What Drives Forest Fragmentation in the Brazilian Amazon? Examining Spatial Patterns

Abstract

Understanding forest fragmentation and deforestation patterns with respect to human presence and development is important for governing bodies to provide adequate protection for vulnerable tropical ecosystems. In recent decades, Brazil has seen increasing pressures to clear rainforest in the interior of the Brazilian Amazon through increased agricultural production and government infrastructure initiatives. As a result the area of cleared forest in Brazil is currently larger than France, and continues to increase annually. This project looks at the statistical relationships between forest fragmentation, deforestation rates, and census variables such as agricultural investment and population trends. Agricultural production and income can be linked to forest fragmentation and deforestation as more contemporary drivers.