Gains and losses

This briefing describes the vulnerability of tropical dry forests in the Americas to global change, detailing trends in productivity and the urgent need for expanded conservation efforts beyond existing national parks and reserves.

• Satellite data from 1982 to 2006 indicates divergent productivity trends in tropical dry forests of the Americas, likely driven by global warming's effect on rainfall and moisture. Productivity increased in the Chaco of Argentina and Bolivia, Northern Mexican ecoregions, and the Llanos of Venezuela and Colombia, while it decreased in the Brazilian Caatinga and other Mexican regions.
• Tropical dry forests in the Americas are severely under-protected; only 4.5% of these forests (23,417 km2) are currently within biological reserves and national parks, primarily in Brazil and Bolivia, despite only 40% of the original forest extent remaining.
• Tropical dry forests cover 42% of the global tropical forest area. In the Americas, they span 520,000 km2, with Mexico holding the largest share at 38% of the neotropical dry forest area, followed by Brazil and Bolivia.
• Declining productivity and shorter growing seasons in certain forests reduce carbon storage, water retention, and stand biomass. This may increase the risk of forest fires, desertification, and habitat loss, and could specifically pressure water resources for tourism and agriculture in Southern Mexico and Northeastern Brazil.
• While increased productivity in regions like Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Venezuela, and Northern Mexico may seem positive, there is concern it could encourage intensified deforestation and agriculture, potentially triggering desertification and the spread of agave and cactus species.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2024). Gains and losses. https://iai.int/en/ganancias-y-perdidas/

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Gains and losses. 2024. https://iai.int/en/ganancias-y-perdidas/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Gains and losses |date=8 October 2024 |url=https://iai.int/en/ganancias-y-perdidas/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2024gains, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Gains and losses}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2024}, month = oct, url = {https://iai.int/en/ganancias-y-perdidas/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }