Amazon forest degradation releases as much carbon as total deforestation
In short: Researchers found that degraded areas of the Amazon rainforest are contributing significantly to global climate change. While large-scale clearing of trees often receives the most attention, the study reveals that fire, timber extraction, and extreme droughts have damaged roughly 38% of the remaining forest, releasing up to 0.2 petagrams of carbon annually.
This finding is critical because it shows that degradation can be as impactful as total deforestation in terms of carbon emissions and biodiversity loss. The study highlights that these impacts are often uneven, placing a heavier socioeconomic burden on people living within the forest.
The researchers used projections to analyze how various disturbances affect evapotranspiration and carbon cycles. A limitation of this research is that it relies on projected data regarding future emission trends independent of deforestation rates.
Why it matters: Addressing forest health requires looking beyond just stopping deforestation to manage the subtle drivers that degrade existing trees.
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Sources
- Source: Research: Lapola et al. (2023). The drivers and impacts of Amazon forest degradation. Science. · other-oa
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