Deforestation threatens more than half of Amazon tree species
Clearing of Amazon forests could threaten more than half of the diverse tree species that grow there, a new study says. The Amazon region is home to one of the most diverse collections of tree species on planet Earth. However, deforestation may put more than half of those species at risk for extinction, a study published in Science Advances reports.
Most deforestation happens when land is cleared for purposes such as farming or ranching. If the clearing continues at its current rate, between 36 and 57 percent of the estimated 15,000 Amazonian tree species would likely qualify as threatened under criteria set up by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
During the study, researchers analyzed 2.1 million square miles (5.5 million square kilometers) of forest that spanned across Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. They also looked at Amazon forest surveys and data on current and projected deforestation areas, Reuters reports.
This is a concern because many of the threatened species are commonly used by Amazonian residents and are essential to Amazonian economies.
The species range from economically important food crops like the Brazil nut, açaà fruit, and heart of palm, to valuable timber species that Amazonian residents depend on for thatch, seeds, fruits and medicines. The species also play key roles in ecosystems, helping with both erosion control and climate moderation.
This is not the first time scientists have raised concerns about the area. The forests of the Amazon have been dramatically declining since the 1950’s. However, this is the first time there has been a reliable estimate of how many species were threatened with extinction.
And while the rate of forest loss has dropped in the past 10 years, many more losses are predicted in the near future.
“We aren’t saying that the situation in the Amazon has suddenly gotten worse for tree species,” said Nigel Pitman, a tropical ecologist at the Field Museum in Chicago, in a statement. “We’re just offering a new estimate of how tree species have been affected by historical deforestation, and how they’ll be affected by forest loss in the future.”
While the readouts are grim, the good news is that 85 percent of forests in the greater Amazon are still standing. If the area is managed well, researchers predict most of the threatened species could be protected. If left vulnerable, however, the forest could decline as much as another 28 percent by 2050.
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