the Sign Up Amazon is a constant feature in Brazilian news, but its more secretive and less commentary process has caused serious problems like these big discounts. We are talking about human-caused degradation, including cutting patches and wildfires.
A study published Thursday (26) reports that 38% of the Amazon rainforest is already experiencing such degradation, a measure different but as impactful as deforestation itself.
Article published in the journal Sciences It has been co-authored by several national and international institutions, such as Unicamp, INPE and Lancaster University in the UK. The authors studied degradation, which is forest destruction different from deforestation, when large areas are completely destroyed, usually for conversion to another land use.
This classification takes into account four main factors: wildfires, the edge effect (changes that occur immediately next to deforested areas), selective extraction of plant species and severe dehydration. For the authors, the differentiation is important because degradation and deforestation require different efforts both in their analysis and in building policies and actions to combat it.
The analysis was performed using records from the Terra, Aqua and Landsat satellites NASA, which complement each other using images in the visible and infrared spectrum, with a high ability to detect changes in vegetation due to variation in humidity. Combining the data allowed quantification of each of the four factors of decline across the entire Amazon – not just a portion of the Brazilian territory.
Projected for 2050, the deterioration should continue to be one of The main sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. “It is clear that their overall impact can be as significant as the impact of deforestation for carbon emissions and Biodiversity losssays Joss Barlow, a researcher at Lancaster University who co-authored the study.
In addition to the effects on the environment, the authors point out that degradation can have significant social and economic impacts. “Degradation favors the few, but it burdens the many,” says David Lapola, Unicamp scientist and lead of the study. “Few people benefit from the process and many lose out on issues of health, quality of life, and learning about where they live,” adds Patricia Pinho, a researcher with the Institute for Amazon Environmental Research (IPAM).
To solve the problem, the authors propose an integrated system for monitoring this type of forest destruction. One possible solution is the concept of “smart forests”, similar to smart cities, with different technologies working together to provide data on the state of degradation. “It is essential to invest in innovative strategies,” concludes Lupola.
Source: Puri Agency
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