Issues in Amazonian Development

Understory fires represent an accelerating threat to Amazonian tropical forests and can, during drought, affect larger areas than deforestation itself. These fires kill trees at rates varying from < 10 to c. 90% depending on fire intensity, forest disturbance...

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture together with forestry (including land-use changes (LUC)) are responsible for nearly 30% of global anthropogenic emissions (IPCC, 2007), but the mitigation potential of these sectors is significant.

The Amazon Basin experiences severe droughts that may become more common in the future. Little is known of the effects of such droughts on Amazon forest productivity and carbon allocation. We tested the prediction that severe drought decreases litterfall and wood...