A new research has implicated that restricting deforestation in tropics could reduce the amount of carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere by as much as one-fifth.

The study suggested that forests in tropics play a significant role in reducing the intensity of global warming by absorbing almost two billion ton of carbon each year in their bark, leaves and soil. Also, these forests counter the adverse effects caused by amounts of greenhouse gas emissions attributable to loss of trees, as a result of human activity.

Researchers have said that tropical forests will increase carbon emissions with the rise in climate change. They have cited acceleration in the decay of dead plants and trees caused by rising temperatures as a reason for releasing more CO2. As per forecasts, global temperatures are likely to rise by two degrees by the year 2099.

Professor John Grace of the University of Edinburgh's School of GeoSciences has highlighted the need of restricting human activity to reduce deforestation of the tropical forests of the world.

He said that it should be seen as a matter of paramount importance as it could offer significant help in curbing the rise of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

If the task of reducing the rate of human-related deforestation of the tropics could be performed without delaying any further, then the absorption of carbon could be increased by a big extent, said Prof. Grace.