Scientists and environmental experts are raising concerns that the Amazon Rainforest is facing increasing forest degradation even as official deforestation rates continue to decline in Brazil. Recent studies show that while clear-cutting of forests has slowed under stronger environmental enforcement, damage caused by wildfires, illegal logging, drought, and climate change is spreading rapidly across the region.
Researchers estimate that nearly 40 percent of the Amazon is now affected by some form of degradation, weakening the forest’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide and regulate rainfall. Scientists warn that repeated stress from rising temperatures and human activity could push the rainforest toward a dangerous ecological tipping point, where large areas may transform into dry savanna-like ecosystems.
A recent study published by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research found that continued warming combined with further forest loss could destabilize up to two-thirds of the Amazon at lower temperatures than previously expected. Experts say this could disrupt weather systems across South America and worsen global climate change.
Environmental groups are urging governments to strengthen conservation policies, prevent illegal fires and logging, and restore degraded forests before irreversible damage occurs.
News as reported
