A Future Forest? What Amazon forest will we have tomorrow?

An extraordinary scientific project opens a window onto the future.

At the heart of the ESECAFLOR project lies one of the biggest questions of our time: how do tropical forests respond to climate change? This unique experiment focuses on a crucial aspect
— how these forests cope with drought. Are they sensitive to water stress? Will many trees die, or are they more resilient than we imagine?

Launched in 2001 in the heart of the Caxiuanã National Forest, Brazil, the ESECAFLOR project offers a rare opportunity to observe how tropical forests respond when rainfall and soil moisture are artificially reduced over the long term. Using a system of 6,000 panels that exclude nearly 50% of rainfall, scientists simulate the conditions of intense drought to better understand what tomorrow may hold for these vital ecosystems.

After more than twenty years of research, the results are as valuable as they are alarming — and they are at the heart of “A Future Forest?”, a short documentary that takes us deep into this forest under pressure.

This project is carried out in partnership with UFPA (Universidade Federal do Pará), the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi and the University of Edinburgh.