40% Amazon rainforest unprotected: why is this significant for climate change?

  • September 12, 2024
  • Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
  • Category: DPN Topics
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40% Amazon rainforest unprotected: why is this significant for climate change?

Sub: Env

Sec: Climate change

Context:

  • The Amazon rainforest is crucial in the battle against global warming.

Details:

  • Nearly 40% of the most critical areas for climate change mitigation in the Amazon lack special government protection. These areas are not designated as nature reserves or indigenous territories.
    • The unprotected regions are mainly located in the far southwest of the Amazon in Peru or far northeast in Brazil, French Guiana, and Suriname.
  • They contain the largest, densest trees and most continuous canopy cover.
  • These areas store the most carbon, which could be released as greenhouse gases if the forest is destroyed.
  • Protection Status:
    • 61% of peak carbon areas in the Amazon are protected.
    • In Brazil, Suriname, and French Guiana, only 51% of peak carbon areas are protected.
    • Peru protects a higher proportion, but some unprotected areas are earmarked for logging.
  • Amazon’s Carbon Storage:
    • The Amazon contains 71.5 billion tonnes of carbon.
    • This is roughly double the global carbon dioxide emissions for 2022.
    • The Amazon barely absorbed more carbon than it released in the decade leading up to 2022.
  • Importance for Global Climate:
    • The Amazon’s role as a carbon sink is crucial for the planet’s health.
    • If it becomes an emission source instead of a carbon sink, the impact could be catastrophic.
The Amazon RainforestDetails
Location and Span
  • Spans 9 countries in South America: Brazil (60%), Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana (territory of France)
Size and Scale
  • Covers 5.5 million square kilometers (2.1 million square miles)
  • Over half of the world’s remaining rainforests
  • If a country, would be 9th largest in the world
Biodiversity
  • 10% of Earth’s known species
  • 40,000+ plant species (new ones still discovered),2.5 million insect species, 2,200+ fish species, 1,300+ bird species, 430+ mammal species, 400+ amphibian species
  • Unique species: pink river dolphin, poison dart frogs
Climate Impact
  • Stores 123 billion tons of carbon (above and below ground)
  • Regulates global climate, influencing precipitation and weather
  • Produces 20% of world’s oxygen (“Earth’s lungs”)
  • Releases 20 billion tons of water into the atmosphere daily
Human Impact and Importance
  • Home to 30 million people, 350 indigenous and ethnic groups
  • 3,000+ formally acknowledged indigenous territories
  • 25% of Western pharmaceuticals derived from rainforest ingredients
  • Provides livelihoods via sustainable products (e.g., Brazil nuts, açaí)
Threats
  • Deforestation for cattle ranching, soy cultivation, palm oil
  • Illegal logging and mining
  • Climate change leading to longer dry seasons
  • Human-induced forest fires for land clearing
  • Infrastructure (roads, dams) fragmenting forest
Conservation Efforts
  • 45% of the Amazon under protected areas or indigenous reserves
  • International initiatives like REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation)
  • Sustainable development programs
  • Real-time deforestation monitoring via satellite
Tipping Point Concern
  • Risk of reaching a point of no recovery
  • Transformation from rainforest to savanna if deforestation exceeds 20-25%
  • Some areas shifting from carbon sink to carbon source
Water Resources
  • Amazon River is the world’s largest by water volume
40% Amazon rainforest unprotected: why is this significant for climate change? Environment