Healthy forests safeguard traditional wild meat food systems in Amazonia

Amazonia is the largest<sup>1</sup> and the most species-rich tropical forest region on Earth<sup>2</sup>, where hundreds of Indigenous cultures and thousands of animal species have interacted over millennia<sup>3,4</sup>. Although Amazonia offers a unique context to appraise the value of wildlife as a source of food to millions of rural inhabitants, the diversity, geographic extent, volumes and nutritional value of harvested wild meat are unknown. Here, leveraging a dataset comprising 447,438 animals hunted across 625 rural localities, we estimate an annual extraction of 0.57 Mt of undressed animal biomass across Amazonia, equivalent to 0.34 Mt of edible wild meat. Just 20 out of 174 taxa account for 72% of all animals hunted and 84% of the overall biomass extracted. We show that this amount of wild meat can meet nearly half of protein and iron dietary requirements for rural peoples, along with a substantial portion of their needs for B vitamins (18-126%) and zinc (23%). However, wild meat productivity is likely to have decreased by 67% in nearly 500,000 km² of highly deforested areas of Amazonia. Furthermore, the availability of wild meat per capita decreases significantly in areas with higher human population, greater proximity to cities, and more extensive deforestation. These findings highlight the urgent need to preserve the forest to safeguard biodiversity and traditional wild meat food systems, which will be essential for ensuring Amazonian peoples' well-being and achieving several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals<sup>5</sup>.

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Publication Details

Journal
Nature
Published
2025-11-26
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09743-z
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Indigenous Health and Education
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
5.63
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article

Healthy forests safeguard traditional wild meat food systems in Amazonia

Marcela Álvares Oliveira, Thaís Q. Morcatty, Rolando Aquino, Marcelo Augusto dos Santos et al.
2 citations
Nature
Indigenous Health and Education
5.63
article

Healthy forests safeguard traditional wild meat food systems in Amazonia

Marcela Álvares Oliveira, Thaís Q. Morcatty, Rolando Aquino, Marcelo Augusto dos Santos, Marina Albuquerque Regina de Mattos Vieira, André Pinassi Antunes, Cintia Karoline Manos Lopes, Eduardo M. von Mühlen, Miguel Antúnez, Lauren Coad, Amy Ickowitz, Milton José de Paula, George Henrique Rebêlo, Miguel Aparício, Richard E. Bodmer, Daniel P. Munari, João Vitor Campos‐Silva, Mariana Franco Cassino, Natalia C. Pimenta, Elildo Alves Ribeiro de Carvalho, Bruce Nelson, Pablo Puertas, João Valsecchi, Guillaume Longin, André Valle Nunes, Jean P. Boubli, Pedro Mayor, Cécile Richard‐Hansen, Hani R. El Bizri, Pedro E. PÉREZ-PEÑA, Louise Maranhão, Michelle Cristine Medeiros Jacob, Pedro de Araújo Lima Constantino, Julia E. Fa, Juarez Carlos Brito Pezzuti, Tula Fang, Josiane O. G. Tikuna, Abel O. F. Baniwa, Armindo B. Baniwa, Jairo Silvestre Apurinã, José Lino V. S. Paumari, Dzoodzo Baniwa, Valencio S. M. Baniwa, Isaías J. S. Baniwa, Kussugi B. Kuikuro, Luan M. G. Suruí, Eneias C. S. Paumari, Ana Paula L. R. Katukina, Walter S. L. Baniwa, Elias P. A. L. Tikuna, Vanessa S. F. Apurinã, Germano C. Paumari, Yaukuma Waura, Jorge T. Penaforth Kaixana, José L. Kaxinauá, Dione Torquato, Abimael V. C. Paumari, Valdir S. S. Apurinã
article en
2 citations

Abstract

Amazonia is the largest<sup>1</sup> and the most species-rich tropical forest region on Earth<sup>2</sup>, where hundreds of Indigenous cultures and thousands of animal species have interacted over millennia<sup>3,4</sup>. Although Amazonia offers a unique context to appraise the value of wildlife as a source of food to millions of rural inhabitants, the diversity, geographic extent, volumes and nutritional value of harvested wild meat are unknown. Here, leveraging a dataset comprising 447,438 animals hunted across 625 rural localities, we estimate an annual extraction of 0.57 Mt of undressed animal biomass across Amazonia, equivalent to 0.34 Mt of edible wild meat. Just 20 out of 174 taxa account for 72% of all animals hunted and 84% of the overall biomass extracted. We show that this amount of wild meat can meet nearly half of protein and iron dietary requirements for rural peoples, along with a substantial portion of their needs for B vitamins (18-126%) and zinc (23%). However, wild meat productivity is likely to have decreased by 67% in nearly 500,000 km² of highly deforested areas of Amazonia. Furthermore, the availability of wild meat per capita decreases significantly in areas with higher human population, greater proximity to cities, and more extensive deforestation. These findings highlight the urgent need to preserve the forest to safeguard biodiversity and traditional wild meat food systems, which will be essential for ensuring Amazonian peoples' well-being and achieving several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals<sup>5</sup>.

NatureVol. 648(8094)
Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (BR), Manchester Metropolitan University (GB), Manitoba Health (CA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ES), Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi (BR), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) (BR), Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (BR), National University of San Marcos (PE), University of Kent (GB), Universidade do Estado do Pará (BR), University of French Guiana (GF), Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana (PE), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (BR), University of Oxford (GB), Departamento Nacional de Produção Mineral (BR), Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas (BR), Asociación para la Conservación de la Cuenca Amazónica (PE), Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana (PE), Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (ES), Centro Universitário do Norte (BR), Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Pará (BR), Faculdades Integradas Aparício Carvalho (BR), Gibraltar Health Authority (GI), Wildlife Conservation Society United Kingdom (GB), Instituto Sócioambiental (BR), Museu da Amazonia (BR), Instituto Maria e Joao Aleixo (BR), Institute for Humanities Research and Indigenous Studies of the North (RU), Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (BR), Fundo Brasil (BR), Para La Tierra (PY), Guiana Space Centre (GF), Science Oxford (GB), OnApp (Gibraltar) (GI), Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá (BR), Universidade Estadual do Maranhão (BR), TransFrigor do Brasil (Brazil) (BR), Hospital Bandeirantes (BR), University College London (GB), University of Salford (GB), World Agroforestry Centre (KE), Universidade Federal do Pará (BR), Universidade Federal do Amazonas (BR), Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (BR), Center for International Forestry Research (ID)
Openalex Percentile: Top 4%
Indigenous Health and Education
5.63
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