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Deforestation Causes A Rondônia, Brazil story

Forests
  1. Earthshots
  2. Rondônia, Brazil
  3. Deforestation Causes
Description

The primary cause of this deforestation is conversion to cropland and pasture. But the reasons for this conversion are varied.

Countries that have extensive tracts of rain forest build roads into remote areas to improve transportation of goods. Legal and illegal logging follows the road expansion. Once an area is logged, it becomes a prime location for agricultural development, which further clears the surrounding forest. These cleared areas are also prone to wildfires, which can further degrade the forest.

Governments sometimes encourage the development of the rain forest with subsidies and tax breaks. Pressure from the global market for timber and soybeans drives the agricultural development.

View Related Imagery & Stories

Location

June 19, 1975, Landsat 2 (path/row 249/67) — Deforestation, Rondônia, Brazil

June 19, 1975, Landsat 2 (path/row 249/67) — Deforestation, Rondônia, Brazil

June 24, 1984, Landsat 5 (path/row 232/67) — Deforestation, Rondônia, Brazil

June 24, 1984, Landsat 5 (path/row 232/67) — Deforestation, Rondônia, Brazil

July 16, 1986, Landsat 5 (path/row 232/67) — Deforestation, Rondônia, Brazil

July 16, 1986, Landsat 5 (path/row 232/67) — Deforestation, Rondônia, Brazil

June 22, 1992, Landsat 4 (path/row 232/67) — Deforestation, Rondônia, Brazil

June 22, 1992, Landsat 4 (path/row 232/67) — Deforestation, Rondônia, Brazil

Aug. 10, 2001, Landsat 5 (path/row 232/67) — Deforestation, Rondônia, Brazil

Aug. 10, 2001, Landsat 5 (path/row 232/67) — Deforestation, Rondônia, Brazil

July 5, 2011, Landsat 5 (path/row 232/67) — Deforestation, Rondônia, Brazil

July 5, 2011, Landsat 5 (path/row 232/67) — Deforestation, Rondônia, Brazil

July 18, 2016, Landsat 8 (path/row 232/67) — Deforestation, Rondônia, Brazil

July 18, 2016, Landsat 8 (path/row 232/67) — Deforestation, Rondônia, Brazil

July 27, 2019, Landsat 8 (path/row 232/67) — Deforestation, Rondônia, Brazil

July 27, 2019, Landsat 8 (path/row 232/67) — Deforestation, Rondônia, Brazil

June 19, 1975, Landsat 2 (path/row 249/67) — Deforestation, Rondônia, Brazil
June 24, 1984, Landsat 5 (path/row 232/67) — Deforestation, Rondônia, Brazil
July 16, 1986, Landsat 5 (path/row 232/67) — Deforestation, Rondônia, Brazil
June 22, 1992, Landsat 4 (path/row 232/67) — Deforestation, Rondônia, Brazil
Aug. 10, 2001, Landsat 5 (path/row 232/67) — Deforestation, Rondônia, Brazil
July 5, 2011, Landsat 5 (path/row 232/67) — Deforestation, Rondônia, Brazil
July 18, 2016, Landsat 8 (path/row 232/67) — Deforestation, Rondônia, Brazil
July 27, 2019, Landsat 8 (path/row 232/67) — Deforestation, Rondônia, Brazil

Rondônia, Brazil Additional Imagery & Stories

Animation
Animation

Play this animation to see the change in this area happen from 1975 to 2017. The animation uses a Landsat image from most of the years in this time pe...

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Ariquemes
Ariquemes

The early images show main roads cutting through the forest. Highway 421 snakes through the forest south-southwest from the city of Ariquemes, and Hig...

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