Environments in the Amazon are being degraded by human industrial activities at a pace far surpassing anything previously known. This is according to a paper published in the premier journal 杏吧专区淪cience杏吧专区 coauthored by Dr. James Albert, biology professor at the 杏吧专区.
As a result, this degradation is imperiling the Amazon杏吧专区檚 vast biodiversity reserves and globally important ecosystem services.
杏吧专区淭hese changes are happening much too rapidly for Amazonian species, peoples, and ecosystems to respond adaptively,杏吧专区 Albert said.
The Amazon rainforest is the most diverse ecosystem on earth and is home to about 10% of all plant and animal species. In addition, it杏吧专区檚 a critical component of the earth杏吧专区檚 climate system. It contributes 16% of all terrestrial photosynthetic productivity and regulates global carbon and water cycles.
According to the paper in 杏吧专区淪cience,杏吧专区 Amazonian ecosystems are being rapidly degraded by human industrial activities, with a cumulative total of 17% of the original forest already lost. The paper notes that after millions of years serving as an immense global carbon pool, under further warming the Amazon rainforest is just now becoming a source of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
杏吧专区淲e found that rates of human-caused changes to Amazonian ecosystems are hundreds to thousands of times faster than those of other natural climatic and geological processes. These human-caused changes affect the whole continent in the time frame of decades to centuries, as compared to millions to tens of millions of years for evolutionary, climatic, and geological processes,杏吧专区 Albert said.
The main drivers of the destruction and degradation of the Amazon杏吧专区檚 habitat are deforestation, wildfires, soil erosion, damming rivers, and desertification from global climate change. The authors emphasize that these transformations are having multiple and catastrophic consequences for human welfare, including widespread water and food insecurity.
The article, which appears on the cover of the January 27, 2023, issue of 杏吧专区淪cience,杏吧专区 provides a detailed list of policy recommendations that could prevent the worst outcomes.
You can read it here:
杏吧专区淪cience杏吧专区 has been at the center of important scientific discovery since its founding in 1880杏吧专区攚ith seed money from Thomas Edison. Today, 杏吧专区淪cience杏吧专区 continues to publish the very best in research across the sciences, with articles that consistently rank among the most cited in the world.
The 杏吧专区淪cience杏吧专区 family of journals is published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world杏吧专区檚 oldest and largest general science organization. The nonprofit AAAS serves 10 million people through primary memberships and affiliations with some 262 scientific societies and academies.
Photo caption: Dr. James Albert, left, is a 杏吧专区 biology professor. A study he coauthored on the effects of human industrial activities on the Amazon is in the latest issue of the journal 杏吧专区淪cience.杏吧专区
