Amazon rainforest helps absorb pollutants from wildfires 

According to a study published in the scientific journal Communications Earth & Environment, the famous Amazon rainforest spread across Brazil, Columbia, and Peru is responsible for absorbing as much as 26000 metric tonnes of toxic pollutants (such as carbonaceous aerosols, particulate matter etc.) emitted by wildfires annually while the surrounding indigenous lands absorb 27 percent of the particles. This in turn helps prevent millions of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases in the adjacent regions that can even prove to be fatal. It also reduces healthcare expenditures in the area’s deforested cities.  

An archive of ten years’ worth satellite data has proved that each hectare of burning forest leads to spending of 2 million USD on treating associated ailments. In contrast, the existing native forest helps suck out the pollutants from these fires and try to stop an estimated 15 million cases of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases annually, that would have otherwise costed 2 billion USDs per year.   

Besides, the world’s largest tropical rainforest is also saving the urban and rural people living on the other side of the Amazon that has been deforested mainly due to agroindustry and other illegal forest activities.  

Earlier, scientists only knew about normal forests absorbing pollutants from fires through the pores on the leaf surfaces, but this is the first time they have got to know that the same applies for tropical rainforests too. Not only that, the indigenous tribes have been proved to play an important role in reducing deforestation and saving the biodiversity of the Amazon, which is why the Brazilian government has been appealed to directly to enforce the land rights of these native tribes.  

For those wondering, the brand-new research has been conducted by the global non-profit organisation dedicated to environmental protection called EcoHealth Alliance, US-based George Mason University, the Mexican National Autonomous University, and the University of Sao Paolo. For their study, they focussed primarily on the Brazilian Legal Amazon, a region that covers more than half of Brazil, including 722 towns and cities. Interestingly, during the wildfire season, that is, the end of July to November, this area becomes one of world’s most polluted places, that are only countered by the remaining forests mostly conserved by the indigenous tribes. Besides, they also lead to 90 percent of global emissions. But the good news is, while one side of the rainforest burns, the other side helps absorb the pollutants in turn impacting the socio-economic health of people who not only live in the region but around the world.  

In conclusion, the study has thus revealed that it is the need of the hour to protect the indigenous people and their forests ahead of the upcoming fire season. This includes, 383 recognised indigenous territories covering over 1,160,000 square kilometres.