A new study published in Geophysical Research Letters warns that climate change and habitat degradation could push Southeast Asia's forest understory temperatures beyond historical limits within three decades. Researchers combined field measurements from 46 forest sites with satellite data and climate models to project that peak daytime temperatures inside forests could rise by 1.4 to 2.1 degrees Celsius by 2050. Under a moderate emissions scenario, more than half of the region's forests could see canopy-level heat exceed anything recorded in recent decades. Under a high-emissions scenario, that share rises to two-thirds. The findings raise serious concerns for countless species that depend on the cool, moist conditions beneath forest canopies and already live near their thermal tolerance limits. The study helps close a major data gap in tropical forest microclimate monitoring, which has been sparse across Southeast Asia due to remote and difficult terrain. The authors stress that even modest temperature increases could push many species beyond their physiological limits, with implications for forest health, carbon storage, and biodiversity.
