According to a new study, degradation of rainforests in South America, Africa and Asia has caused them to become a significant source rather than sink for carbon emissions.
The comprehensive study, which used more than 12 years of satellite data as well as field studies, was conducted by a research team from Woods Hole Research Center and Boston University.
“This shows that we can’t just sit back. The forest is not doing what we thought it was doing,” said Alessandro Baccini, one of the leader authors of the research team, as quoted by the Guardian.
“As always, trees are removing carbon from the atmosphere, but the volume of the forest is no longer enough to compensate for the losses. The region is not a sink any more,” he added.
The study defined degradation as the thinning of tree density and culling of biodiversity beneath the forest canopy as a result of selective logging, fire, drought and hunting . Though this can reduce biodiversity by as much as 75%, it is much harder to detect than total deforestation as the canopy appears uninterrupted from above.
As per the study, rainforests in South America, Africa and Asia are now releasing 425 teragrams of carbon per year, a number higher than all traffic in the USA.
However, the authors of the research paper further said that, having now identified the issue, it was both an opportunity and a concern.
“Prior to this we knew degradation was a problem but we didn’t know where or how much,” said Wayne Walker, another lead author of the study. “It’s easier to address the problem when there is still some of the forest left standing.”
The authors added that the technology to address the issue of degradation was both cost effective and long established, while also stressing that indigenous people can play a crucial role in preserving forests.
However, deforestation in many regions, including Brazil and Columbia, has accelerated significantly in the past year.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
