Published in the international journal Current Biology, the study shows that over half of the dryland areas in the Brazilian Amazon are understudied by science. The work reviewed studies on ecological communities collected at over 7,000 sites in different types of ecosystems, including upland forests, floodable forests and aquatic environments such as streams, rivers and lakes. By compiling several databases on the biodiversity in the region, the scientists have revealed where ecological research has focused and highlight the understudied areas of the region. The knowledge gaps found in the Amazon region correspond to 54.1% of upland areas, 27.3% of aquatic habitats and 17.3% of wetlands (floodplains). The likelihood of research decreased in degraded areas and in Indigenous Lands. Over half of the dry lands in the Brazilian Amazon region are still understudied. The knowledge gaps about the biodiversity in those areas correspond to 54% and is smaller with regard to wetlands and aquatic ecosystems in the region. Such void regarding the Amazonian biodiversity is one of the main findings of the mapping of ecological research in the entire Brazilian Amazon region that was conducted by scientists from institutions in Brazil and other countries that produce and process information on studies of the Amazonian biodiversity. The work is in the paper “Pervasive gaps in amazonian ecological research”, published on Jul 19 in the journal Current Biology, and reviews studies of ecological communities of nine groups of organisms from the terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity that were collected in over 7,000 locations. Based on the compilation of several databases and the available knowledge about biodiversity in the region, the scientists have shown where ecological research is located and highlight the areas of the region with low chances of being studied. The analysis considered different ecosystems, including upland forests, floodable forests and aquatic environments like streams, rivers and lakes. The results show that knowledge gaps cover 54.1% of dry lands; 27.3% of aquatic habitats; and 17.3% of flooded areas (floodplains and flooded forests). This means that the biodiversity in the Brazilian Amazon dry lands is less studied than wetlands and aquatic ecosystems. “We saw that a few factors, especially the distance from large centers where research structures are located, explain this scenario,” states Raquel Carvalho, a biologist who was a postdoctoral researcher associated with Embrapa Eastern Amazon during the study, in which she is the first author. In nine groups of organisms from the local terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity – benthic invertebrates, heteropterans, odonates, fish, macrophytes, birds, woody vegetation, ants, and dung beetles –, ecological research was unevenly distributed in the three types of habitat investigated in 7,694 data collection points. “Our results prove that vast areas of the Amazon region remain poorly studied; they correspond to true gaps in knowledge about their biodiversity,” states the biologist Joice Ferreira, a researcher from Embrapa Eastern Amazon who co-authored the study. Notwithstanding the fact that there is less research on the biodiversity of upland forests according to the study, the scientists estimate that between 15% and 18% of the areas that are most neglected by science will suffer severe climate changes or be subject to deforestation and degradation by 2050. “This scenario is concerning because the sustainable use of biodiversity and the full development of sociobioeconomy requires a good understanding of the distribution of wealth in the region,” the scientist remarks. Art: Sabrina Morais / Ian Santos Lack of infrastructure and accessibility Using a machine learning model, the study mapped the likelihood of research in the Brazilian Amazon region between 2010 and 2020; and identified the vulnerability of the biome to changes resulting from human action, such as deforestation and forest degradation. “We used five analysis factors for the knowledge gaps: accessibility, distance from research facilities, land tenure, degradation, and length of the dry season,” explains forest engineer Angélica Faria de Resende, who was another postdoctoral scholar associated with Embrapa Eastern Amazon during the study. Logistics, especially accessibility and distance from research centers, combined with human influence factors represent 64% of the likelihood of the existence of ecological studies. The gaps in knowledge about the biodiversity in the region are affected by the lack of infrastructure distributed in different locations in the Amazon area. “There is a concentration of structures and investments in the large urban centers of the region,” Embrapa's Joice Ferreira observes. Art: Sabrina Morais / Ian Santos For researcher Jos Barlow, from Lancaster University, UK, by quantifying the scenario of ecological research in the Brazilian Amazon, the work shows the importance of going beyond accessible areas near research bases, and expanding to regions that are likely to be affected by climate change or deforestation. “Doing so will not be easy, and ecology alone will not solve the environmental crises the world faces. We need a lot of research cooperation among countries, including the Amazonian ones,” Barlow says. Other highlights in the study were the forest degradation factors and land uses. The scientists attested that the likelihood of research decreased in more degraded areas and in Indigenous Lands (ILs). “We have seen that research efforts are more limited in Indigenous Lands, which is concerning as they represent about 23% of the Brazilian Amazon area,” Raquel Carvalho warns. Research network The work stems from a large consolidated research network within Synergize, a project that integrates information from different disciplines to generate knowledge. “It is what I call synthesis science, that is, rather than collecting new data, one gathers all existing ones to answer questions in a larger scope,” Joice Ferreira explains. The project, which is part of the Brazilian Synthesis Centre on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (SinBiose), from the National Council of Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), involves 29 researchers from 12 national and international institutions and is coordinated by Embrapa and the University of Bristol, in the United Kingdom. The paper published in the journal Current Biology, for instance, gathered data from about 600 collaborators from over 100 educational and research institutions. In order to better understand the status of ecological research in the Brazilian Amazon territory and make recommendations for decision makers, the group of researchersat Synergize conducted an additional study on research investments in the region. The recommendations are organized in a policy brief entitled "Como superar os desafios que limitam as pesquisas ecológicas na Amazônia" [How to overcome the challenges that limit ecological research in the Amazon region], which is available on SinBiose Center's website. “The results of this study are important to guide more strategic action to promote research in the Amazon, especially at this time when the meeting of heads of state of the Amazon region– the Amazon Summit – is approaching. Our studies show that it is not enough just to increase the resources available; decision makers need to make a very strategic allocation”, Joice Ferreira concludes. Amazon Summit On August 8 - 9 in Belém, Pará, Brazil, heads of state of the eight countries that are members of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) - Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela - will meet to start a new stage in cooperation for the biome. The Summit is going to define a commitment to cooperation for the sustainable development of the Amazon region to be undertaken by those countries, by resuming regional dialogue and strengthening relations between governmental and civil organizations of the participating nations. Learn more here.