An area the size of Israel was deforested in the Amazon biome last year as destruction surged 21% in the region spanning nine countries that is home to the world's largest rainforest, according to the Amazon Conservation organisation. At that accelerated rate, the Amazon rainforest will reach a tipping point in 10 to 20 years, after which it will enter a sustained death spiral as it dries out and turns into a savanna, said Carlos Nobre, an earth systems scientist at University of Sao Paulo. "It is mandatory to reach zero deforestation in all of the Amazon in less than five years," Nobre said. The Amazon biome is overwhelmingly dominated by rainforest, but includes other ecosystems that share a similar set of plants and animals. Brazil had the most deforestation, accounting for 61% of the hotspots in the Amazon overall, although 2020 forest destruction was similar to 2019, Finer said.

Source: Otago Daily Times January 27, 2021 18:22 UTC