[en] Aboveground carbon (AGC) fluxes from deforestation and subsequent regrowth in tropical moist forest (TMF) are increasingly well characterized, but carbon losses and gains following partial disturbance are uncertain. We synthesized 146 studies quantifying postdisturbance AGC changes relative to undisturbed forests across TMF. Immediate AGC losses (mean ± 1 SD; 2.5 ± 2.3 years after disturbance) following partial anthropogenic disturbances were greatest for forest fires (49 ± 26%), selective logging (34 ± 20%), and edge effects (31 ± 19%). Higher-frequency and -intensity disturbances significantly increased carbon loss. After 20 years of regeneration, AGC stock was higher in recovering degraded forests (41 to 117%) compared to secondary regrowth forests after complete deforestation (1 to 74%), indicating greater regeneration potential when forest structure is preserved. Our compiled database and associated meta-analysis improve accuracy and completeness for carbon inventory reporting and modeling. Substantial AGC losses and gains from distinct degradation and recovery processes are now better characterized, serving as an evidence base for policies to halt degradation and foster recovery for climate mitigation.
Disciplines :
Environmental sciences & ecology
Author, co-author :
Heinrich, Viola ; Section 1.4 Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics, GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany ; School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
Holcomb, Amelia ; Department of Computer Science and Technology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK ; Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
Besnard, Simon ; Section 1.4 Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics, GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
Requena Suarez, Daniela ; Section 1.4 Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics, GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
Cook-Patton, Susan ; The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA 22203, USA ; Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, 647 Contees Wharf Road, Edgewater, MD 21037, USA
Bourgoin, Clément ; European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy
Chazdon, Robin ; Forest Research Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
Gibbs, David A ; World Resources Institute, Washington, DC 20002, USA
McNicol, Iain ; School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK
Wheeler, Charlotte ; Revalue, 25 Horsell Rd, London N5 1XL, UK ; Department of Plant Science, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Silva-Junior, Celso H L ; Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia (IPAM), Brasília 70863-520, Brazil ; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade e Conservação (PPGBC), Universidade Federal do Maranhão (UFMA), São Luís 65080-805, Brazil
Amani, Bienvenu H K ; Université Nangui Abrogoua, Unité de Formation et de Recherches en Sciences de la Nature, Laboratoire d'Écologie et du Développement Durable (LEDD), 02 BP 801 Abidjan 02, Côte d'Ivoire
Bastin, Jean-François ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre > Biodiversité, Ecosystème et Paysage (BEP)
Besisa Nguba, Timothée ; Teaching and Research Center (TERRA), Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech-Université de Liège, 5030 Gembloux, Belgium ; Ecole Régionale Post-Universitaire d'Aménagement et Gestion Intégrés des Forêts et Territoires Tropicaux (ERAIFT), Kinshasa P.O. Box 15.373, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Chen, Na; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Chen, Huiying; Department of Earth System Science, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Institute for Global Change Studies, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Ciais, Philippe ; Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, LSCE/IPSL, CEA-CNRS-UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
Dalagnol, Ricardo ; CTrees, Pasadena, CA 91105, USA
Dou, Xu; Department of Earth System Science, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Institute for Global Change Studies, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Duan, Quan; Department of Earth System Science, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Institute for Global Change Studies, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Gao, Xueyuan ; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA ; High Meadows Environmental Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
Goodarzi, Ava Nafiseh ; The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA 22203, USA
Hérault, Bruno ; CIRAD, UR Forêts et Sociétés, Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire
House, Jo; School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
Lapola, David M ; Centro de Pesquisas Meteorológicas e Climáticas Aplicadas à Agricultura - CEPAGRI, Universidade Estadual de Campinas - UNICAMP, Campinas 13086-883, Brazil
Liang, Mengyu ; Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
Meng, Zekai ; Department of Earth System Science, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Institute for Global Change Studies, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Nabuurs, Gert-Jan ; Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
Poor, Erin ; The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA 22203, USA ; Peat to Peak Consulting, Lakewood, CO 80215, USA
Parsons, Luke ; The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA 22203, USA
Reiche, Johannes ; Laboratory of Geo-Information Science and Remote Sensing, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
Sitch, Stephen ; Faculty of Environment, Science, and Economy, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
Valbuena, Ruben ; Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
Welsink, Anne-Juul ; Laboratory of Geo-Information Science and Remote Sensing, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
Wiltshire, Serge ; The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA 22203, USA
Wu, Chao ; Department of Earth System Science, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Institute for Global Change Studies, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Xu, Yidi ; Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, LSCE/IPSL, CEA-CNRS-UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
Zhao, Jinqi ; Department of Earth System Science, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Institute for Global Change Studies, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Aragão, Luiz ; Faculty of Environment, Science, and Economy, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK ; Earth Observation and Geoinformatics Division, National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, Brazil
Herold, Martin ; Section 1.4 Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics, GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany ; University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
ERC - European Research Council ESA - European Space Agency ESA - European Space Agency CNPq - Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico FAPESP - São Paulo Research Foundation NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration EU - European Union Fondation Francqui BELSPO - Belgian Federal Science Policy Office EOS - The Excellence Of Science Program UKRI - UK Research and Innovation
