The threat of road expansion in the Peruvian Amazon

Abstract

The construction of roads and other large-scale infrastructure projects, and the secondary impacts they precipitate, are among the key drivers of change in tropical forests. The proposed expansion of a road in the buffer zones of Peru's Manu National Park and Amarakaeri Communal Reserve, in the country's Amazon region, threatens biodiversity and indigenous communities in one of the world's most species-rich and environmentally sensitive rainforest areas. In particular, road expansion is likely to result in uncontrolled colonization, deforestation, and the illicit extraction of timber and other natural resources, as well as an increase in social conflict between resource extractors and indigenous communities. Furthermore, the development of infrastructure in the Manu region puts at risk Peru's international commitments regarding climate change by promoting, rather than avoiding, forest loss. A number of viable alternatives to further road expansion are available to achieve economic development and improved mobility in Manu, including agricultural intensification, improved land-use planning, and a less invasive transportation infrastructure. Given the growth in the global road network expected in the coming decades, as well as the common factors underlying the expansion of such infrastructure across tropical, developing countries, the issues surrounding road expansion in Manu and the compromise solutions that we propose are broadly applicable to efforts to achieve sustainable development in other remote, tropical regions.

Global change biology: A primer

“…Roads into undisturbed landscapes can also initiate extensive land use change. They do not initially alter the overall nature of the landscape, but can become access corridors for poachers, invasive species, and squatters (Gallice, Larrea‐Gallegos, & Vázquez‐Rowe, ; Laurance & Arrea, ). In forested areas where vacation homes are developed, the natural beauty of the landscape appears intact and is highly desired; however, the introduction of vacation homes initiates cryptic change that erodes the natural diversity of the landscape over time (Baldwin, Trombulak, & Baldwin, ; Warren et al, ).…”

Collaborative Governance and Conflict Management: Lessons Learned and Good Practices from a Case Study in the Amazon Basin

“…The 402,336-hectare Amarakaeri Communal Reserve ( Figure 1) was established in 2000 in the Madre de Dios Department of Peru to protect the Madre de Dios and Karene watersheds, ensure the stability of the area's forest ecosystems and biodiversity, and safeguard the cultural heritage of the native Harakbut, Yine and Matsiguenka communities (SERNANP 2016). The reserve and surrounding buffer zone encompass a mixture of overlapping land tenure, traditional claims, and disparities in natural resource access that contributed to several conflicts in the region, including around mining (Bedoya 2004;Finer and Novoa 2017), oil and gas development (Haselip and Mart ınez Romera 2011), infrastructure (Gallice, Larrea-Gallegos, and Vazquez-Rowe 2017), and economic and natural resource access (Fisher, Arora, and Rhee 2018). There are several common drivers underlying many of the region's conflicts, such as issues of appropriate stakeholder consultation and ineffective inclusion of, and participation by, indigenous groups in natural resource governance ( Alvarez et al 2008;Haselip 2011).…”

A better Amazon road network for people and the environment

“…If the current trend in agricultural expansion continues, 40% of Amazonian forest will be eliminated by 2050 (9). Expansion of the road network, including both official and unofficial roads, into formerly inaccessible areas is a key driver of this change (10,11). There is a consensus in the literature that the transportation network plays, and will continue to play, a direct and indirect role in future deforestation in the region (10,(12)(13)(14).…”

“…There is a consensus in the literature that the transportation network plays, and will continue to play, a direct and indirect role in future deforestation in the region (10,(12)(13)(14). Road-driven clearing is associated with biodiversity loss, displacement of indigenous communities, and increased greenhouse gas emissions and reduced carbon storage (11)(12)(13)(14)(15). Roads also increase land values in adjacent areas, which in turn drives speculation and deforestation in order to establish and maintain land tenure (16).…”