2020/12/11 by Renato A. Ferreira de Lima, Alexandre A. Oliveira, Gregory R. Pitta +5 · 1 citation
Environmental Science · #Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies #Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management #Wildlife Ecology and Conservation #Biodiversity #Biodiversity hotspot #Biomass (ecology) #Species richness #Agroforestry #Atlantic forest #Geography #Hotspot (geology) #Tropical climate #Global biodiversity #Ecology #Environmental science #Biology
paper · pdf · doi:10.1038/s41467-020-20217-w
openalex publication_date 2020/12/11 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
Abstract Tropical forests are being deforested worldwide, and the remaining fragments are suffering from biomass and biodiversity erosion. Quantifying this erosion is challenging because ground data on tropical biodiversity and biomass are often sparse. Here, we use an unprecedented dataset of 1819 field surveys covering the entire Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot. We show that 83−85% of the surveys presented losses in forest biomass and tree species richness, functional traits, and conservation value. On average, forest fragments have 25−32% less biomass, 23−31% fewer species, and 33, 36, and 42% fewer individuals of late-successional, large-seeded, and endemic species, respectively. Biodiversity and biomass erosion are lower inside strictly protected conservation units, particularly in large ones. We estimate that biomass erosion across the Atlantic Forest remnants is equivalent to the loss of 55−70 thousand km 2 of forests or US2.3−2.6 billion in carbon credits. These figures have direct implications on mechanisms of climate change mitigation.