New roads open deforestation frontiers that fan deep into intact forest
A single access road lets loggers, settlers, and hunters penetrate what was previously days of trail travel. Secondary spurs then branch, producing the classic fishbone pattern of clearing visible from space.
Most tropical deforestation still clusters near roads within a few kilometers; beyond that, intact canopy often persists until the next cut arrives. Road planning is therefore habitat planning whether labeled so or not.
Deforestation follows pavement. The first bulldozer track is often the ecological decision that decides which forest remains remote — and which becomes a frontier.
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