Linking land-use and land-cover transitions to their ecological impact in the Amazon

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2202310119
• Publication Date: 2022-06-27T19:09:27Z
• Authors: Cássio Alencar Nunes; Erika Berenguer; Filipe França; Joice Ferreira; Alexander C. Lees; Julio Louzada; Emma J. Sayer; Ricardo Solar; Charlotte C. Smith; Luiz E. O. C. Aragão; Danielle de Lima ...; Plinio Barbosa de...; Carlos Eduardo Pe...; Raimundo Cosme de...; Mariana Durigan; Nárgila Moura; Victor Hugo Fonse...; Carla Ribas; Fernando Vaz-de-M...; Ima Vieira; Ronald Zanetti; Jos Barlow
• Keywords: Deforestation; Land Cover

Human activities pose a major threat to tropical forest biodiversity and ecosystem services. Although the impacts of deforestation are well studied, multiple land-use land-cover transitions (LULCTs) occur in landscapes, we do not know how LULCTs differ their rates or on key components. Here, quantified 18 three components (biodiversity, carbon, soil), based variables collected from 310 sites Brazilian Amazon. Across all LULCTs, was most affected component, followed by carbon stocks, but magnitude change differed widely among individual variables. Forest clearance for pasture prevalent high-impact transition, also identified other with high impact lower prevalence (e.g., agriculture). Our study demonstrates importance considering understand consequences human landscapes.