According to a recent study, more than half of the Amazon rainforest in South America could transform into savanna in the coming decades.
Amazon Rainforest.
This warning comes from a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. The research indicates that more than three-quarters of the Amazon rainforest, spanning eight countries in northern South America, has lost its ability to recover since the early 2000s.
The study clearly shows that deforestation and climate change, through increased dry season length and drought frequency, may have pushed the Amazon closer to a critical threshold of dying rainforest. The loss of resilience is becoming more severe in areas of the rainforest that receive less rainfall and are closer to human settlements.
Researchers suggest that if the current decline continues, the Amazon could reach a “tipping point”, where the process of dying off becomes irreversible. The loss of resilience in the Amazon rainforest profoundly impacts biodiversity, carbon storage, and climate change on a global scale.
Professor Niklas Boers from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research stated that deforestation and climate change could be the main drivers of this decline.
