Paris: While images of massive fires and large-scale logging in the Amazon often dominate discussions on deforestation, new research shows that small-scale rainforest clearing is causing a disproportionately large impact on the global climate.
A study published in the journal Nature on Wednesday found that forest clearances of less than two hectares, though representing only a small fraction of total deforestation, account for 56 per cent of carbon losses in the world’s tropical rainforests over the past three decades.
“These quieter, smaller acts of forest destruction are responsible for most of the carbon losses observed over the past 30 years,” said Philippe Ciais, a French climate scientist and co-author of the study. The findings challenge conventional thinking and call for a rethinking of deforestation policies, particularly at the local level where small clearances often go unnoticed.
Tropical rainforests store around half of all carbon contained in the world’s trees, making them crucial in absorbing carbon dioxide generated largely by fossil fuel use. However, they are increasingly threatened by deforestation and degradation linked to agriculture, logging, mining and fires.
Using satellite data spanning from 1990 onwards, researchers assessed forest loss and regrowth across tropical regions. Unlike large-scale forest destruction—where regrowth can partially offset carbon emissions over time—small-scale deforestation often leads to permanent land-use change, such as conversion to farms, roads or settlements, resulting in lasting carbon loss.
The study notes that while the Amazon has historically been a hotspot, recent carbon losses are increasingly concentrated in forest-rich developing regions of Southeast Asia and Africa, where forests have lost more carbon than they have absorbed over the past 30 years.
According to Global Forest Watch, the world lost tropical rainforest at a rate equivalent to 18 football fields per minute in 2024, underscoring the urgency of addressing both large-scale and less visible forms of deforestation.
In contrast, tropical dry forests on the edges of humid rainforest zones have achieved a near-neutral carbon balance, benefiting in part from natural regeneration following fires, the study added.
By AFP
