A meta-analysis of carbon losses and gains from tropical moist forest degradation and regeneration
Viola Heinrich · Amelia Holcomb · Simon Besnard · Daniela Requena Suarez · Susan Cook-Patton · Clément Bourgoin · Robin Chazdon · David A. Gibbs · Flavia Souza Mendes · Iain McNicol · Charlotte Wheeler · Celso H. L. Silva-Junior · Bienvenu H. K. Amani · Jean-Francois Bastin · Timothée Besisa Nguba · Na Chen · Huiying Chen · Philippe Ciais · Ricardo Dalagnol · Xu Dou · Quan Duan · Xueyuan Gao · Ava Nafiseh Goodarzi · Bruno Hérault · Jo House · David M. Lapola · Mengyu Liang · Zekai Meng · Gert-Jan Nabuurs · Erin Poor · Luke Parsons · Johannes Reiche · Stephen Sitch · Ruben Valbuena · Anne-Juul Welsink · Serge Wiltshire · Chao Wu · Yidi Xu · Jinqi Zhao · Luiz Aragão · Martin Herold
期刊Science Advances / Sci. Adv.
类型Article
发表2026-07-03
卷期页12(27): eadz1923
收录2026-10-09
被浏览…
关键词tropical humid forestforest degradationforest regenerationaboveground carboncarbon lossselective loggingforest firesedge effectssecondary forestdeforestation
标签—
Aboveground carbon (AGC) fluxes from deforestation and subsequent regrowth in tropical moist forest (TMF) are increasingly well characterized, but carbon losses and gains following partial disturbance are uncertain. We synthesized 146 studies quantifying postdisturbance AGC changes relative to undisturbed forests across TMF. Immediate AGC losses (mean ± 1 SD; 2.5 ± 2.3 years after disturbance) following partial anthropogenic disturbances were greatest for forest fires (49 ± 26%), selective logging (34 ± 20%), and edge effects (31 ± 19%). Higher-frequency and -intensity disturbances significantly increased carbon loss. After 20 years of regeneration, AGC stock was higher in recovering degraded forests (41 to 117%) compared to secondary regrowth forests after complete deforestation (1 to 74%), indicating greater regeneration potential when forest structure is preserved. Our compiled database and associated meta-analysis improve accuracy and completeness for carbon inventory reporting and modeling. Substantial AGC losses and gains from distinct degradation and recovery processes are now better characterized, serving as an evidence base for policies to halt degradation and foster recovery for climate mitigation.

@article{heinrich2026,
author = {Viola Heinrich and Amelia Holcomb and Simon Besnard and Daniela Requena Suarez and Susan Cook-Patton and Clément Bourgoin and Robin Chazdon and David A. Gibbs and Flavia Souza Mendes and Iain McNicol and Charlotte Wheeler and Celso H. L. Silva-Junior and Bienvenu H. K. Amani and Jean-Francois Bastin and Timothée Besisa Nguba and Na Chen and Huiying Chen and Philippe Ciais and Ricardo Dalagnol and Xu Dou and Quan Duan and Xueyuan Gao and Ava Nafiseh Goodarzi and Bruno Hérault and Jo House and David M. Lapola and Mengyu Liang and Zekai Meng and Gert-Jan Nabuurs and Erin Poor and Luke Parsons and Johannes Reiche and Stephen Sitch and Ruben Valbuena and Anne-Juul Welsink and Serge Wiltshire and Chao Wu and Yidi Xu and Jinqi Zhao and Luiz Aragão and Martin Herold},
title = {A meta-analysis of carbon losses and gains from tropical moist forest degradation and regeneration},
journal = {Science Advances},
year = {2026},
volume = {12},
number = {27},
pages = {eadz1923},
doi = {10.1126/sciadv.adz1923},
publisher = {American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)},
}· END ·