A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Food insecurity under global human-induced changes: Plants of the future in the Amazonian biome
Authors: Freitas Gomes, Vitor Hugo; Andrino, Caroline Oliveira; Barbosa-Silva, Rafael Gomes; Acosta, Andre Luis; González-Chaves, Adrian David; Slätis, Johan; Giannini, Tereza Cristina
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Publishing place: London
Publication year: 2025
Journal: Biological Conservation
Journal name in source: Biological Conservation
Journal acronym: BIOL CONSERV
Article number: 111398
Volume: 311
Number of pages: 12
ISSN: 0006-3207
eISSN: 1873-2917
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111398
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111398
Forests provide vital food resources, especially for human populations. However, global human-induced changes pose a significant threat to food security worldwide. The biodiverse Brazilian Amazonia is home to 19 million people, many of whom depend on plants for sustenance. Here, we analyse the effects of future projected global human-induced changes, including deforestation and climate change, on edible plants in the Brazilian Amazonia. We used species distribution modelling based on the MaxEnt algorithm to estimate environmental suitability and the effects of future human-induced changes on human populations in the region by 2050 at the municipal level. We identified 228 edible species with valid distribution models. These species exhibited a broad distribution, covering an average of 60 % of the forest area. Most species are expected to show reduced environmental suitability by 2050, contributing to a decrease in species estimated richness, particularly in the eastern, southern, and central parts of the Forest. Impacts were high in municipalities with smaller forested areas. We identified 21 edible species that are potentially resilient to human-induced changes, most of which provide edible fruits and seeds. According to our projected scenarios, most edible species are likely to be affected by human-induced changes. Exploring resilient edible plant species is crucial for food security and supporting forest-dependent populations.
Funding information in the publication:
This study was supported by Instituto Tecnologico Vale (Project, R100603.83.CN) , Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq/ITV 444369/2018-0) and Research Council of Finland (Grant 351460 to Hanna Tuomisto) . We thank the anonymous reviewers, Hanna Tuomisto and the Amazon Team for their helpful comments.
