Climate scientist, Yhasmin Mendes, asked us to produce this animation explaining how scientists can closely monitor environmental changes on different aspects of forests such as fires, rainfall, temperature, and the amount of carbon in the atmosphere.

Researchers found that carbon loss in human-modified forests exceeds the amount of carbon gained by regrowth, indicating that degraded forests are sending more carbon into the atmosphere than they’re absorbing.

The animation also advocates that policy makers treat degradation as a higher priority, focusing on nature-based solutions to preserve and restore this vital ecosystem.