The ability of forests to remove carbon from the atmosphere is found to be decreasing in tropical regions of the world, according to new research led by the University of Leeds. The global research effort, led by researchers from the School of Geography, saw a long-term analysis of the carbon stored in tropical forests. The...
By Hazel Mooney (twitter: @EcoZel) Researchers from UBoC have estimated the total tree canopy cover across the city of Leeds as part of a wider Leeds4Trees project, in collaboration with LEAF and Leeds City Council. The work follows the i-Tree report for the University of Leeds Campus. Having identified the enormous value that trees at the...
A recent study from LEAF researchers at the University of Leeds found a strong relationship between forest cover loss and the occurrence of fire in Indonesia. Across Indonesia, extensive forest and peatland fires occur every year. Indonesia contains most of the world’s tropical peatlands which are made of partially decayed vegetation that has accumulated over...
By Laura Kiely (@laurafkiely)- University of Leeds and UBoC Emissions of smoke from peatland fires may have been underestimated, finds a new study from LEAF scientists at the University of Leeds. In the last few weeks thousands of peatland and forest fires have been burning across Sumatra and Kalimantan, two islands in Indonesia. Smoke from these...
The loss of forest cover in the Amazon has a significant impact on the local climate in Brazil, according to a new study by LEAF scientists in the School of Earth and Environment. Using satellite data, Dr Jess Baker and Professor Dominick Spracklen explored the impact of deforestation in the Amazon between 2001 and 2013....
By Hazel Mooney (@EcoZel) - University of Leeds & UBoC In the last 18 months, I’ve become a professional tree hugger! In the summer of 2018, I was successful in gaining a QStep summer research placement with LEAF and UBoC, working on the Leeds4Trees project to explore the ecosystem services that trees in Leeds are...
As part of the Leeds4Trees project we are exploring the value of trees and green spaces across the city of Leeds, in collaboration with UBoC, the Sustainability Service at the University of Leeds, Leeds City Council, The Woodland Trust, Treeconomics and Forest Research. Urban green spaces such as gardens, parks and woodlands provide many benefits to...
Researchers at the University of Leeds and the University of York, in collaboration with partners such as UTM, Malaysia, have been tackling sustainable development challenges associated with oil palm production and consumption from multiple perspectives. This briefing note sets out the major projects and headline findings in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals. Oil palm waste...
A study from University of Leeds researchers, published earlier this year, found significant shifts in the deforestation dynamics of Amazonian forests. The Amazon Basin is home to over 5 million km2 of tropical rainforest, storing up to 200 petagrams of carbon (each petagram = 1 billion tonnes). Changes to this important ecosystem are expected to...
An extensive study from LEAF scientists shows substantially reduced plant productivity across northern regions in the months following a warmer spring. Using 30 years of satellite images, an international team led by the University of Leeds examined 41 million km2 of land in northern regions. They found that the early onset in plant productivity caused...