{
  "id": 1846115,
  "title": "When the Amazon is cut down, a few remarkable trees lead its return",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/when-the-amazon-is-cut-down-a-few-remarkable-trees-lead-its-return",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-19T01:49:45.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail-malaymail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/life/2026/08/19/when-the-amazon-is-cut-down-a-few-remarkable-trees-lead-its-return/231862"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "When a portion of the Amazon rainforest is destroyed, nature relies on a select few tree species to restore the forest and sequester carbon, according to a Brazilian study. Of the thousands of tree species in the Amazon, only 15 to 25 species play a crucial role in regenerating the forest and storing carbon when farmers and landowners abandon the land. Fernando Elias, a researcher at the Emilio Goeldi Museum of Para, explained that these species are vital for the forest's resilience after \"complete rupture\" of the environment when trees are cut down. He emphasized that the loss of a forest entails not only the loss of biodiversity and carbon but also the forest's ability to regulate the climate. These pioneer species possess the remarkable ability to rapidly colonize the area, creating conditions for the arrival of species that inhabit mature primary forests, such as shade, which is essential for most forest species. The presence of these core species can lower temperatures under their canopies by up to six degrees Celsius. In addition to providing shade and increasing organic matter with their falling leaves, these pioneer species also facilitate the beginning of forest recovery. The Amazon, which spans nine countries, contains billions of trees that store vast amounts of carbon and serve as a crucial buffer against global warming. Secondary forests, which cover an area equivalent to Uruguay, can emerge in abandoned pastures, farms that went out of business, or when landowners are legally obligated to restore the land. By studying how these secondary forests recover, researchers can better understand how to restore lost forests. The study analyzed data from recovering forests in four regions of eastern Amazonia, encompassing over 25,000 trees and palms, some of which had been regenerating for as short as one year and others up to 60 years. Some of the dominant trees identified in the study include Cecropia palmata, characterized by its pale gray trunk and large hand-shaped leaves, and Inga alba, which features long pods containing a sweet, edible pulp. Palm species like Inaja and babassu palm, valued by rural communities for their oil-rich nuts, also played significant roles in the forest's regeneration. Elias noted that by identifying which species dominate carbon stocks and dominate the functioning of these ecosystems, restoration efforts can be directed to expedite the process. In Brazil, deforestation has reached alarming levels in recent decades, with an area roughly the size of Spain deforested in the past four decades. Under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's administration, deforestation in 2022 reached its lowest point in a decade. Brazil aims to eradicate forest loss by 2030 and has pledged to restore 12 million hectares of land under its commitments to the Paris Agreement. This research was conducted as part of the Sustainable Amazon Network, an international effort to study the impacts of deforestation and other human activities on the world's largest tropical rainforest.",
  "summary": "RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 19 — When a destroyed section of the Amazon rainforest begins to recover, nature deploys only...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}