Over 10,000 species risk extinction in Amazon, says landmark report
PAULO/BOGOTA, - More than 10,000 species of plants and animals are at high risk of extinction due to the destruction of the Amazon rainforest - 35% of which has already been deforested or degraded, according to the draft of a landmark scientific report published yesterday.
Produced by the Science Panel for the Amazon (SPA), the 33-chapter report brings together research on the world's largest rainforest from 200 scientists from across the globe. It is the most detailed assessment of the state of the forest to date and both makes clear the vital role the Amazon plays in global climate and the profound risks it is facing.
Cutting deforestation and forest degradation to zero in less than a decade "is critical," the report said, also calling for massive restoration of already destroyed areas.
The rainforest is a vital bulwark against climate change both for the carbon it absorbs and what it stores.
According to the report, the soil and vegetation of the Amazon hold about 200 billion tonnes of carbon,
more than five times the whole world's annual CO2 emissions.
Furthermore the continued destruction caused by human interference in the Amazon puts more than 8,000 endemic plants and 2,300 animals at high risk of extinction, the report added.
Science shows humans face potentially irreversible and catastrophic risks due to multiple crises, including climate change and biodiversity decline, said University of Brasilia professor Mercedes Bustamante during a virtual panel discussion.