Anthropocene Magazine · Climate & nature

Protecting rainforests better than regrowth, study finds

New research suggests protecting existing rainforests and preventing disturbances like logging and fires is more effective and cost-efficient for carbon storage and biodiversity than actively regrowing forests.

A study in Brazil found that avoiding deforestation or stopping logging/fires yielded significantly more carbon and biodiversity benefits than restoration, at a fraction of the cost.

Preventing disturbances from wildfires or logging provided the greatest biodiversity benefits, according to the research published in Science.

Scientists modeled scenarios comparing no deforestation, no logging/fires, and accelerated reforestation against actual forest conditions in 2020.

Avoiding deforestation resulted in 61% more carbon and 24% more biodiversity. Preventing logging/fires yielded 47% more carbon and 69% more biodiversity.

Regrown forests showed only a 15% increase in carbon and a 7% increase in biodiversity, highlighting the value of intact forests.

Combined interventions halting both deforestation and disturbance are crucial for net gains in carbon and biodiversity, especially with climate change.

Protecting existing forests is more cost-effective than investing in new forests, as restoration efforts are less beneficial and more vulnerable.

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