A new study by the University of Bonn and the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais shows that protecting the Amazon rainforest from deforestation significantly reduces air pollution and respiratory diseases, saving hundreds of lives each year.
A recent study by the University of Bonn and the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Brazil has unveiled that safeguarding the Amazon rainforest from deforestation not only protects biodiversity and combats climate change but also dramatically improves human health by reducing respiratory diseases.
The research, published today in the journal Nature Communications, Earth & Environment, highlights that forest protection measures have led to a significant reduction in particulate matter in the air. This, in turn, has decreased hospitalizations and deaths related to respiratory and cardiovascular conditions.
In 2019, nearly 70,000 square kilometers of forest in the Amazon region were lost to fires, equivalent to the size of Bavaria. These fires, often started by landowners and landgrabbers to clear land for agriculture, not only disrupt the ecosystem but also release harmful smoke into the air, affecting the health of local populations.
“We have thus investigated to what extent forest protection measures affect the health of people living in the corresponding regions,” corresponding author Yannic Damm, a member in Jan Börner’s research group at the University of Bonn’s Institute for Food and Resource Economics (ILR), said in a news release.
Damm and his colleagues, including Nicolas Gerber from the University of Bonn and Britaldo Soares-Filho from the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, focused on three key forest protection policies enacted in 2006 within the Amazon biome.
One of the standout measures is the Soy Moratorium, where global trading companies agreed not to purchase soybeans grown on newly deforested land. This agreement has substantially decreased the deforestation pressure in the region.
Leveraging detailed comparisons between municipalities on the biome border and those just outside, the researchers could effectively pinpoint the health benefits stemming from these protective measures.
The findings are compelling. Post-2006, fine dust particle concentration in the air dropped across the studied regions, with a nearly 7% higher reduction within the biome borders.
Hospitalizations and deaths due to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases also saw a notable decrease. The study estimates that around 680 lives are saved annually due to reduced air pollution in protected areas, benefiting approximately four million local residents.
“Our study has two messages,” added Börner, a professor of economics of sustainable land use & bioeconomy at the University of Bonn. “Namely, firstly, that the destruction of the rainforest can be successfully curbed. And, secondly, that this benefits not only the diversity of species and the global climate but also very specifically and very quickly the local population.”
This study underscores the multifaceted importance of forest conservation, not just for environmental sustainability but also for immediate human health benefits. It highlights the urgent need for continued and enhanced protection policies in the Amazon and other critical ecosystems.