The drivers and impacts of Amazon forest degradation

David M. Lapola; Patricia Pinho; Jos Barlow; Luiz E.O.C. Aragão; Erika Berenguer; Rachel Carmenta; Hannah M. Liddy; Hugo Seixas; Camila V.J. Silva; Celso H.L. Silva; Ane A.C. Alencar; Liana O. Anderson; Dolors Armenteras; Victor Brovkin; Kim Calders; Jeffrey Chambers; Louise Chini; Marcos H. Costa; Bruno L. Faria; Philip M. Fearnside; Joice Ferreira; Luciana Gatti; Victor Hugo Gutierrez-Velez; Zhangang Han; Kathleen Hibbard; Charles Koven; Peter Lawrence; Julia Pongratz; Bruno T.T. Portela; Mark Rounsevell; Alex C. Ruane; Rüdiger Schaldach; Sonaira S. da Silva; Celso von Randow; Wayne S. Walker

doi:10.1126/science.abp8622

The drivers and impacts of Amazon forest degradation

David M. Lapola^*, Patricia Pinho, Jos Barlow, Luiz E.O.C. Aragão, Erika Berenguer, Rachel Carmenta, Hannah M. Liddy, Hugo Seixas, Camila V.J. Silva, Celso H.L. Silva, Ane A.C. Alencar, Liana O. Anderson, Dolors Armenteras, Victor Brovkin, Kim Calders, Jeffrey Chambers, Louise Chini, Marcos H. Costa, Bruno L. Faria, Philip M. FearnsideJoice Ferreira, Luciana Gatti, Victor Hugo Gutierrez-Velez, Zhangang Han, Kathleen Hibbard, Charles Koven, Peter Lawrence, Julia Pongratz, Bruno T.T. Portela, Mark Rounsevell, Alex C. Ruane, Rüdiger Schaldach, Sonaira S. da Silva, Celso von Randow, Wayne S. Walker

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

Abstract

Approximately 2.5 × 10⁶ square kilometers of the Amazon forest are currently degraded by fire, edge effects, timber extraction, and/or extreme drought, representing 38% of all remaining forests in the region. Carbon emissions from this degradation total up to 0.2 petagrams of carbon per year (Pg C year⁻¹), which is equivalent to, if not greater than, the emissions from Amazon deforestation (0.06 to 0.21 Pg C year⁻¹). Amazon forest degradation can reduce dry-season evapotranspiration by up to 34% and cause as much biodiversity loss as deforestation in human-modified landscapes, generating uneven socioeconomic burdens, mainly to forest dwellers. Projections indicate that degradation will remain a dominant source of carbon emissions independent of deforestation rates. Policies to tackle degradation should be integrated with efforts to curb deforestation and complemented with innovative measures addressing the disturbances that degrade the Amazon forest.

Original language	English
Article number	eabp8622
Journal	Science
Volume	379
Issue number	6630
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abp8622
Publication status	Published - 27 Jan 2023

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Lapola, D. M., Pinho, P., Barlow, J., Aragão, L. E. O. C., Berenguer, E., Carmenta, R., Liddy, H. M., Seixas, H., Silva, C. V. J., Silva, C. H. L., Alencar, A. A. C., Anderson, L. O., Armenteras, D., Brovkin, V., Calders, K., Chambers, J., Chini, L., Costa, M. H., Faria, B. L., ... Walker, W. S. (2023). The drivers and impacts of Amazon forest degradation. Science, 379(6630), Article eabp8622. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abp8622

@article{f0d144936f3740409ddc85997387527c,

title = "The drivers and impacts of Amazon forest degradation",

abstract = "Approximately 2.5 × 106 square kilometers of the Amazon forest are currently degraded by fire, edge effects, timber extraction, and/or extreme drought, representing 38% of all remaining forests in the region. Carbon emissions from this degradation total up to 0.2 petagrams of carbon per year (Pg C year−1), which is equivalent to, if not greater than, the emissions from Amazon deforestation (0.06 to 0.21 Pg C year−1). Amazon forest degradation can reduce dry-season evapotranspiration by up to 34% and cause as much biodiversity loss as deforestation in human-modified landscapes, generating uneven socioeconomic burdens, mainly to forest dwellers. Projections indicate that degradation will remain a dominant source of carbon emissions independent of deforestation rates. Policies to tackle degradation should be integrated with efforts to curb deforestation and complemented with innovative measures addressing the disturbances that degrade the Amazon forest.",

