Aragão and Shimabukuro (Reports, 4 June 2010, p. 1275) reported that fires increase in agricultural frontiers even as deforestation decreases and concluded that these fires lead to unaccounted carbon emissions under the United Nations climate treaty’s tropical deforestation and forest degradation component. Emissions from post-deforestation management activities are, in fact, included in these estimates—but burning of standing forests is not.
Tropical Forests: Conserving Climate and Culture
Climate change is occurring now in many places in the tropics. Avoiding large future changes will require empowerment of indigenous peoples and traditional communities as land stewards. Further, scientists must work with stakeholders and policymakers to understand...