Human activity and extreme drought are causing far more damage to the Amazon rainforest than previously thought. Up to 38% of the rainforest not already cleared (2.5 million square kilometers, equaling 10 times the size of the UK) has been damaged by human activity and drought. The four main drivers of damage were: forest fires, habitat fragmentation along edges where deforested areas meet forest, logging and extreme drought. Their cumulative effect can be as important as deforestation for carbon emissions and biodiversity loss. Degradation emits amounts of carbon pollution equivalent to or even greater than those from deforestation.
www.lancaster.ac.uk/news/human-activity-has-degraded-more-than-a-third-of-the-remaining-amazon-rainforest-scientists-find