COLLEGE PARK, Md., Sept. 6 (UPI) -- A U.S. study of Amazon deforestation in Brazil shows a shift from historic uses of cattle ranching and farming to large-scale agriculture.
The study, conducted in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, showed direct conversion of forest to cropland in the state totaled more than 2,000 square miles during 2001-2004, peaking in 2003 at 23 percent of all deforestation.
The University of Maryland-led study found clearings for cropland averaged twice the size of clearings for pasture. Conversion occurred rapidly, with more than 90 percent of clearings for cropland planted during the first year following deforestation.
"There has been a lot of debate recently about the role of large-scale agriculture in Amazon deforestation," said University of Maryland geographer Ruth DeFries, who led the study. "This study on one hand refutes the claim that agricultural intensification does not cause new deforestation. On the other hand, it shows that clearing for pasture rather than intensive mechanized agriculture remains the dominant cause of deforestation in the state of Mato Grosso."
The research is detailed in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
