Highway Construction as a Force in the Destruction of the Amazon Forest

Abstract

Roads act as drivers of deforestation by drawing migrant workers and investment to previously inaccessible areas of forest. In Amazonia, deforestation is stimulated not only by roads that increase profitability of agriculture and ranching, but also by the effect of roads on land speculation and clearing for establishing and defending land tenure. Major highways are accompanied by networks of side roads built by loggers, miners and others. Deforestation spreads outwards from highways and their associated access roads. Highways also provide avenues for migration of landless farmers and others, thereby driving deforestation into adjacent areas. 1 Roads are important forces influencing the rate of deforestation in Amazonia. 2 Major roads stimulate deforestation by facilitating the construction of smaller side roads and human settlements in remote areas. 3 The alleged benefits of roads to the Amazon forest are illusory. 4 Roads must be included in deforestation models. 5 No amount of mitigation will prevent deforestation from occurring after a road is built. 6 Deforestation in Brazil is unregulated and future road projects will accelerate clearing. 7 'Governance scenarios' serve to justify approval of damaging roads. 8 Environmental safeguards are needed for approval of international financing of road development. The consequences of the pattern of development associated with previously constructed Amazonian highways need to be recognised and lessons learned quickly, as plans for additional highways are rapidly moving forwards that would provide deforesters with access to much of the remaining area of Amazonian forest. © 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. All rights reserved.