A recent study highlights the growing threat climate change poses to the Amazon rainforest’s vast array of plant species used by Indigenous communities for food, medicine, and cultural practices. Researchers warn that rising temperatures and more extreme weather events could jeopardize nearly one-third of these vital plants within the next few decades, even if global warming is moderately limited.

The study, published in the journal Nature, examined the potential impacts of climate change on species traditionally utilized by Indigenous societies across the Amazon. The researchers found that between 28 percent and 34 percent of these plants could face habitat conditions that become increasingly unsuitable as the climate warms. This vulnerability is particularly acute in the lowland rainforests where geographic features offer little refuge from rising heat and intensified drought.

Among the species at risk are yoco, a vine used by the Secoya people in the northwest Amazon to make a stimulating morning brew; ibpabichuna, a violet fruit employed by the Cueblo people of Colombia in a traditional after-dinner drink; and wingimonkawe, a tree whose bark serves as medicine for infected wounds among the Waorani people of Ecuador. Many of these plant species have a singular cultural association, making their decline not only an ecological issue but also a potential loss of invaluable cultural heritage.

The study’s lead author, Rodrigo Cámara Leret, an assistant professor at the University of Zurich, compiled a comprehensive database by reviewing more than 700 historical and contemporary sources dating from the 1500s to today. His work documented over 5,800 plant species used by Amazonian Indigenous groups, representing about one-third of the roughly 15,600 seed-plant species native to the region. About 75 percent of these plants are linked to just one Indigenous culture, underscoring the risk that they could disappear if their climatic conditions deteriorate.

Climate change effects in the Amazon have already intensified in recent years, with severe droughts and widespread wildfires causing significant damage to the forest ecosystem. Experts warn that continued warming could push parts of the rainforest past a tipping point, potentially converting large forested areas to grasslands. This transformation would disrupt moisture cycles vital to regional and global weather patterns.

Indigenous leaders in the region are working to protect their botanical knowledge and biodiversity. Yadira Kasent, deputy mayor of the canton of Morona in Ecuador and a member of the Shuar community, has proposed a legal framework to recognize ancestral botanical knowledge as intangible cultural heritage. This initiative aims to integrate Indigenous knowledge into environmental planning and promote the revival and commercial distribution of native fruit species.

Similarly, initiatives like the Xingú Seeds Network in Brazil focus on collecting and cultivating native seeds to restore damaged forest areas. Oreme Ikpeng, a director of the network, notes visible shifts in climate patterns that threaten the productivity of important species such as the cumarú tree, traditionally used for cosmetics and medicine. As wildfires have increased and temperatures risen, seed collection has become more challenging, and tree fruit yields have diminished.

For many Indigenous groups, the accelerating environmental changes are deeply unsettling. “For us, the forests, rivers, animals, everything was infinite,” Mr. Ikpeng reflected. “No one thought it was possible to destroy it.” The study’s findings underline the urgent need to address climate change impacts in the Amazon, not only to preserve biodiversity but also to protect the cultural heritage and livelihoods of its Indigenous peoples.