Amazonian forests continuously accumulate carbon (C) in biomass and in soil, representing a carbon sink of 0.42–0.65 GtC yr −1 . In recent decades, more than 15% of Amazonian forests have been converted into pastures, resulting in net C emissions (~200 tC ha −1 ) due to biomass burning and litter mineralization in the first years after deforestation. However, little is known about the capacity of tropical pastures to restore a...