Study Finds Just 15–25 Tree Species Drive Most Amazon Secondary Forest Restoration

A study led by Fernando Elias (Emilio Goeldi Museum, Pará) published in Global Change Biology and reported by Mongabay on September 3, 2026, found that a small core of 15–25 hyperdominant tree species — representing just 3–6% of species recorded — account for over 50% of tree abundance and carbon storage in Amazon secondary forests regrowing on abandoned farmland. Researchers examined 102 plots across four municipalities in Pará state (Bragantina, Marabá, Paragominas, and Santarém). Four species — embaúba (Cecropia palmata), tatapiririca (Tapirira guianensis), ingá-vermelho (Inga alba), and araticum-bravo (Annona exsucca) — formed a consistent hyperdominant core across size classes and metrics, jointly accounting for roughly 16–27% of abundance and carbon storage. The Brazilian Amazon holds over 140,000 km² of secondary forest on previously cleared land; researchers say identifying which species drive early recovery could help target restoration methods, including drone-based seeding, toward Brazil's pledge to restore 12 million hectares (30 million acres) by 2030. Study coordinator Fernando Elias said: 'These areas are already restoring services and biodiversity. That is why it is so important to understand how these forests behave.' Beto Mesquita of Conservation International cautioned that pioneer species live only 15–20 years and forests need a 'robust succession system' to avoid ecological decline once pioneers die off.