Deforestation is the large-scale, often permanent removal of forest cover, typically through logging, burning, or land conversion for agriculture, infrastructure, or resource extraction, resulting in the reduction or fragmentation of forest ecosystems. As a research topic, it encompasses quantifying forest loss using remote sensing and geospatial analysis, assessing impacts on carbon stocks, greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity, hydrological cycles, and soil integrity, and examining social-ecological drivers such as governance, commodity markets, and land-use policies. Deforestation studies also investigate feedbacks to climate systems, resilience thresholds, and the effectiveness of interventions including protected areas, certification schemes, and zero-deforestation supply-chain commitments.
Climate change makes the southern Amazon's rain increasingly sensitive to deforestation, a new study finds. Clearing large areas of forest can trigger severe and lasting reductions in rainfall regardless of climate, but as ...
Earth Sciences
May 7, 2026
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A new study led by UBC researchers has found that lands managed by Indigenous Peoples consistently protect forests, biodiversity and carbon stores at levels equal to or greater than government-designated protected areas—yet ...
Environment
May 6, 2026
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Around two-thirds of the Amazon rainforest could shift into degraded forest or savanna-like ecosystems at 1.5–1.9°C of global warming if deforestation increases to roughly 22–28% of the Amazon, according to a new study from ...
Earth Sciences
May 6, 2026
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Chocolate is the food of the gods. The name of the tree from which the confection originates, Theobroma cacao, combines the Greek words for god (theós) and food (brôma). This small evergreen tree grows in tropical forests ...
Ecology
May 5, 2026
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29
A major analysis led by the University of Cambridge has found that many REDD+ projects achieved meaningful reductions in forest loss—offering real environmental benefits. This is despite the study confirming that almost 11 ...
Environment
Apr 29, 2026
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The pace of tropical forest destruction slowed in 2025 after record losses the year before but remained at worrying levels equivalent to 11 football fields per minute, researchers said Wednesday.
Environment
Apr 29, 2026
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After nearly four decades, the world's longest-running soil warming experiment is revealing a surprising result: even "stable" carbon in forest soils can break down as temperatures rise, releasing more CO₂ into the atmosphere. ...
Environment
Apr 28, 2026
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A study conducted in the Brazilian state of Amazonas has demonstrated that small amounts of Amazonian dark earth (ADE)—an anthropogenic soil created by ancient Amazonian populations—can increase the height and diameter of ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 28, 2026
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180
From brightly colored birds to the much-loved sugar glider, Australia's native animals are a sight to behold. The island continent is home to nearly 600,000 plants, animals and insects, many of which are found nowhere else ...
Ecology
Apr 28, 2026
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12
The COVID-19 pandemic drew attention to how central supply chains are to the global economy. It also exposed the human rights abuses that can occur up and down supply chains before goods arrive in our hands.
Environment
Apr 28, 2026
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