MADRID, 14 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) – Global warming may be interacting with drought and deforestation to accelerate forest loss in the Amazon, pushing it towards a partial or total collapse.
This is determined by a research published in ‘Nature’ and led by the Federal University of Santa Catarina (Brazil) including experts from the University of Birmingham (United Kingdom)
Lead author Bernardo Flores of the University of Santa Catarina comments: “Aggravated disturbances are increasingly common in the core Amazon. If these perturbations act in synergy, we may observe unexpected ecosystem transitions in areas previously considered resilient.like the humid forests of the western and central Amazon.”
In this way, the work asks whether these factors could produce a “tipping point”, in which the forest is so fragile that only A small disturbance can cause an abrupt change.
The research findings are important because of the vital role the Amazon rainforest plays in the global climate system. For example, trees in the Amazon store enormous amounts of carbon that, If released, they could accelerate global warming.
The study also examined the role of biodiversity and local communities in shaping the resilience of Amazon forests.