IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcli/v11y2021i5d10.1038_s41558-021-01026-5.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Carbon loss from forest degradation exceeds that from deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon

Author

Listed:
  • Yuanwei Qin

    (University of Oklahoma)

  • Xiangming Xiao

    (University of Oklahoma)

  • Jean-Pierre Wigneron

    (ISPA, UMR 1391, INRA Nouvelle-Aquitaine)

  • Philippe Ciais

    (Université Paris-Saclay)

  • Martin Brandt

    (University of Copenhagen)

  • Lei Fan

    (Southwest University)

  • Xiaojun Li

    (ISPA, UMR 1391, INRA Nouvelle-Aquitaine)

  • Sean Crowell

    (University of Oklahoma)

  • Xiaocui Wu

    (University of Oklahoma)

  • Russell Doughty

    (University of Oklahoma
    California Institute of Technology)

  • Yao Zhang

    (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)

  • Fang Liu

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Stephen Sitch

    (University of Exeter)

  • Berrien Moore

    (University of Oklahoma)

Abstract

Spatial–temporal dynamics of aboveground biomass (AGB) and forest area affect the carbon cycle, climate and biodiversity in the Brazilian Amazon. Here we investigate interannual changes in AGB and forest area by analysing satellite-based annual AGB and forest area datasets. We found that the gross forest area loss was larger in 2019 than in 2015, possibly due to recent loosening of forest protection policies. However, the net AGB loss was three times smaller in 2019 than in 2015. During 2010–2019, the Brazilian Amazon had a cumulative gross loss of 4.45 Pg C against a gross gain of 3.78 Pg C, resulting in a net AGB loss of 0.67 Pg C. Forest degradation (73%) contributed three times more to the gross AGB loss than deforestation (27%), given that the areal extent of degradation exceeds that of deforestation. This indicates that forest degradation has become the largest process driving carbon loss and should become a higher policy priority.

