The Chronicle Herald (Metro)

Over 10,000 species risk extinction

- STEPHEN EISENHAMME­R AND OLIVER GRIFFIN

More than 10,000 species of plants and animals are at high risk of extinction due to the destructio­n of the Amazon rainforest - 35 per cent of which has already been deforested or degraded, according to the draft of a landmark scientific report published recently.

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.

"There is a narrow window of opportunit­y to change this trajectory," Bustamante said. "The fate of Amazon is central to the solution to the global crises."

In Brazil, deforestat­ion has surged since right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro took office in 2019, reaching a 12year high last year and drawing internatio­nal outcry from foreign government­s and the public.

Bolsonaro has called for mining and agricultur­e in protected areas of the Amazon and has weakened environmen­tal enforcemen­t agencies, which environmen­talists and scientists say has directly resulted in the rising destructio­n.

Neighbouri­ng Colombia a week ago reported that deforestat­ion rose eight per cent in 2020 versus the previous year to 171,685 hectares (424,000 acres), with nearly 64 per cent of the destructio­n taking place in the country's Amazon region.

During the panel, former President of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos lamented a lack of political will from among the Amazon countries to tackle issues facing the rainforest.

"Unfortunat­ely right now in Latin America and especially in these eight countries ... you don't see that political leadership, you don't see any of those presidents taking the baton," he said, referring to the countries that border the rainforest.

Of its original size, 18 per cent of the Amazon basin has already been deforested, according to the report - mostly for agricultur­e and illegal timber. Another 17 per cent has been degraded.

While restoratio­n efforts will play an important role in safeguardi­ng the Amazon, the difficulty of restoring forests means the main goal should be protecting existing vegetation and water bodies.

"Restoratio­n actions can be costly and complex to implement, so it's actually better to avoid deforestat­ion and degradatio­n so that we don't need to take restorativ­e actions," said Marielos PenaClaros, a professor at Wageningen University in the Netherland­s.

The continuing destructio­n may threaten the very ability of the rainforest to function as a carbon sink, with potentiall­y devastatin­g results for the global climate change.

A separate study published in the journal Nature showed that some parts of the Amazon are emitting more carbon than they absorb, based on measuremen­ts of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide taken from above the rainforest between 2010 and 2018.

 ?? REUTERS • AMANDA PEROBELLI ?? A jaguar rubs itself against vegetation as it walks through smoke from a September 2020 fire nearby in Encontro das Aguas State Park in Brazil's Pantanal, the world's largest wetland. More than 10,000 species of plants and animals are at high risk of extinction due to the destructio­n of the Amazon rainforest, according to a recent report.
REUTERS • AMANDA PEROBELLI A jaguar rubs itself against vegetation as it walks through smoke from a September 2020 fire nearby in Encontro das Aguas State Park in Brazil's Pantanal, the world's largest wetland. More than 10,000 species of plants and animals are at high risk of extinction due to the destructio­n of the Amazon rainforest, according to a recent report.

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