Amazonian Damage: Greater Than Thought

A U.S.-led team of international ecologists has found new forest degradation and a loss of ecosystem goods and services in the Amazon Basin.

The Amazon Basin is one of the world’s most important bioregions, encompassing a rich array of plant and animal species. But large scale forest clearings cause declines in biodiversity and the availability of forest products. Yet the researchers say some important changes in the rainforests, and in the ecosystem services they provide, have been underappreciated until recently.

The study by scientists from the United States and the Federal University of Vicosa, Brazil, found the impact of land use goes far beyond clearing large areas of forest; damage is much more pervasive than once believed.

The scientists, led by Jonathan Foley of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, found deforestation is causing collateral damage through enhanced drying of the forest floor, increased frequency of fires, and lowered productivity.

The researchers say the loss of healthy forests can degrade key ecosystem services, such as carbon storage in biomass and soils, the regulation of river flow, the modulation of climate patterns, and the amelioration of infectious diseases.

The research appears in the journal Frontiers in Ecology.