{"id":55747,"date":"2025-10-01T20:48:40","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T15:18:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=55747"},"modified":"2025-10-03T12:56:47","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T07:26:47","slug":"climate-change-amazon-rainforest-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/01-10-2025\/climate-change-amazon-rainforest-growth","title":{"rendered":"Climate Change Spurs Growth in Amazon Rainforest Trees"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS1\/ Geography,&nbsp; GS3\/ Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A recent study published in Nature Plants&nbsp; reveals that trees in the Amazon rainforest are steadily increasing in size due to rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO\u2082).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Findings of the study<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Tree Growth:<\/strong> Amazon trees are getting bigger, with average diameter increasing by ~3.3% per decade.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Rise in CO\u2082 levels<\/strong> (nearly 20% in 30 years) led to the <strong>carbon fertilisation<\/strong> effect, where higher CO\u2082<strong> enhances photosynthesis<\/strong> and accelerates growth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Shift in forest structure: <\/strong>The accelerated growth of larger, canopy-level trees is happening at the expense of smaller trees, whose numbers are declining. This fundamentally changes the forest&#8217;s structure and biodiversity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Shift in forest structure:<\/strong> The accelerated growth of larger, canopy-level trees is happening at the expense of smaller trees, whose numbers are declining. This fundamentally changes the forest&#8217;s structure and biodiversity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Amazon Rain Forests<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Location: <\/strong>The region belongs to <strong>nine nations<\/strong> of the<strong> South American<\/strong> continent.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is bounded by the <strong>Guiana Highlands<\/strong> to the north, the <strong>Andes Mountains <\/strong>to the west, the <strong>Brazilian central plateau<\/strong> to the south, and the <strong>Atlantic Ocean<\/strong> to the east.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Area Covered: <\/strong>The majority of the forest, 60%, is in <strong>Brazil,<\/strong> followed by <strong>Peru<\/strong> with 13%, <strong>Colombia<\/strong> with 10%, and with minor amounts in <strong>Bolivia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Climate: <\/strong>Hot and humid climate with temperatures of <strong>26-30\u00b0C<\/strong> throughout the year.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>There are no periodic seasons.The precipitation ranges from 2,000 mm to 10,920 mm annually.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tribes: <\/strong>Yanomamo, Kayapo, Akuntsu, Matses, Tupi etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fauna: <\/strong>Anaconda, Jesus lizard, howler monkey, golden lion tamarin, jaguar, sloth, &nbsp; &nbsp; spider monkey, Amazon River dolphin, toucan and the scarlet macaw, poison dart frog and the glass frog.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Flora: <\/strong>Moist broadleaf tropical rainforest like myrtle, laurel, palm, acacia, rosewood, Brazil nut, rubber tree, mahogany and Amazonian cedar.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Significance of the Rainforests<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Lungs of the planet: <\/strong>Rainforests generate about <strong>20% <\/strong>of the world\u2019s oxygen and its trees play a key role in reducing pollutant levels.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fight climate change: <\/strong>They act as a crucial buffer in the global fight against climate change as it holds tremendous capacity to store carbon.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is estimated that around <strong>150-200 billion tonnes <\/strong>of carbon are stored in the Amazon rainforest.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Biodiversity:<\/strong> Rainforests house a vast array of plant and animal species, many of which are found nowhere else and some of which are endangered.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Medicinal Properties: <\/strong>Many of these plants contain bioactive compounds capable of treating diseases that are not yet curable, especially cancer.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Threat to the forests<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Climate Change: <\/strong>Due to climate change the forests are witnessing various challenges like changes in rainfall patterns,pollution etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Deforestation: <\/strong>The size of the Amazon forest shrank dramatically as a result of settlers\u2019 clearance of the land to obtain lumber and to create grazing pastures and farmland.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Wildfires: <\/strong>It causes threat to the survival of ecosystems and biodiversity. The 2019 forest fires in the region have led to widespread devastation in the region.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Initiatives to Protect the Amazon Rainforest<\/strong><br>&#8211; <strong>Brazil\u2019s Forest Code (2012):<\/strong> A key law requiring landowners in the Amazon to maintain a specific percentage of their land<strong> (up to 80%)<\/strong> as a Legal Forest Reserve to conserve native vegetation and biodiversity.<br>&#8211; <strong>Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO, 1978): <\/strong>Eight Amazon countries (Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname) cooperate on sustainable development and conservation.<br>&#8211; <strong>UN REDD+ Programme: <\/strong>Supports countries in reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation while promoting sustainable management.<br>&#8211; <strong>Amazon Fund (2008):<\/strong> Established by Brazil with support from Norway and Germany; finances efforts to prevent, monitor, and combat deforestation.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concluding remarks<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Rainforests are nature\u2019s living archives, holding irreplaceable biodiversity and regulating the planet\u2019s climate.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Their protection is not just an environmental imperative but a safeguard for humanity\u2019s future, linking ecological health with social, cultural, and economic resilience.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-climate\/amazon-rainforest-trees-climate-change-10280412\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>IE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Context<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">A recent study published in Nature Plants\u00a0 reveals that trees in the Amazon rainforest are steadily increasing in size due to rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO\u2082).<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>Key Findings of the study<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Tree Growth: Amazon trees are getting bigger, with average diameter increasing by ~3.3% per decade.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Rise in CO\u2082 levels (nearly 20% in 30 years) led to the carbon fertilisation effect, where higher CO\u2082 enhances photosynthesis and accelerates growth.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Shift in forest structure: The accelerated growth of larger, canopy-level trees is happening at the expense of smaller trees, whose numbers are declining. This fundamentally changes the forest&#8217;s structure and biodiversity.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Shift in forest structure: The accelerated growth of larger, canopy-level trees is happening at the expense of smaller trees, whose numbers are declining. This fundamentally changes the forest&#8217;s structure and biodiversity.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/01-10-2025\/climate-change-amazon-rainforest-growth\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55747","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55747"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55747\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55767,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55747\/revisions\/55767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}