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A forested area in the Sanjiang region of Heilongjiang Province, one of the northern areas involved in China’s decades-long forest protection and expansion program. Photo: Rutger van der Maar, CC BY 2.0.Rutger van der Maar, CC BY 2.0.

China’s planted forests are growing faster than natural forests

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A study of China's planted forests reveals faster leaf area expansion driven by younger trees and stronger CO₂ responses, but the advantage may not last
The Amazon is a mosaic of diverse environments. According to a new study, these differences also influence the distribution of insect-borne diseases. Photo: lubasi, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 (CC BY-SA 2.0)Photo: lubasi, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 (CC BY-SA 2.0)

In the Amazon, diseases follow forest transformation

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A Brazilian study of more than one million cases of malaria, dengue, Chagas disease and leishmaniasis reveals how diseases cluster in distinct “health landscapes” shaped by different land-use: from forest communities to large-scale agricultural systems
Signs of wildfire damage in a tropical forest in Botucatu, São Paulo State, Brazil. While the consequences of large-scale deforestation are well documented, the effects of degradation in forests have remained much less certain until now. Photo: Thyrome, CC BY 4.0.Thyrome, CC BY 4.0.

New database reveals the climate cost of degradation in tropical forests

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Researchers have synthesized nearly four decades of data, producing one of the most comprehensive assessments ever compiled of forest carbon dynamics following disturbances and during subsequent regeneration
Brazilian Amazon. In the future, the forest's ability to restore normal emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds may become progressively impaired. Photo: Neil Palmer/CIAT. Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).Photo: Neil Palmer/CIAT. Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).

When El Niño-related drought strikes, Amazon forest turns to chemical self-defense

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A study shows how the rainforest altered its volatile compound emissions during the most severe drought ever recorded in the Amazon, triggering a mechanism with implications for the atmosphere
In the south-western United States, climate change and the build-up of plant matter are fuelling increasingly extreme wildfires. Photo: Eric Coulter, Public Domain Mark 1.0 UniversalEric Coulter, Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal

In California, the most devastating wildfires are the new normal

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Uno studio mostra come il cambiamento climatico e la gestione delle foreste abbiano trasformato la natura prevalente degli incendi. Dal 2012 sono più comuni i roghi ad alta intensità, con conseguenze ambientali ed economiche sempre più gravi
Palm oil production in Brazil. Biodiversity loss linked to agriculture is concentrated in tropical areas, which account for almost 80 per cent of the total impact. Photo: Miguel Pinheiro/CIFOR Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 DeedMiguel Pinheiro/CIFOR Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Deed

Palm, coconut and soybean oil account for 1.5 per cent of global biodiversity loss

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A new study reveals that these three oil crops alone are responsible for around 75% of the biodiversity loss linked to agricultural expansion. A consequence of growing demand for many everyday products
Planting trees on pastures is an effective strategy for protecting biodiversity, but not as much as preserving natural forests. Photo: Onderwijsgek Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported CC BY-SA 3.0 DeedOnderwijsgek Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed

Planting trees in pastures increases biodiversity by 44 per cent

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In developing countries, livestock farming is a means of livelihood for one billion farmers, but the growing need for space for pastures is driving deforestation. A German study suggests how to reconcile economic development and biodiversity
Soybean cultivation, the third leading cause of tropical deforestation, can now be monitored with greater precision. Photo: Pixabay Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication licensePixabay Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication license

Tracking soybean to stop deforestation with chemistry and AI

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An innovative method combines chemical fingerprinting and machine learning to pinpoint the origin of soybeans with unprecedented accuracy. A practical tool to support the enforcement of stricter traceability rules
Mangrove swamp in Bahia. These plants cover 1.4 million hectares in Brazil, making it the second-largest mangrove area in the world after Indonesia. Photo: Jonathan Wilkins Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported CC BY-SA 3.0 DeedJonathan Wilkins Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed

A new index measures soil health in mangrove forests

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Brazilian researchers have developed an indicator to measure the ability of mangroves to provide ecosystem services, ranging from biodiversity conservation to carbon sequestration. The greater the soil degradation, the lower the score
Actions that have a significant impact on the soil, such as deforestation, intensive agriculture, urbanization, and habitat fragmentation, stimulate the spread of zoonotic diseases, transmitted in particular by rodents, bats, and mosquitoes. Photo: Pexels free to use CC0Photo: Pexels free to use CC0

Land use change poses a risk to human health

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Actions that impact the soil, such as deforestation, intensive agriculture, urbanization, and habitat fragmentation, stimulate the spread of diseases transmitted by rodents, bats, and mosquitoes, according to a study by Stirling University

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