Dynamics and patterns of deforestation in the western Amazon: the Nape deforestation front, 1986-1996

Although much emphasis has been given to the Brazilian Amazon in the analys is of tropical deforestation, information on other areas of the Amazon is s carce. This study examines the deforestation and level of forest fragmentat ion in one of the two deforestation fronts in the Amazon region outside Bra zil: the Nape region of western Amazonia. Data were generated using satelli te imagery for the years 1986 and 1996. Results show that while the extent and rate of deforestation in the region are important, they are less than p reviously reported. Forest fragmentation, however, adds a significant level of impact by affecting a very large proportion of the remaining forest cov er. Better understanding of the dynamics and patterns of deforestation at r egional, national and global levels requires the study of a representative number of areas. A regional focus, like that used here, facilitates this be cause most deforestation occurs in a small number of high-intensity defores tation fronts. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.