Suggested Citation

  • Yuanwei Qin & Xiangming Xiao & Jean-Pierre Wigneron & Philippe Ciais & Martin Brandt & Lei Fan & Xiaojun Li & Sean Crowell & Xiaocui Wu & Russell Doughty & Yao Zhang & Fang Liu & Stephen Sitch & Berri, 2021. "Carbon loss from forest degradation exceeds that from deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 11(5), pages 442-448, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcli:v:11:y:2021:i:5:d:10.1038_s41558-021-01026-5
    DOI: 10.1038/s41558-021-01026-5
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-021-01026-5
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41558-021-01026-5?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yi Y. Liu & Albert I. J. M. van Dijk & Richard A. M. de Jeu & Josep G. Canadell & Matthew F. McCabe & Jason P. Evans & Guojie Wang, 2015. "Recent reversal in loss of global terrestrial biomass," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 5(5), pages 470-474, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Florian Reiner & Martin Brandt & Xiaoye Tong & David Skole & Ankit Kariryaa & Philippe Ciais & Andrew Davies & Pierre Hiernaux & Jérôme Chave & Maurice Mugabowindekwe & Christian Igel & Stefan Oehmcke, 2023. "More than one quarter of Africa’s tree cover is found outside areas previously classified as forest," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    2. Jessica Stubenrauch & Beatrice Garske & Felix Ekardt & Katharina Hagemann, 2022. "European Forest Governance: Status Quo and Optimising Options with Regard to the Paris Climate Target," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-35, April.
    3. Selma Bultan & Julia E. M. S. Nabel & Kerstin Hartung & Raphael Ganzenmüller & Liang Xu & Sassan Saatchi & Julia Pongratz, 2022. "Tracking 21st century anthropogenic and natural carbon fluxes through model-data integration," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-14, December.
    4. Yue Li & Paulo M. Brando & Douglas C. Morton & David M. Lawrence & Hui Yang & James T. Randerson, 2022. "Deforestation-induced climate change reduces carbon storage in remaining tropical forests," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-13, December.
    5. Bragança, Arthur & Dahis, Ricardo, 2022. "Cutting special interests by the roots: Evidence from the Brazilian Amazon," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 215(C).
    6. Yuanwei Qin & Xiangming Xiao & Fang Liu & Fabio Sa e Silva & Yosio Shimabukuro & Egidio Arai & Philip Martin Fearnside, 2023. "Forest conservation in Indigenous territories and protected areas in the Brazilian Amazon," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 6(3), pages 295-305, March.
    7. Caroline S. S. Franca & U. Martin Persson & Tomás Carvalho & Marco Lentini, 2023. "Quantifying timber illegality risk in the Brazilian forest frontier," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 6(11), pages 1485-1495, November.
    8. Seyed Hossein Razavi Hajiagha & Hannan Amoozad Mahdiraji & Maryam Behnam & Boshra Nekoughadirli & Rohit Joshi, 2022. "A scenario-based robust time–cost tradeoff model to handle the effect of COVID-19 on supply chains project management," Operations Management Research, Springer, vol. 15(1), pages 357-377, June.
    9. Pessôa, Ana Carolina M. & Morello R.S., Thiago F. & Silva-Junior, Celso H.L. & Doblas, Juan & Carvalho, Nathália S. & Aragão, Luiz E.O.C. & Anderson, Liana O., 2023. "Protected areas are effective on curbing fires in the Amazon," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 214(C).
    10. Matheus Henrique Nunes & José Luís Campana Camargo & Grégoire Vincent & Kim Calders & Rafael S. Oliveira & Alfredo Huete & Yhasmin Mendes de Moura & Bruce Nelson & Marielle N. Smith & Scott C. Stark &, 2022. "Forest fragmentation impacts the seasonality of Amazonian evergreen canopies," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.
    11. Jun Ma & Jiawei Li & Wanben Wu & Jiajia Liu, 2023. "Global forest fragmentation change from 2000 to 2020," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    12. Kexin Wang & Keren He & Xue-Chao Wang & Linglin Xie & Xiaobin Dong & Fan Lei & Changshuo Gong & Mengxue Liu, 2024. "Land-Based Carbon Effects and Human Well-Being Nexus," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-31, September.
    13. Matheus Henrique Nunes & Marcel Caritá Vaz & José Luís Campana Camargo & William F. Laurance & Ana Andrade & Alberto Vicentini & Susan Laurance & Pasi Raumonen & Toby Jackson & Gabriela Zuquim & Jin W, 2023. "Edge effects on tree architecture exacerbate biomass loss of fragmented Amazonian forests," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-13, December.
    14. Xi Li & Yao Chen & Shixiong Jiang & Chongqing Wang & Sunxian Weng & Dengyong Rao, 2022. "The Importance of Adding Short-Wave Infrared Bands for Forest Disturbance Monitoring in the Subtropical Region," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-9, August.
