Brazilian researchers have identified about 18 tree species in the Amazon that keep regenerating even after long periods of deforestation, and together they account for more than 50% of the abundance and carbon storage found in the forest that regrows on cleared land.
The findings come from a study titled "Hyperdominance and Rarity in Amazonian Secondary Forests." Fernando Elias, a researcher at the Emilio Goeldi Museum who led the study, told CNN Brasil on Monday, August 17, that the team analyzed 102 forest plots across four regions of the Eastern Amazon, spaced an average of 600 kilometers apart.
The Emilio Goeldi Museum, based in Belem, Para, is one of Brazil's leading scientific institutions for research into the Amazon's biodiversity. Elias carried out the study with support from the Instituto Serrapilheira, aiming to establish which species dominate the region's forests and how they drive the restoration process.
The research identified 25 key species in total. Because this group controls half of the biome's main traits, the researchers suggest they should be the main focus of recovery plans designed to restore the Amazon's biomass quickly.
The study's broader goal is to direct restoration efforts toward the species that contribute most to carbon storage and abundance, by making better use of forests that are already regenerating naturally across the Amazon.
Deforestation still a threat
Earlier this month, Brazil's Real-Time Deforestation Detection System, known as Deter, reported that areas under deforestation alert in the Amazon fell by 36.05%, totaling 2,874.38 square kilometers, between August 2025 and July 2026. Despite the drop, the Amazon remains one of the biomes most affected by deforestation.
Elias said the study shows that this set of species can be used in restoration efforts, while also underlining the importance of these forests for conserving biodiversity in the Amazon. He said they are restoring ecosystem services, biodiversity and soil quality in areas that were deforested, calling that the central message of the paper.
The species behind the recovery
The study named the following species as the main drivers of Amazon forest regeneration:
- Cecropia palmata (Embauba)
- Annona exsucca
- Tapirira guianensis (Cupiuba)
- Inga alba (Inga-branco)
- Attalea maripa (Inaja)
- Croton matourensis (Marmeleiro)
- Vismia guianensis (Lacre)
- Jacaranda copaia (Parapara)
- Cassia fastuosa (Acacia)
- Maprounea guianensis
- Bellucia grossularioides (Muuba)
- Attalea speciosa (Babacu)
- Inga edulis (Inga-cipo)
- Trattinnickia rhoifolia (Amescla)
- Amphiodon effusus
- Ormosia paraensis (Tento)
- Casearia arborea
- Banara guianensis
How the forest rebuilds itself
After deforestation, the forest attempts to reconstruct itself in what scientists call a "secondary forest," meaning vegetation that regrows after an area has been cleared. During this process, different species take over the space left by the original vegetation, and the forest's composition changes over time.
According to the study, these trees are adapted to extreme environmental conditions. They can grow across different regions and dominate the landscape despite degraded soils, frequent fires and severe droughts. The species also have lower wood density than others, which means they need less energy to grow.
Helping the 'neighborhood'
Beyond regrowing themselves, these trees also help other species reestablish during the regeneration process. Early on, factors such as soil conditions and climate create barriers that stop other trees from growing. Because these hardier species are more resistant, they create a shaded environment and a more favorable climate, allowing other species that cannot tolerate strong sunlight to germinate and survive.
Restoration is not a substitute for biodiversity
Elias said the results are important because they help explain how the forest reorganizes itself after deforestation. Even so, he said replanting these particular species across the Amazon is valuable but does not replace the importance of preserving other species.
He said that if a company or a government wants to support restoration efforts using these species, they stand to gain when their goal is recovering carbon and abundance. But he stressed that he supports ecological restoration aimed at the greatest possible biodiversity, similar to that of the primary forests that were cleared. He noted that since 15 to 18 species account for carbon recovery and 24 to 25 for abundance, that does not mean these are the only species that should be restored.
