On World Rainforest Day, observed annually on 22 June, CESAM joins the global reflection on the importance of these ecosystems, which are essential for biodiversity, environmental balance, and the communities that depend on them. Through research projects and international cooperation, the centre contributes to advancing knowledge and supporting the conservation of tropical forests in different regions of the world.
Tropical regions have played a central role in human history. The tropics are home to the African cradle of humankind, as well as the destinations of major human migrations, from Oceania to South America. Tropical biomes harbour a significant proportion of the planet’s biodiversity, and the latitudinal biodiversity gradient is well known among ecologists, with several explanatory hypotheses proposed by scientists such as Dobzhansky and MacArthur. The study of tropical biomes has also been fundamental to the advancement of biology. For example, Charles Darwin’s tropical voyages—himself influenced by the accounts of Alexander von Humboldt—were instrumental in the development of the Theory of Natural Selection.
Over recent decades, the idyllic view of tropical forests—particularly those of the Neotropics—as pristine ecosystems untouched by human activity has given way to a deeper understanding of the long-standing role of humans in shaping tropical landscapes. One example is the concept of landscape domestication by Amazonian civilizations, which has emerged as an alternative paradigm to the domestication of species.
Lush tropical rainforests occupy a prominent place in our collective imagination. However, despite the high level of threat faced by these forests, other tropical forest types—such as woodlands, dry forests, and seasonal deciduous forests—are equally or even more endangered. Owing to prolonged armed conflicts, economic and social instability—often linked to global power dynamics inherited from previous centuries—as well as ongoing climate change, many countries and regions within the tropical belt face significant development challenges and high levels of economic, health, and food insecurity.
These challenges are particularly acute in territories where local populations depend directly on forest resources to meet their daily basic needs. The clearing of tropical forests for subsistence agriculture or charcoal production (the main energy source for many communities), as well as the hunting of wild animals for protein, may secure livelihoods in the short term but jeopardize the survival of tropical forests in the medium and long term, along with the populations that depend on them. This is the case of the Miombo and Mopane woodlands of Southern Africa. These forests support a rich diversity of wildlife, yet the dense wood of miombo and mopane trees makes them an important source of energy and construction materials, increasing pressure on these ecosystems.
The CAPMOZ project, led by CESAM in partnership with the Pedagogical University of Maputo, the University of Lisbon, and other Mozambican and Iberian partners, aimed to strengthen local capacity to address sustainable development challenges in Mozambique. The project contributed to enhancing regional scientific and technical infrastructure, combining the training of students from the Pedagogical University of Maputo with collaborative research among partners and the collection of baseline data on the biodiversity of the mopane woodlands in Limpopo National Park. In addition to capacity building in non-invasive biodiversity monitoring methods, the project placed a strong emphasis on health surveillance and engagement with local communities, contributing to improved coexistence. More recently, this partnership has continued through CESAM funding, enabling further analysis of the information generated within the project and supporting ongoing training and collaborative research activities. CAPMOZ is just one example of CESAM’s involvement in tropical forest research, which also extends to the Neotropics.
Illustrative map: https://ecoregions.appspot.com
Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Article by Eduardo Ferreira, researcher at CESAM/Department of Biology (DBIO), University of Aveiro.