What is it about?
Forests that regrow after clearing can help restore climate regulation in the Amazon, but it is unclear whether they function like primary forests. We compared rainfall, evapotranspiration, and surface temperature in primary and regenerating forests at different stages of recovery and with different amounts of forest cover. We found that regenerating forests can approach the climatic conditions of primary forests, but the degree of recovery varies among climate functions and depends on the conditions of the places where regeneration occurs. Overall, regenerating forests can provide substantial climate benefits, although these benefits do not always reach those associated with primary forests.
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Why is it important?
Forest regeneration is increasingly promoted as a way to restore ecosystem services in the Amazon, but its ability to recover climate regulation has remained uncertain. Our study shows that recovery is not determined by forest age or forest cover alone; it also depends on the conditions of the places where regeneration occurs. This matters because restoration efforts that focus only on increasing forest area may overestimate how fully or quickly climate benefits will return. The findings can help improve restoration planning while reinforcing that regenerating forests complement, rather than replace, primary forests.
Perspectives
I hope these findings encourage restoration planning to look beyond simply increasing forest area. Where regeneration occurs, the stage of secondary forest development and whether these forests can be protected over time all matter for the climate benefits they may provide. More broadly, I hope this work supports environmental planning and policies that recognize a wider range of forest benefits, including not only carbon storage, but also the regulation of rainfall, evapotranspiration, and surface temperature. I also hope it contributes to similar discussions in other tropical regions.
Lais Rosa Oliveira
Universidade Federal de Vicosa
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Landscape context constrains climate regulation recovery in Amazonian secondary forests, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, August 2026, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2426400123.
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