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Biodiversity loss due to land use change could be highly underestimated: Study (news.mongabay.com)

submitted 2 months ago by wolfyvegan@slrpnk.net to c/treehuggers@slrpnk.net

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New research carried out in Colombia by the University of Cambridge suggests that local surveys assessing the effect of land clearances on biodiversity may be underestimating the impact by as much as 60%.

To fully understand the effects of clearing forests for pastureland, much surveys of a much larger scale are required to reflect the different levels of biodiversity in regions and habitats and their resilience to change.

More accurate species surveys, the authors say, could also support future programs such as biodiversity offsetting schemes as well as influencing farming policies.

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[–] wolfyvegan@slrpnk.net 4 points 2 months ago

In 2024, Colombia lost 113,608 hectares (about 280,700 acres) of forest, a 43% increase compared with 2023, when deforestation had dropped to its lowest level in more than two decades. But while organized crime, ongoing armed conflict and wildfires have been partially blamed for the spike, land use change for cattle ranching remains a huge driver of deforestation.

Animal agriculture is the leading driver of Amazon destruction and climate change as well as species extinction.