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How deregulation, drought and increasing fire impact Amazonian biodiversity.
Xiao Feng1, Cory Merow2, Zhihua Liu3
1Department of Geography, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA. fengxiao.sci@gmail.com.
Nature
|September 2, 2021
Summary
Amazonian biodiversity faces severe threats from deforestation and fires. Effective forest policies and enforcement are crucial to mitigate habitat loss and protect vulnerable species ranges.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Conservation Biology
- Remote Sensing
Background:
- Amazon Basin biodiversity is vital for ecological and climatic stability.
- Deforestation and fires pose significant threats to Amazonian species.
- Habitat loss is exacerbated by the impact of fires.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the impacts of deforestation and fire on Amazonian biodiversity over two decades.
- To assess the relationship between forest policy and fire-impacted areas.
- To evaluate the potential impact on species ranges, especially threatened ones.
Main Methods:
- Utilized remote-sensing data for fire and deforestation.
- Analyzed comprehensive range estimates for 11,514 plant and 3,079 vertebrate species.
- Correlated forest policy changes with fire-impacted forest areas.
Main Results:
- Fires since 2001 impacted 103,079-189,755 km² of rainforest.
- Fire potentially affected 77.3-85.2% of threatened species' ranges.
- Relaxed policy enforcement in 2019 led to increased fire impacts.
Conclusions:
- Forest policy and its enforcement are critical for Amazonian biodiversity conservation.
- Species with restricted ranges are disproportionately affected by fires.
- Policy interventions can significantly reduce fire impacts and protect biodiversity.
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