Half of the Amazon rainforest is at risk of turning into savanna

More than half of the Amazon rainforest in South America could turn into savanna in the next few decades, according to a new study.

The Amazon Forest.

The warning comes in a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. Research shows that more than three-quarters of the Amazon rainforest, spanning eight countries in northern South America, has lost its resilience since the early 2000s.

The study shows that deforestation and climate change, through increasing dry season length and frequency of droughts, may have pushed the Amazon closer to the critical threshold of dry-out rainforest. The loss of resilience is exacerbated in tropical forest areas that receive less rainfall and are located near human settlements.

If the current decline continues, the Amazon could reach a "tipping point," where the drying process is irreversible, the researchers say. The loss of the Amazon's resiliency has profound impacts on biodiversity, carbon storage and climate change on a global scale.

Professor Niklas Boers of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research said deforestation and climate change could be the main drivers of this decline.