What’s the better bargain, protecting a rainforest or regrowing it?
A new study finds that stopping logging and wildfires could do more for rainforest wildlife than halting deforestation—and it costs far less than restoration.
In the Amazon rainforest, preserving existing trees proves to be far more beneficial than attempting to regrow damaged or missing forests. A new study published in Science reveals that protecting existing forests often yields greater carbon storage and biodiversity benefits for a lower cost compared to restoration efforts.
The research focused on two regions in northern Brazil, Santarém and Paragominas, between 2010 and 2020. During this decade, nearly 160,000 hectares of forest were entirely deforested, 273,000 were burned or logged, and about 130,000 hectares regrew into forest. To compare the potential outcomes of different scenarios, scientists built computer models to simulate alternate versions of the jungle in 2020.
The study found that avoiding deforestation or preventing logging and wildfires delivered significantly more carbon storage and biodiversity benefits than restoration efforts. Preventing deforestation alone resulted in 61% more carbon storage and 24% more biodiversity compared to the actual 2020 scenario. Likewise, preventing logging and wildfires yielded 47% more carbon and 69% more biodiversity. Restoring regrown forests only provided 15% more carbon storage and 7% more biodiversity.
The researchers attribute the greater impact of avoiding deforestation and disturbances to the different effects on carbon storage and wildlife. While deforestation can wipe out significant amounts of stored carbon and diminish wildlife, it tends to occur in areas that have already been cleared, which already have fewer wildlife populations. In contrast, even disturbed forest maintains higher carbon levels and supports more wildlife, particularly in remote, intact forests with diverse species.
According to Leonardo Miranda, the lead author and biodiversity researcher from Lancaster University, "Protection must go beyond avoiding deforestation. Avoiding forest disturbances from wildfires or logging delivered the greatest benefits for forest biodiversity." The findings emphasize that combined interventions are crucial for maximizing both carbon and wildlife benefits in the rainforest.
As climate change progresses, preventing forest loss becomes increasingly vital, as restoration efforts may be vulnerable to wildfires.
Furthermore, preventing forest loss is not only more effective but also more cost-efficient. The cost of regrowing forests is minuscule compared to the biodiversity and carbon benefits gained from protecting existing forests. Miranda concludes, "Investing in new forests makes little sense if, at the same time, we fail to protect existing forests. Otherwise, we are pouring money into a leaky pot."
Written by urgent.news from Anthropocene Magazine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
