater social justice, motivate continued participation, and ultimately promote the resilience and health of the Amazon’s ecosystems.
This model exemplifies how using traditional practices, combined with appropriate institutional backing, can create efficient, inclusive, and sustainable environmental conservation strategies rooted in local empowerment and community responsibility.
Journal Reference
Rodrigues A.C., Costa H.C.M., et al. (2025). Community-based management expands ecosystem protection footprint in Amazonian forests. Nature Sustainability. DOI: 10.1038/s41893-025-01633-6, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-025-01633-6