Amazon study finds protecting intact forests outperforms restoration for biodiversity and carbon

A Lancaster-led team from the UK, Brazil, Sweden and Australia compared strategies across more than three million hectares in Santarém and Paragominas, Pará, Brazil, from 2010 to 2020, in a study published in Science. Preventing wildfire and logging damage in standing forests delivered the greatest biodiversity benefits and nearly matched stopping deforestation for carbon protection; restoration alone was more expensive and less effective.