A new study led by Germany's TU Darmstadt, in collaboration with Ecuadorian scientists and dozens of research institutions, finds that tropical rainforest in Ecuador regenerates more quickly than previously thought once agricultural activity ceases. Within 30 years on former farmland, around 75% of animal and plant species return and biodiversity recovers to over 90% of its original level — a finding based on tracking more than 8,500 species in the Chocó region (a highly biodiverse rainforest belt in northwestern Ecuador heavily affected by plantations and cattle grazing). Researchers note that recovery is faster on abandoned cacao plantations than on pastureland, as remaining cacao trees provide shade and moisture, while bats, monkeys, and birds play a critical role by carrying tree seeds back into cleared areas; however, experts caution that this 30-year recovery scenario does not apply to regions where large-scale deforestation has occurred, such as Brazil or Indonesia, and that globally four to six million hectares of forest are still lost every year.