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The adoption of management techniques that reduce the impact of timber harvesting can promote the recovery of tropical forests, such as the Amazon, and store carbon in the long term while maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services. Research published in the Journal of Environmental Management provides evidence that these good practices increase above-ground biomass, unlike conventional logging. This reinforces the effectiveness of reduced-impact logging forest management (RIL-FM) as a [...]

The Amazon rainforest is famous for storing massive amounts of carbon in its trees and soils, helping regulate the global climate. Yet a paper published today in New Phytologist shows that one of South America’s largest carbon-storing ecosystems exists in an often-overlooked grassy savanna: the Cerrado in Brazil. The study was led by Larissa Verona, a technician working with senior scientist Amy Zanne at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and a [...]

Brazilian researchers have developed an index that can measure the health of mangrove soils at different stages. When applied to degraded, restored, and preserved areas, the index revealed that healthy mangroves, including recovered ones, provide ecosystem services at nearly maximum capacity. In contrast, deforested mangroves have only a small fraction of this potential. The Soil Health Index (SHI) ranges from 0 (worst) to 1 (best) and is described in an article published in the journal [...]

Initial tests with a natural dye produced by the Amazonian fungus Talaromyces amestolkiae show that eco-friendly cosmetics, such as face creams, gel sticks, and shampoos, can be developed with antioxidant and antibacterial properties. This finding is significant because microbial dyes, which are still under-explored in cosmetic research, can serve as a sustainable alternative to synthetic dyes. The fungus produces vibrant dyes ranging from red to yellow with high industrial potential. [...]

Deforestation in the Amazon is causing significant regional changes in climate compared to areas with forest cover above 80%. The loss of vegetation leads to an increase in surface temperature, a decrease in evapotranspiration, and a reduction in precipitation during the dry season and in the number of rainy days. The results are part of a study based on satellite data published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment. The study points out that highly deforested regions (with [...]

In her 1962 book, Silent Spring, American biologist Rachel Carson revealed that DDT, a widely used pesticide at the time, was responsible for the mass death of birds, including the iconic bald eagle. One reason was that the pesticide made eggshells thinner, causing mothers to break them when sitting on them to incubate. Silent Spring is considered the founding work of the modern environmental movement. Most rich countries had banned DDT by the 1970s. In Brazil, the agricultural ban did [...]

New formulations of nanopesticides with natural ingredients have appeared in specialized literature using terms such as “green pesticide,” “ecological,” “based on natural elements,” and “with natural nanoparticles,” among others. However, there is no consensus on what truly constitutes a green pesticide, and these terms are used even when the active ingredients are synthetic or conventional and only encapsulated in formulations based on natural polymers. “Commercial [...]

A multidisciplinary team of Brazilian researchers argues in an article published in the British Medical Journal that health systems in the Brazilian Amazon must be redesigned in light of climate change, extreme weather events, and food insecurity. The researchers propose that this redesign take into account traditional knowledge and the specific needs of local communities. With COP30 taking place in the Amazon and the recent development of a national health and climate plan by the Brazilian [...]

A research team led by Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have presented a new way to produce hydrogen gas without the scarce and expensive metal platinum. Using sunlight, water and tiny particles of electrically conductive plastic, the researchers show how the hydrogen can be produced efficiently, sustainably and at low cost. Hydrogen plays a key role in the global pursuit for renewable energy. Although its use produces only water as a by-product, significant challenges remain [...]