A recent study has found that stopping one method of deforestation also improves human health — making it a win-win.
Researchers at the University of Bonn and the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais discovered that a specific deforestation technique, known as slash and burn, not only has negative consequences on the environment and wildlife but also on human health.
However, enacting "measures to combat slash-and-burn techniques significantly reduce the concentration of particulate matter in the air," per Technology Networks.
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This is because this method uses fire, but halting the practice means less smoke in the air, resulting in higher air quality.
In turn, "the number of hospital stays and deaths due to respiratory diseases" dropped, per the publication. The research team, whose findings were published in the journal Nature Communications, Earth & Environment, believes that nearly 700 lives each year were saved as a result of the forest protection and subsequent reduced air pollution.
The research honed in on the Amazon rainforest, the largest one in the world, covering over 2.5 million square miles. However, it's often subjected to deforestation, and its massive size is shrinking. Forest protection is essential for the health of the planet. Fortunately, there's plenty of evidence that conservation efforts work and can help struggling ecosystems rebound. Researchers around the world are working to increase the number of endangered animals, from huge whales to small snails.
Dr. Jan Börner, a researcher and professor at the University of Bonn, told Technology Networks that the Amazon study has two main takeaways: "Firstly, that the destruction of the rainforest can be successfully curbed. And, secondly, that this benefits not only the diversity of species and the global climate but also very specifically and very quickly the local population. This is an aspect that is still given too little consideration when assessing protective measures."
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