New Study Finds Over Third of Amazon Rainforest Grappling to Recover from Drought

A new study has revealed that more than a third of the Amazon rainforest is struggling to recover from recent droughts, signaling a critical loss of resilience in this globally crucial ecosystem, the Guardian reported yesterday.

The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, analyzed satellite data from 2001 to 2019 and found a “slowing-down trend” across 37% of the mature Amazon vegetation, the article mentioned.

The findings suggest the world’s largest tropical forest and carbon sink is degrading towards a potential tipping point, as intense, frequent droughts driven by human-caused climate change take an increasing toll. This means the Amazon’s ability to bounce back from drought has diminished, with recovery increasingly sluggish.

Deforestation and fires in the southeastern region have left it most vulnerable to a catastrophic transition to a drier state. Experts warn this is an early warning sign of large-scale ecosystem collapse if current trends continue unabated.