Reserves found to be ‘effective tool’ for reducing fires in Brazilian rainforests

Posted on Thursday, April 9th, 2009

By ahedgehog

DURHAM, NC – Rainforest reserves – even those disturbed by roads – provide an important buffer against fires that are devastating parts of the Brazilian Amazon, according to a new study by a trio of researchers at Duke University published April 8 in the open-access, peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE.

“Our findings show that reserves are making a difference even when they are crossed by roads,” said lead author, Marion Adeney, a PhD candidate at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment. “We already knew, from previous studies, that there were generally fewer fires inside reserves than outside – what we didn’t know was whether this holds true when you put a road across the reserve.”

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