Webinar: Can Tapirs Restore Amazon Rainforest?

Presented by Dave McGlinchey, Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC)'s Chief of External Affairs. Introductory remarks by Heather Goldstone, WHRC's Chief Communications Officer.

Last summer, global attention was focused on widespread fires in the Amazon. Fires – and related deforestation for agriculture – have destroyed 800,000 square kilometers of Amazon rainforest over recent decades. New research conducted by WHRC and IPAM Amazônia has shown that lowland tapirs can restore degraded Amazonian forests by spreading tree seeds in areas that had been previously burned, which may make it among the cheapest and easiest solutions for large-scale forest restoration.

The presentation is followed by a panel discussion with scientists involved in the research, Marcia Macedo (WHRC) and Lucas Paolucci (Federal University of Viçosa/IPAM).