Rainforest protection is not only good for biodiversity and the climate – it also noticeably improves the health of humans who live in the corresponding regions.
Rainforest protection is not only good for biodiversity and the climate – it also noticeably improves the health of humans who live in the corresponding regions. This is the conclusion drawn by a current study by the University of Bonn and the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Brazil. In this, the researchers show that measures to combat slash-and-burn techniques significantly reduce the concentration of particulate matter in the air. The number of hospital stays and deaths due to respiratory diseases thus also decreases. The results have been published now in the journal Nature Communications, Earth & Environment.
In 2019, almost 70,000 square kilometers of forest were burned in the Amazon region – this equates to an area the size of Bavaria. Natural fires are normally rare in the damp conditions that prevail there. However, major landowners and landgrabbers often clear huge areas to use them as pastures or for arable farming.
This overexploitation of Brazil’s green lung destroys the habitats of many species of flora and fauna and also accelerates climate change. However, the current study also takes into account another consequence that is often not given enough attention: The smoke generated during the fires is an important trigger of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
Read more at: University of Bonn
Photo Credit: PublicDomainImages via Pixabay
