10,000 Amazon Plants, Animals Could Disappear Forever, Scientists Say
2021-07-25
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1A new report says that more than 10,000 kinds of living things could disappear forever because of the Amazon rainforest's destruction.
2The rainforest surrounding South America's Amazon River is the world's largest.
3The report said 35 percent of the rainforest has been destroyed or damaged.
4The report is by the Science Panel for the Amazon.
5The project brought together 200 international scientists through the United Nations Sustainable Development Network.
6It is a detailed study of the Amazon rainforest and its importance to the world's climate.
7Reducing deforestation and forest destruction to zero in less than 10 years "is critical," the report said.
8The scientists also called for replanting trees that were destroyed.
9The rainforest stores large amounts of carbon and is extremely important in fighting climate change.
10The report said that the plants and soil of the Amazon hold 200 billion metric tons of carbon.
11That is 400 percent of the world's yearly carbon dioxide emissions.
12The continued destruction of the Amazon rainforest also threatens more than 8,000 plants and 2,300 animals, the report added.
13Mercedes Bustamante is a professor at the University of Brasilia.
14She spoke in an online presentation of some of the study's findings.
15She said the destruction of the Amazon also presents a serious risk to humans.
16"There is a narrow window of opportunity to change this trajectory," she said.
17"The fate of Amazon is central to the solution to the global" crisis.
18Colombia's former President Juan Manuel Santos also spoke during the online discussion.
19He said there has been a lack of political leadership among the eight countries in the Amazon area.
20The report said 18 percent of the Amazon area has already been deforested -- mostly for agriculture and illegal timber.
21Another 17 percent of the rainforest has been damaged.
22Scientists said the main goal should be protecting existing plants and bodies of water rather than repairing damaged areas.
23Marielos Peña-Claros is a professor at Wageningen University in the Netherlands.
24She said: "Restoration actions can be costly and complex to implement, so it's actually better to avoid deforestation," she said.
25A separate study, released in the science publication Nature, said that some parts of the Amazon are releasing more carbon than they take in.
26Luciana Gatti from Brazil's space research agency led the study.
27She said carbon emissions are highest in the southeastern part of the Amazon area, where there are high rates of deforestation.
28She said many trees there are dying from lack of rain and rising temperatures.
29I'm Dan Novak.
1A new report says that more than 10,000 kinds of living things could disappear forever because of the Amazon rainforest's destruction. 2The rainforest surrounding South America's Amazon River is the world's largest. The report said 35 percent of the rainforest has been destroyed or damaged. 3The report is by the Science Panel for the Amazon. The project brought together 200 international scientists through the United Nations Sustainable Development Network. It is a detailed study of the Amazon rainforest and its importance to the world's climate. 4Reducing deforestation and forest destruction to zero in less than 10 years "is critical," the report said. The scientists also called for replanting trees that were destroyed. 5The rainforest stores large amounts of carbon and is extremely important in fighting climate change. The report said that the plants and soil of the Amazon hold 200 billion metric tons of carbon. That is 400 percent of the world's yearly carbon dioxide emissions. 6The continued destruction of the Amazon rainforest also threatens more than 8,000 plants and 2,300 animals, the report added. 7Mercedes Bustamante is a professor at the University of Brasilia. She spoke in an online presentation of some of the study's findings. She said the destruction of the Amazon also presents a serious risk to humans. 8"There is a narrow window of opportunity to change this trajectory," she said. "The fate of Amazon is central to the solution to the global" crisis. 9Colombia's former President Juan Manuel Santos also spoke during the online discussion. He said there has been a lack of political leadership among the eight countries in the Amazon area. 10The report said 18 percent of the Amazon area has already been deforested -- mostly for agriculture and illegal timber. Another 17 percent of the rainforest has been damaged. 11Scientists said the main goal should be protecting existing plants and bodies of water rather than repairing damaged areas. 12Marielos Peña-Claros is a professor at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. She said: "Restoration actions can be costly and complex to implement, so it's actually better to avoid deforestation," she said. 13A separate study, released in the science publication Nature, said that some parts of the Amazon are releasing more carbon than they take in. 14Luciana Gatti from Brazil's space research agency led the study. She said carbon emissions are highest in the southeastern part of the Amazon area, where there are high rates of deforestation. She said many trees there are dying from lack of rain and rising temperatures. 15I'm Dan Novak. 16Stephen Eisenhammer and Oliver Griffin reported this story for Reuters. Dan Novak adapted for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. _______________________________________ 17Words in This Story 18critical - adj. extremely important 19emission - n. the act of producing or sending out something (such as energy or gas) from a source 20opportunity - n. a chance or situation in which something can be done or an aim can be reached 21trajectory - n. often used figuratively to describe a process of change or development that leads toward a particular result 22fate - n. the future that people or things will have 23timber - n. trees that are grown in order to produce wood 24restoration - n. the act or process of returning something to its original condition by repairing it, cleaning it, etc. 25implement - v. to begin to do or use (something, such as a plan) : to make (something) active or effective