The ecologist revealing the invisible networks that revive rainforests

Forest ecologist Daisy Dent studies how tropical rainforests regenerate naturally in Panama’s Barro Colorado Nature Monument, a research site covering forested peninsulas and islands formed after the Panama Canal’s construction flooded the area in 1914.

Dent tracks trees across plots dating back to the 19th century, none planted by humans, to observe how forests recover from bare earth to mature canopies.

Tropical forests act as Earth’s largest land-based carbon sink, storing about 40% of carbon on land.

Dent’s work, part of an international research network, challenges common reforestation methods like planting single-species forests, which can be costly and less effective.

Instead, her research shows that diverse, naturally regenerating forests can recover in decades, absorbing vast amounts of carbon dioxide while supporting wildlife and local communities.