(ORDO NEWS) — If deforestation continues, the Amazon rainforest could reach a tipping point, with much of it turning into dry savannah, a new study warns.
A study published in the journal Nature Climate Change shows that more than 75% of rainforests have been steadily losing “resilience” since the 2000s, meaning these patches of rainforest can no longer recover as easily from drought and wildfires.
Rainforest regions that show the most significant resilience losses are located near farms, urban areas and areas used for logging, reports Inside Climate News.
The new study adds to existing evidence that the world‘s largest rainforest is rapidly approaching a tipping point, beyond which large swaths of the forest could suddenly die.
The authors of the study told Inside Climate News that they cannot determine exactly when this tipping point will be reached, but the forest could reach it within decades.
If the rainforests overcome this critical point, the ecosystem could quickly turn into a huge savannah, according to The Guardian.
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