Amazon study reveals the best strategies for protecting biodiversity and carbon

A recent large‑scale study on Amazonian ecosystems has identified the protection of existing forests as the most effective conservation strategy. The research, which analyzed a range of interventions, found that preventing damage from wildfires and logging delivers the greatest benefits for biodiversity while also matching the carbon‑sequestration gains achieved by stopping deforestation.

The study compared four primary actions: protecting intact forests, preventing deforestation, mitigating wildfire and logging impacts, and restoring previously cleared lands. Results showed that safeguarding already standing forests not only preserves species richness but also offers nearly equivalent carbon storage benefits to those of outright deforestation prevention. While forest restoration remains critical in areas that have been heavily cleared, the analysis indicated that it is more costly and, when applied alone, less effective at delivering the same ecological outcomes.

These findings underscore the importance of prioritizing the maintenance of existing forest cover in Amazon conservation policies. By focusing on damage prevention—especially against fire and logging—the region can achieve substantial biodiversity and climate goals more efficiently, while restoration efforts can be targeted to areas where they are most needed and cost‑effective.