Rainforest conservation is bad for the economy!?

Gustavo Magalhães de Oliveira and Yannic Damm from the Institute
for Food and Resource Economics in the University of Bonn's
„Hypothese” podcast


Violence, organized crime, and health problems: these issues do
not immediately spring to mind when one thinks of the Brazilian
rainforest. Clearing trees there not only releases stored carbon
dioxide and decimates biodiversity. There are many different
effects associated with rainforest destruction: Gustavo Magalhães
de Oliveira and Yannic Damm from the Institute for Food and
Resource Economics at the University of Bonn have investigated
violence and respiratory diseases as consequences of
deforestation. In the new episode of the Hypothesis podcast, the
scientists discuss the thesis “Rainforest protection is bad for
the economy” with host Denis Nasser.


The rainforest in the Amazon basin is important not only for
Brazil, but for the whole world. “It's not just climate change
that tells us that this ecosystem is important for regulating
natural processes,” says Gustavo Magalhães de Oliveira from the
Institute for Food and Resource Economics (ILR) at the University
of Bonn. “The effects affect both the local population and the
whole world.”


The rainforest supports us with numerous ecosystem services: it
has a high level of biodiversity, stores large amounts of carbon
dioxide, and purifies the air and water. “When it comes to
purifying the air, it is primarily the local population that
benefits, whereas when it comes to carbon dioxide, everyone
benefits,” says Yannic Damm from the ILR. “Rainforest
conservation is therefore extremely important at all levels –
from the local to the global.”


When the rainforest is burned down, it not only produces
greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, but also air pollutants
that reach large cities such as São Paulo. Reducing deforestation
also reduces the concentration of pollutants in the air and the
number of respiratory and other diseases. Yannik Damm discovered
this in a study.


Rainforest conservation can also help reduce violence in the
Amazon region. “Increased controls to prevent illegal
deforestation also deterred criminals who used violence to try to
appropriate land,” reports Gustavo Magalhães de Oliveira from one
of his studies. However, violence has very different causes,
which must be combated with different means.


In the latest episode of the Hypothesis podcast, Gustavo
Magalhães de Oliveira and Yannic Damm discuss the thesis
“Rainforest conservation is bad for the economy” with host Denis
Nasser. Listen here to find out whether the scientists verify
(confirm as true) or falsify (refute) this thesis.


About the studies:




https://www.uni-bonn.de/de/neues/167-2024




https://www.uni-bonn.de/de/neues/224-2024




Media contact:


Gustavo Magalhães de Oliveira
Institute for Food and Resource Economics
University of Bonn
Email: gusmoliv@uni-bonn.de


Yannic Damm
Institute for Food and Resource Economics
University of Bonn
E-mail: yannic.damm@ilr.uni-bonn.de


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To the point and scientifically sound


To the point and scientifically sound – that's the ‘Hypothesis’
podcast from the University of Bonn. Every first Thursday of the
month, renowned guests tackle a controversial hypothesis on a
socially relevant topic. Moderated by journalist Denis Nasser, an
expert weighs up the truthfulness of the title statement and then
votes on whether the final assessment would be ‘verified’ (i.e.
confirmed as true) or falsified (confirmed as false).


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forward to hearing from you at
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