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.
Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest has fallen for the fourth straight year, the government said Thursday, a boost for the country just days before it hosts UN climate talks.
Environment
Oct 31, 2025
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A new study suggests that, between 1911 and 2022, land-use change was the primary direct cause of the loss of 75% of natural plant species on the lower slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. Andreas Hemp of the University of Bayreuth, ...
Ecology
Oct 29, 2025
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About 85% of elementary schools studied in California experienced some loss of trees between 2018 and 2022, according to a paper from the University of California, Davis, published this month in the journal Urban Forestry ...
Ecology
Oct 27, 2025
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From agriculture and urban land clearance to loss of habitat and feral animal predation, native wild animals and their food sources face a rising tide of threats caused by human activities.
Plants & Animals
Oct 23, 2025
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The vast tropical forest nations of Brazil and Indonesia are both home to millions of people, including Indigenous communities. They store enormous amounts of carbon to protect our climate and are home to staggering numbers ...
Ecology
Oct 20, 2025
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By combining chemical and genetic properties of wood, the origin of tropical hardwood can be determined much more accurately. This precision is needed to detect illegal timber trade. This is the main outcome of a study by ...
Ecology
Oct 15, 2025
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Deforestation "has not meaningfully declined" despite a global pledge to halt forest destruction, but next month's UN climate summit in the Amazon could mark a turning point, experts said Tuesday.
Environment
Oct 14, 2025
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This year's United Nations climate summit promises to be symbolic, marking a decade since the Paris Agreement and taking place in the environmentally vulnerable Amazon. But what is actually on the agenda?
Environment
Oct 13, 2025
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As Albania recovers from a summer of devastating wildfires, locals and experts are eyeing a long road back to save its shrinking forests from intensifying disasters.
Environment
Oct 11, 2025
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Arctic seals are being pushed closer to extinction by climate change and more than half of bird species around the world are declining under pressure from deforestation and agricultural expansion, according to an annual assessment ...
Ecology
Oct 10, 2025
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