Amazon rainforest deforestation

Almost 10 per cent of clearing in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest is being driven by unregulated development around mine sites, a new study has found.

Key points:

 * 11,670 square-kilometres more forest cleared near mine sites
 * Plans are in motion to water down environmental regulations in Brazil
 * 'Pandora's box' effect leads to underestimating mining impact

Researchers analysed satellite data from 2005 to 2015, contrasting areas within a 70-kilometre radius of mine sites, with areas not proximal to mines.

In the study published today in Nature Communications, they found that an extra 11,670 square-kilometres of Amazon rainforest had been cleared where mines were within that radius.

Read more...http://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2017-10-18/amazon-rainforest-deforestation-mining/9057268