UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Tropical forests are biodiversity hotspots that also store tons of carbon, helping to regulate the Earth’s carbon cycle. Changes in climate and land use, however, are driving deforestation and reducing forest capacity to store carbon in these important ecosystems. Mark Cochrane, professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s Appalachian Laboratory, will deliver a talk titled "Changing fire regimes in Indonesia and Brazil: the roles of fire and land use in tropical forest decline" at 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 8. The talk, which is free and open to the public, takes place via Zoom.

Cochrane’s talk is part of the fall 2021 EESI EarthTalks series, “Fire in the Earth System.” The series addresses humanity’s long relationship with fire, how humans and climate create conditions conducive to megafires, and how policymakers and land managers can address the fire problem. For more information about the fall 2021 series, visit the EarthTalks web page.

The fall 2021 EESI EarthTalks series is supported by Penn State’s Earth and Environmental Systems Institute.