Environment

More Than 30,000 Miles of Roads Built in Amazon in 3 Years

How long does it take to build a little more than 30,000 miles (50,000 kilometres) of new roads through the rain forest? A new study finds that, in the Brazilian Amazon, such development can happen in just three years.

While roads cover only a tiny fraction of the total land surface of South America's largest nation, their effect on local ecosystems — particularly rain forests — may be huge. In an attempt to better understand road-building's effect on the Amazon, researchers from Imperial College London used road maps and satellite images to track the recent development of the Amazon road network.

The team's report, which was published this month in the journal Regional Environmental Change, concluded that approximately 10,000 miles (17,000 km) of roads were built every year in Brazil between 2004 and 2007. Not surprisingly, road networks were found to spread the most quickly in newly settled areas, as well as in areas experiencing renewed economic growth.

This rampant road-building may be a major contributor to deforestation and habitat loss in one of planet Earth's most biologically diverse regions. But by mapping road construction, researchers think they can aid future efforts to stop destruction of the Brazilian rain forest.