<![CDATA[Forest fires are among the most consequential disturbances affecting tropical forest ecosystems, with cascading effects on the global carbon cycle, biodiversity, and long-term ecosystem functioning. This study employs a longitudinal research design to examine how recurrent fire events influence carbon emission trajectories, species diversity, and post-fire ecosystem recovery across tropical forest landscapes in Southeast Asia and the Amazon Basin. Secondary time-series data spanning multiple decades were synthesized from peer-reviewed remote sensing, biomass, and biodiversity monitoring studies. The results indicate that fire-affected tropical forests lose between 19.9 and 46.0 MgC ha⁻¹ of aboveground carbon depending on disturbance type, with full carbon-balance recovery estimated to take more than 150 years under repeated burning regimes. Biodiversity indicators, including tree density, canopy cover, and vertebrate abundance, declined by 58 to 98 percent in burned relative to unburned plots, with the most severe and sustained losses observed among fire-sensitive forest specialist species. Although vegetation structure and carbon stocks showed measurable recovery within twelve to twenty years post-fire, species composition remained persistently altered, with forest-edge richness declining by 20 to 46 percent even after two decades. These findings suggest that while tropical forests exhibit meaningful structural resilience, recurrent fire disturbance drives a durable process of biotic homogenization that undermines long-term ecological integrity. The study underscores the urgency of integrated fire prevention, peatland rewetting, and long-term, context-specific restoration policy to safeguard tropical forest carbon stocks and biodiversity under intensifying climate change.]]>
