Dieback of the Amazon Rainforest Begins

"The Amazon rainforest is moving towards a "tipping point" where trees may die off en masse... the world's largest rainforest is losing its ability to bounce back from damage caused by droughts, fires and deforestation. Large swathes could become sparsely forested savannah, which is much less efficient than tropical forest at sucking carbon dioxide from the air... There are signs of a loss of resilience in more than 75% of the forest, with trees taking longer to recover from the effects of droughts largely driven by climate change as well as human impacts such as deforestation and fires... A vicious cycle of damage could trigger "dieback"... And while it's not clear when that critical point might be reached, the implications for climate change, biodiversity and the local community would be "devastating". Once the process begins they predict it could be a matter of decades before a "significant chunk" of the Amazon is transformed into savannah...The Amazon stores lots of carbon and all of that would be released into the atmosphere, which would then further contribute to increasing temperatures and have future effects on global mean temperatures."

"Amazon rainforest reaching tipping point, researchers say" Helen Briggs. BBC News. March 8 2022

Werneck, Felipe. Ibamagov. "Brigadas indígenas do Prevfogo/Ibama combatem incêndio florestal na Terra Indígena Porquinhos, no Maranhão" CC.20