55 Percent of Carbon in Amazonian Indigenous Territories and Protected Lands May Be At Risk

More than half the carbon in the Amazon region could be released into the atmosphere unless indigenous land rights are protected, a new study said on Tuesday, as a UN climate conference got under way in Peru.

Indigenous territories and protected natural areas across nine South American countries account for more than half the carbon stored in the Amazon, the study published in the journal Carbon Management reported.

If this land is exploited for logging, mining or commercial farming, much of the carbon will be released into the atmosphere, accelerating global warming, the study Forest Carbon in Amazonia: The Unrecognized Contributions of Indigenous Territories and Protected Natural Areas said.

"International recognition and investment in indigenous and protected areas are essential to ensuring their continued contribution to global climate stability," Richard Chase Smith, of Peruvian NGO Common Good Institute, said in a statement.

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