Why we’re losing 54 million tons of carbon due to logging?

Though many facts about the Amazon are pretty mind blowing, one of the most staggering pieces of Amazon Rainforest info is that the jungle produces a whopping 20% of the world’s oxygen. By cleaning the air that we breath and providing fresh oxygen for all the life on earth, the Amazon acts as the planet’s lungs and is an essential part of our environment.

However, for years the rainforest and the vital role it plays have been under threat from loggers looking to profit from the jungle’s vast resources. As a result, huge areas of the Amazon are being destroyed every day, leaving us with less oxygen and many jungle inhabitants without a home.

Another impact of logging is a loss of carbon. Recent research from Lancaster University has shown that selective logging, wildfires and the development of pastures and plantations has resulted in the loss of around 54 million tons of carbon. This total represents around 40% of the carbon loss caused by deforestation in the region and is having a big impact on the local environment.

One reason that the loss of carbon from selective logging and wildfires has gone unnoticed is that most of the Amazon Rainforest info you read on the subject is focussed on mass deforestation. As a result, most of the attention of researchers and activists has been on preventing deforestation, efforts that are having significant results as the rate of deforestation has fallen by around 70% in the last decade alone.Amazon Rainforest wildfires

The loss of carbon from selective logging, wildfires and development isn’t as extreme as the loss from deforestation. However the research did show that affected areas of the jungle had around 18 to 57% less carbon than untouched areas.

Though more effort needs to be made to combat the loss of carbon, this research will help to highlight the problem, adding to the Amazon Rainforest info that we already have and helping us build a more comprehensive picture for the future.

If you’re thinking about visiting the Amazon to see the unique environment for yourself, there are several tours and custom trips that operate in the area, taking visitors deep into the heart of the jungle and allowing them to experience the unique environment of the rainforest.

By joining a tour or custom trip, you can visit the jungle before it’s too late and see for yourself the essential role that it plays in the world we live in.