    15. Wenmin Zhang & Guy Schurgers & Josep Peñuelas & Rasmus Fensholt & Hui Yang & Jing Tang & Xiaowei Tong & Philippe Ciais & Martin Brandt, 2023. "Recent decrease of the impact of tropical temperature on the carbon cycle linked to increased precipitation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Liangsheng Zhang & Haijiang Luo & Xuezhen Zhang, 2022. "Land-Greening Hotspot Changes in the Yangtze River Economic Belt during the Last Four Decades and Their Connections to Human Activities," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-17, April.
    2. Viktoriia Lovynska & Yuriy Buchavyi & Petro Lakyda & Svitlana Sytnyk & Yuriy Gritzan & Roman Sendziuk, 2020. "Assessment of pine aboveground biomass within Northern Steppe of Ukraine using Sentinel-2 data," Journal of Forest Science, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 66(8), pages 339-348.
    3. Songbai Hong & Jinzhi Ding & Fei Kan & Hao Xu & Shaoyuan Chen & Yitong Yao & Shilong Piao, 2023. "Asymmetry of carbon sequestrations by plant and soil after forestation regulated by soil nitrogen," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    4. Patricia Arrogante-Funes & Carlos J. Novillo & Raúl Romero-Calcerrada, 2018. "Monitoring NDVI Inter-Annual Behavior in Mountain Areas of Mainland Spain (2001–2016)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-24, November.
    5. Sven Teske & Thomas Pregger & Sonja Simon & Tobias Naegler & Johannes Pagenkopf & Özcan Deniz & Bent van den Adel & Kate Dooley & Malte Meinshausen, 2021. "It Is Still Possible to Achieve the Paris Climate Agreement: Regional, Sectoral, and Land-Use Pathways," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-25, April.
    6. Pan, Quan & Wen, Zhi & Wu, Tong & Zheng, Tianchen & Yang, Yanzheng & Li, Ruonan & Zheng, Hua, 2022. "Trade-offs and synergies of forest ecosystem services from the perspective of plant functional traits: A systematic review," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    7. Kaiqiang Bao & Haifeng Tian & Min Su & Liping Qiu & Xiaorong Wei & Yanjiang Zhang & Jian Liu & Hailong Gao & Jimin Cheng, 2019. "Stability of Ecosystem CO 2 Flux in Response to Changes in Precipitation in a Semiarid Grassland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-18, May.
    8. Ermias Aynekulu & Marta Suber & Meine van Noordwijk & Jacobo Arango & James M. Roshetko & Todd S. Rosenstock, 2020. "Carbon Storage Potential of Silvopastoral Systems of Colombia," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(9), pages 1-12, September.
    9. Yuzhe Li & Jiangwen Fan & Zhongmin Hu, 2018. "Comparison of Carbon-Use Efficiency Among Different Land-Use Patterns of the Temperate Steppe in the Northern China Pastoral Farming Ecotone," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-17, February.
    10. Ruiz-Benito, Paloma & Vacchiano, Giorgio & Lines, Emily R. & Reyer, Christopher P.O. & Ratcliffe, Sophia & Morin, Xavier & Hartig, Florian & Mäkelä, Annikki & Yousefpour, Rasoul & Chaves, Jimena E. & , 2020. "Available and missing data to model impact of climate change on European forests," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 416(C).
    11. Lee, Dong Joo & Choi, Moon Bo, 2020. "Ecological value of global terrestrial plants," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 438(C).
    12. Inderjot Chahal & Laura L. Van Eerd, 2023. "Do Cover Crops Increase Subsequent Crop Yield in Temperate Climates? A Meta-Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-26, April.
    13. Yue Li & Paulo M. Brando & Douglas C. Morton & David M. Lawrence & Hui Yang & James T. Randerson, 2022. "Deforestation-induced climate change reduces carbon storage in remaining tropical forests," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-13, December.
    14. Razafindratsima, Onja H. & Kamoto, Judith F.M. & Sills, Erin O. & Mutta, Doris N. & Song, Conghe & Kabwe, Gillian & Castle, Sarah E. & Kristjanson, Patricia M. & Ryan, Casey M. & Brockhaus, Maria & Su, 2021. "Reviewing the evidence on the roles of forests and tree-based systems in poverty dynamics," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    15. Yushuo Zhang & Lin Zhao & Jiyu Liu & Yuli Liu & Cansong Li, 2015. "The Impact of Land Cover Change on Ecosystem Service Values in Urban Agglomerations along the Coast of the Bohai Rim, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(8), pages 1-23, August.
    16. Marcos-Martinez, Raymundo & Bryan, Brett A. & Schwabe, Kurt A. & Connor, Jeffery D. & Law, Elizabeth A., 2018. "Forest transition in developed agricultural regions needs efficient regulatory policy," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 67-75.
    17. Huanyuan Zhang-Zheng & Xiongjie Deng & Jesús Aguirre-Gutiérrez & Benjamin D. Stocker & Eleanor Thomson & Ruijie Ding & Stephen Adu-Bredu & Akwasi Duah-Gyamfi & Agne Gvozdevaite & Sam Moore & Imma Oliv, 2024. "Why models underestimate West African tropical forest primary productivity," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.
    18. Long Li & Wei Fu & Mingcan Luo, 2022. "Spatial and Temporal Variation and Prediction of Ecosystem Carbon Stocks in Yunnan Province Based on Land Use Change," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-14, November.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcli:v:11:y:2021:i:5:d:10.1038_s41558-021-01026-5. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.