New “secondary” forests are emerging in Latin America, Asia and other tropical regions rapidly as land that was once farmed is abandoned as people move into the cities.
In fact, it is estimated that for every acre of rainforest that is cut down, 50 acres of forest is revitalized areas that were once farmed, logged, or destroyed by natural disasters.
According to the New York Times, some scientist argue we can stop trying to save primary rain forests in the tropics because:
The new forests, the scientists argue, could blunt the effects of rain forest destruction by absorbing carbon dioxide, the leading heat-trapping gas linked to global warming, one crucial role that rain forests play. They could also, to a lesser extent, provide habitat for endangered species.
The idea has stirred outrage among environmentalists who believe that vigorous efforts to protect native rain forest should remain a top priority.
Joe Wright, a senior scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, argues, “Biologists were ignoring these huge population trends and acting as if only original forest has conservation value, and that’s just wrong.” Other biologists believe the secondary forests are not equal to the primary forests being lost.
Image: tauntingpanda on Flickr under a Creative Commons License
