As more land is cleared to make way for Acai palm plantations, the Amazon rainforest’s unique ecosystems are at risk. This loss of biodiversity disrupts the delicate balance of the rainforest and has far-reaching implications for global climate patterns.

The research shows that cutting native trees to expand açaí plantations caused a reduction in the number of species and functions in this riparian Amazonian ecosystem, where forests grow along the banks of muddy rivers that regularly flood.