PATTERNS AND IMPACTS OF DEFORESTATION IN RONDONIA, BRAZIL

Land development in the Brazilian Amazon has gone through phases of ru bber extraction, agricultural development, immigration, road expansion , and promotion of large enterprises in cattle ranching, timber extrac tion and mining. Land development patterns in the western state of Ron donia provide a place to focus on rapid development and its effects. T he expanding land-use activities in Rondonia have resulted in an incre ase in the human population and the rate of deforestation so that by 1 993 about 25% of the forest area had been cleared. In Rondonia the mai n activities responsible for the deforestation are small farmers, catt le ranchers, miners and loggers. The implications of the Rondonia Natu ral Resource Management Project (PLANAFLORO), which is just now being implemented, are critical to the future of the environment and economy of the region. (C) 1997 US Government. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.