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Articles on Amazon fires

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Coprophanaeus lancifer, a large seed-disperser dung beetle in the Amazon. Hannah Griffiths

Counting mammals, birds and dung beetles could be vital for saving the Amazon

We know surprisingly little about the millions of animals, plants and birds that live in the Amazon – here’s how we can understand them better.
An Amazon forest in Brazil’s Para state after deforestation and wildfires March 9, 2019. Unlike in some tropical forests, the animals of the Amazon are not adapted to survive fire. Gustavo Basso/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Dung beetles help rainforests regrow – but extreme drought and wildfires in the Amazon are killing them off

A new study finds 70% of Amazonian dung beetles were killed by the severe fire and droughts of 2015 to 2016. By spreading seeds and poop, dung beetles fertilize forests and aid regrowth of vegetation.
A protestor dresses as Jair Bolsonaro on Amazon Day in Rio de Janeiro, September 5 2019. EPA-EFE/MARCELO SAYAO

Are the Amazon fires a crime against humanity?

Destroying the Amazon rainforest will accelerate climate change, harming millions. Can those responsible be prosecuted?
Members of the Huni Kuin community survey the damage after a fire on August 22. Centro Huwã Karu Yuxibu via Facebook

Amazon in flames: Brazil’s Huni Kuin indigenous people count the social costs of fire and conflict

Huwã Karu Yuxibu, the cultural centre of the Huni Kuin indigenous group in the Amazonian state of Acre, was destroyed by fire in August.

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