Key tree species boost Amazon forest restoration, new study shows
Regrowing Amazon forests face a quiet collapse if fast pioneer trees die without stronger successors.
A new study published in Global Change Biology has identified a few key tree species that play a crucial role in restoring biodiversity and carbon storage in deforested areas of the Brazilian Amazon. Researchers analyzed 102 plots under natural regeneration in four municipalities across Pará state and found that a range of 15 to 25 species accounted for nearly half of the trees present and half of the plots' carbon stocks.
These hyperdominant species include the embaúba (Cecropia palmata), the tatapiririca (Tapirira guianensis), the ingá-vermelho (Inga alba), and the araticum-bravo (Annona exsucca). The researchers believe that this relatively short list of key species could guide assisted restoration and enrichment strategies in the Amazon, helping Brazil meet its goal of restoring 12 million hectares of forests by 2030.
Fernando Elias, a researcher from Pará's Emílio Goeldi Museum and the study's coordinator, emphasized the importance of understanding how these forests behave, as they already contribute to ecological services and biodiversity recovery. With over 140,000 square kilometers of regrowing forests in previously deforested areas, close monitoring is essential to control fires, cattle ranching, and land conversion.
Brief written by urgent.news from Mongabay's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
