Amazon: A Third Destroyed by Humans and Drought
Fires, deforestation and water scarcity have damaged more than a third of the Amazon rainforest. Twice as much as previously assumed.
Twice as much damage as previously assumed
Human activities and drought may have damaged more than a third of the Amazon rainforest, twice as much as previously assumed. This is the finding of a study in Science .
Fires, land use changes, deforestation and water scarcity have weakened the resilience of up to 2.5 million square kilometres of forest. This area is now drier, more flammable and more vulnerable than before.
This damage is in addition to the 17% of the original forest cover that has been completely deforested over the past 50 years. “There is hope, but our study shows that this is not enough to stop deforestation,” said Jos Barlow of Lancaster University.
Degradation often not visible
Water scarcity is responsible for the largest share of the increase in forest degradation. The amount of carbon released through degradation could even be greater than through deforestation.
The authors recommend that policymakers strengthen monitoring of forest degradation, increase firefighting capacities and restrict deforestation. More on the topic of Environment and Nature Conservation and Climate Change.
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