Understanding the effects of roads on land use change in the Brazilian Amazon is crucial in developing policies to combat forest destruction. Here we examine one relevant case study: the proposal to pave BR-319. Specifically, we analyze land within 50 km on either side of BR-319 using Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) to identify areas particularly vulnerable to deforestation.
Cracking Brazil’s Forest Code
Roughly 53% of Brazil's native vegetation occurs on private properties. Native forests and savannahs on these lands store 105 ± 21 GtCO2e (billion tons of CO2 equivalents) and play a vital role in maintaining a broad range of ecosystem services (1). Sound...