Magazine | 2026-08-11
A pioneering experiment deep inside a protected section of the Amazon rainforest is redefining how climate science is conducted. The AmazonFACE (Free-Air CO2 Enrichment) programme recreates future atmospheric CO2 conditions within an intact ecosystem near Manaus (Brazil), without disturbing the forest itself.
Six large-scale research rings, equipped with sensors and monitoring systems, enable scientists to observe how trees, soil and atmospheric processes respond over time. To access the canopy and collect this data, Liebherr tower cranes are used to transport scientists and sensitive equipment safely above the forest floor. Designed for minimal environmental impact, they allow precise measurements in areas that were previously inaccessible.
The programme brings together scientists and researchers from the AmazonFACE team, government organisations from Brazil and the UK, universities, funders and institutions such as the National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA), Unicamp and the Met Office.
Follow Bruna Prisco, application engineer at Liebherr in Brazil and three scientists from the AmazonFACE programme who are working to understand and protect the future of the rainforest.
