Tropical ecologist William Laurance, Distinguished Research Professor at James Cook University in Cairns, Australia, has been watching roads grow and multiply in the Amazon region for decades. His studies show that as roads drive deeper into intact forest, increased habitat fragmentation takes a toll on biodiversity, more forest edges mean more drying and damage from fire, and more animals meet their deaths on rural highways. The threat is global: An estimated 70% of the world’s forests are now within 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) of a road—and road networks continue to expand, especially in developing countries. As director of Alert, an environmental research and advocacy group, Laurance has turned his attention to deforestation in places like Malaysia and Indonesia, and to the impact of Chinese development projects around the world. But he still keeps an eye on the Amazon, where he is concerned about continued road and dam construction, and about a Chinese proposal for a cross-continental railroad. He spoke by phone with EcoAméricas correspondent Barbara Fraser. [Log in to read more]

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