Cleared Rainforest Bounces Back Faster Than Thought
Forests can regrow in cleared areas faster than previously thought, researchers have found in a broad study spanning Latin America.
After 20 years of recovery, secondary forests on average stored CO2 at a rate 11 times higher than untouched Amazonian jungle, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute revealed on Wednesday. Moist forests in Central America bounced back quicker than drier sites in Mexico and north-east Brazil.
“Regenerating secondary forests could play a critical role in carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation,” said author Daisy Dent of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama.
Adam Tibballs