After 40 years of government induced settlement of the Brazilian Amazon, the core of this region has experienced surprisingly little deforestation. The agriculture and ranching that cause deforestation depend upon reliable roads, which are concentrated along the eastern and southern flanks of Amazonia. This ‘passive protection’ of central Amazonia may soon be lost, however, unless the proposed paving of roads through the core of the region is reassessed.
The effects of deforestation and climate variability on the streamflow of the Araguaia River, Brazil
Deforestation changes the hydrological, geomorphological, and biochemical states of streams by decreasing evapotranspiration on the land surface and increasing runoff, river discharge, erosion and sediment fluxes from the land surface. Deforestation has removed...