author = "Lapola, {David M.} and Patricia Pinho and Jos Barlow and Arag{\~a}o, {Luiz E.O.C.} and Erika Berenguer and Rachel Carmenta and Liddy, {Hannah M.} and Hugo Seixas and Silva, {Camila V.J.} and Silva, {Celso H.L.} and Alencar, {Ane A.C.} and Anderson, {Liana O.} and Dolors Armenteras and Victor Brovkin and Kim Calders and Jeffrey Chambers and Louise Chini and Costa, {Marcos H.} and Faria, {Bruno L.} and Fearnside, {Philip M.} and Joice Ferreira and Luciana Gatti and Gutierrez-Velez, {Victor Hugo} and Zhangang Han and Kathleen Hibbard and Charles Koven and Peter Lawrence and Julia Pongratz and Portela, {Bruno T.T.} and Mark Rounsevell and Ruane, {Alex C.} and R{\"u}diger Schaldach and {da Silva}, {Sonaira S.} and {von Randow}, Celso and Walker, {Wayne S.}",

year = "2023",

month = jan,

day = "27",

doi = "10.1126/science.abp8622",

language = "English",

volume = "379",

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issn = "0036-8075",

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Lapola, DM, Pinho, P, Barlow, J, Aragão, LEOC, Berenguer, E, Carmenta, R, Liddy, HM, Seixas, H, Silva, CVJ, Silva, CHL, Alencar, AAC, Anderson, LO, Armenteras, D, Brovkin, V, Calders, K, Chambers, J, Chini, L, Costa, MH, Faria, BL, Fearnside, PM, Ferreira, J, Gatti, L, Gutierrez-Velez, VH, Han, Z, Hibbard, K, Koven, C, Lawrence, P, Pongratz, J, Portela, BTT, Rounsevell, M, Ruane, AC, Schaldach, R, da Silva, SS, von Randow, C & Walker, WS 2023, 'The drivers and impacts of Amazon forest degradation', Science, vol. 379, no. 6630, eabp8622. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abp8622

TY - JOUR

T1 - The drivers and impacts of Amazon forest degradation

AU - Lapola, David M.

AU - Pinho, Patricia

AU - Barlow, Jos

AU - Aragão, Luiz E.O.C.

AU - Berenguer, Erika

AU - Carmenta, Rachel

AU - Liddy, Hannah M.

AU - Seixas, Hugo

AU - Silva, Camila V.J.

AU - Silva, Celso H.L.

AU - Alencar, Ane A.C.

AU - Anderson, Liana O.

AU - Armenteras, Dolors

AU - Brovkin, Victor

AU - Calders, Kim

AU - Chambers, Jeffrey

AU - Chini, Louise

AU - Costa, Marcos H.

AU - Faria, Bruno L.

AU - Fearnside, Philip M.

AU - Ferreira, Joice

AU - Gatti, Luciana

AU - Gutierrez-Velez, Victor Hugo

AU - Han, Zhangang

AU - Hibbard, Kathleen

AU - Koven, Charles

AU - Lawrence, Peter

AU - Pongratz, Julia

AU - Portela, Bruno T.T.

AU - Rounsevell, Mark

AU - Ruane, Alex C.

AU - Schaldach, Rüdiger

AU - da Silva, Sonaira S.

AU - von Randow, Celso

AU - Walker, Wayne S.

PY - 2023/1/27

Y1 - 2023/1/27

N2 - Approximately 2.5 × 106 square kilometers of the Amazon forest are currently degraded by fire, edge effects, timber extraction, and/or extreme drought, representing 38% of all remaining forests in the region. Carbon emissions from this degradation total up to 0.2 petagrams of carbon per year (Pg C year−1), which is equivalent to, if not greater than, the emissions from Amazon deforestation (0.06 to 0.21 Pg C year−1). Amazon forest degradation can reduce dry-season evapotranspiration by up to 34% and cause as much biodiversity loss as deforestation in human-modified landscapes, generating uneven socioeconomic burdens, mainly to forest dwellers. Projections indicate that degradation will remain a dominant source of carbon emissions independent of deforestation rates. Policies to tackle degradation should be integrated with efforts to curb deforestation and complemented with innovative measures addressing the disturbances that degrade the Amazon forest.

AB - Approximately 2.5 × 106 square kilometers of the Amazon forest are currently degraded by fire, edge effects, timber extraction, and/or extreme drought, representing 38% of all remaining forests in the region. Carbon emissions from this degradation total up to 0.2 petagrams of carbon per year (Pg C year−1), which is equivalent to, if not greater than, the emissions from Amazon deforestation (0.06 to 0.21 Pg C year−1). Amazon forest degradation can reduce dry-season evapotranspiration by up to 34% and cause as much biodiversity loss as deforestation in human-modified landscapes, generating uneven socioeconomic burdens, mainly to forest dwellers. Projections indicate that degradation will remain a dominant source of carbon emissions independent of deforestation rates. Policies to tackle degradation should be integrated with efforts to curb deforestation and complemented with innovative measures addressing the disturbances that degrade the Amazon forest.

U2 - 10.1126/science.abp8622

DO - 10.1126/science.abp8622

M3 - Review article

C2 - 36701452

AN - SCOPUS:85146924960

SN - 0036-8075

VL - 379

JO - Science

JF - Science

IS - 6630

M1 - eabp8622

ER -

The drivers and impacts of Amazon forest degradation

Abstract

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