Data and R code from: Fire-induced loss of the world’s most biodiverse forests in Latin America

Fire plays a dominant role in deforestation, particularly in the tropics,
but the relative extent of transformations and influence of fire frequency
on eventual forest loss remain unclear. Here we analyze the frequency of
fire and its influence on post-fire forest trajectories between 2001-2018.
We account for ~1.1% of Latin American forests burnt in 2002-2003
(8,465,850 ha). Although 40.1% of forests (3,393,250 ha) burned only once,
by 2018~48% of the evergreen forests converted to other, primarily
grass-dominated uses. While greater fire frequency yielded more
transformation, our results reveal the staggering impact of even a single
fire. Increasing fire frequency imposes greater risks of irreversible
forest loss, transforming forests into ecosystems increasingly vulnerable
to disturbance and degradation. Reversing this trend is indispensable to
both mitigate and adapt to climate change globally. As climate change
transforms fire regimes across the region, key actions are needed to
conserve Latin American forests.