News: According to a study, more than 75% of the Amazon rainforest has been heading towards a tipping point since the early 2000s.
About Amazon Rainforest
Source: Wikipedia
These are large tropical rainforests occupying the drainage basin of the Amazon River and its tributaries in northern South America. It covers an area of 6,000,000 square km.
Comprising about 40% of Brazil’s total area, it is bounded by the Guiana Highlands to the north, the Andes Mountains to the west, the Brazilian central plateau to the south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east.
Note: Tropical forests are closed-canopy forests growing within 28 degrees north or south of the equator. They are very wet places, receiving more than 200 cm of rainfall per year, either seasonally or throughout the year.
Temperatures are uniformly high – between 20°C and 35°C.
Such forests are found in Asia, Australia, Africa, South America, Central America, Mexico, and many of the Pacific Islands.
Significance of Amazon Rainforest
Amazon’s rainforest is home to 30% of the world’s species, comprising 40,000 plant species, 16,000 tree species, 1,300 birds, and more than 430 species of mammals.
The rainforest is also a carbon sink — a place that absorbs more carbon dioxide than it releases. It plays an essential role in combating climate change.
What is happening with the Amazon Rainforest?
The Amazon Rainforest is getting impacted by activities such as Deforestation, increase in temperature and other human-induced activities. Due to this, it is losing its ability to bounce back from damage caused by droughts, fires, and deforestation.
The study has also warned that the rainforest may become a dry savanna-like ecosystem. This means that it could transform into a carbon source: Places that release more CO2 than they absorb.
