Tropical forests are global climate regulators through their interaction with hydrological and
biogeochemical cycles. Despite extensive research on deforestation in South America and
its global impact, the role of the largely intact Guiana Shield forests, north of the Amazon,
has not yet been considered as part of this climate system. We use a regional climate model
with a realistic deforestation scenario to test the impact of deforestation in the Guiana Shield
on climate throughout South America. We show that replacing∼ 28% of the current Guiana …

Tropical forests are global climate regulators through their interaction with hydrological and
biogeochemical cycles. Despite extensive research on deforestation in South America and
its global impact, the role of the largely intact Guiana Shield forests, north of the Amazon,
has not yet been considered as part of this climate system. We use a regional climate model
with a realistic deforestation scenario to test the impact of deforestation in the Guiana Shield
on climate throughout South America. We show that replacing∼ 28% of the current Guiana …