Half of Amazon's forests in danger of extinction by 2050, study warns

Approximately half of the Amazon forest system is in danger of extinction by 2050 due to high exposure to "unprecedented stress from warming temperatures, extreme droughts, deforestation and fires," according to a new study.

Scientists issued the warning in a study published Wednesday in Nature magazine.

Noting that 38 percent of the Amazon is being degraded, the researchers said "we estimate that by 2050, 10 percent to 47 percent of Amazonian forests will be exposed to compounding disturbances that may trigger unexpected ecosystem transitions and potentially exacerbate regional climate change."

"For 65 million years, Amazonian forests remained relatively resilient to climatic variability," they said, emphasising that if humidity levels continue to drop, the Amazon will likely turn into an arid area.

The Amazon's forests are described as the "lungs of the world" because they produce a large part of the world's oxygen.