Deforestation and climate feedbacks threaten the ecological integrity of south–southeastern Amazonia

Abstract

A mosaic of protected areas, including indigenous lands, sustainable-use production forests and reserves and strictly protected forests is the cornerstone of conservation in the Amazon, with almost 50 per cent of the region now protected. However, recent research indicates that isolation from direct deforestation or degradation may not be sufficient to maintain the ecological integrity of Amazon forests over the next several decades. Large-scale changes in fire and drought regimes occurring as a result of deforestation and greenhouse gas increases may result in forest degradation, regardless of protected status. How severe or widespread these feedbacks will be is uncertain, but the arc of deforestation in south–southeastern Amazonia appears to be particularly vulnerable owing to high current deforestation rates and ecological sensitivity to climate change. Maintaining forest ecosystem integrity may require significant strengthening of forest conservation on private property, which can in part be accomplished by leveraging existing policy mechanisms.

Actor-specific contributions to the deforestation slowdown in the Brazilian Amazon

“…These include the need for additional measures to avoid further degradation (e.g., from unsustainable logging) and to rehabilitate already-degraded areas; the risk of deforestation shifting to other biomes (46); and increases in fire and drought caused by changes within the Amazon (47), neighboring biomes (48), and the global climate.…”

Oscillating Economic Sphere: Sustainable Limits of the Biosphere in the Face of Climate Change

“…As consequence, this forest has been violently deforested and burned, which reduces the Brazilian Amazonian biosphere extension. These environmental impacts are reported in several scientific studies (Vieira et al, 2008;Fearnside et al, 2009;Costa & Pires, 2010;Aldrich et al, 2012;Coe et al, 2013;Balch, 2014;Berenguer et al, 2014;Godar et al, 2014;Ferreira et al, 2014;Lapola et al, 2014;Gibbs et al, 2015;Khanna et al, 2017;Chambers & Artaxo, 2017).…”

Ecology, economy and management of an agroindustrial frontier landscape in the southeast Amazon

“…Deforestation for pasturelands and croplands also affects aquatic systems through changes in the water balance, stream flow and biochemistry. Coe et al [25] review how deforestation increases surface air temperatures, reduces evapotranspiration and increases run-off and stream water discharge. Forest contribution to the total evapotranspiration in MT decreased by about 20 per cent between 2000 and 2009 because of deforestation [26].…”