Abstract ID: 596

Might Nearby Protected Areas Constrain Road Deforestation Impacts?

This presentation examines the impact on frontier deforestation of protected areas, and one key area in particular, the Chico Mendes reserve near to the InterOceanic Highway within the western Brazilian Amazon (near to the borders with both Peru and Bolivia). This reserve, established close to two decades ago, was consciously located near the road. Currently, various commentators have suggested that such reserves could affect new road impacts on deforestation, serving as a constraining ?buffer? upon the spread of clearing. Examining the forest within the reserve in the context of drivers in the surrounding region has the potential to inform forward looking speculation about limiting impacts of roads. Data points are pixels, to cover a significant area of the Western Amazon with precision, with the forest data over time derived from spatially detailed satellite measures of forest. The time period considered is 1989 through 2007, broken up roughly into two decades. The temporal coverage allows informative examination of dynamics changing over time. The spatial coverage permits a comparison of the difference between the Chico Mendes reserve and its surroundings with the difference between other protected areas and theirs. Using matching methods to ?compare apples to apples? in making such comparisons can provide improved estimates of whether and how much protection lowers deforestation. This provides a more robust basis for then comparing the Mendes with other reserves.

Session:  Public Policies and Sustainable Development - Policy scenarios for sustainable development.

Presentation Type:  Oral