Trees and forests are often described as the lungs of the Earth because of their important role in removing pollutants such as carbon dioxide from the environment.
New research from the University of Bonn in Germany and Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Brazil has analyzed regional health outcomes after conservation measures in the Amazon.
The research found that these measures have led to a reduction in the hospitalization and death rate for respiratory health problems in the regional population.
The positive impact on people's health was credited to a reduction in forest fires. The conservation measures reduced fine particulate concentrations in the air—a main vector for adverse health effects of fire smoke.
"The relationship between the fire outbreak and the smoke traveling somewhere and people inhaling it and then getting health problems is pretty straightforward," said the study's lead author Yannic Damm, a researcher at the University of Bonn.
Amazonian wildfires are a persistent topic on Latin America's environmental agenda. 2024 saw Brazil's worst wildfires in 14 years.
Across the border in Bolivia, land clearing was blamed in part for fires that burned through a record 10 million hectares (24 million acres).
The researchers wanted to understand what impact deforestation policy changes might have on health outcomes in the Amazon.
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