Home

The Path to our Next Pandemic
Emerging challenges for sustainable development and forest conservation in Sarawak, Borneo.
How is mining helping to destroy the Amazon?
Why Is Green Energy Destroying the Amazon?
Slide 1 - copy

Massive new highways will pose unprecedented environmental, social, and economic risks to some of the earths last intact tropical wilderness.

previous arrow
next arrow

Global Road Maps

At James Cook University, we work with governments, research groups and local communities in developing countries, promoting smarter development that is better for both people and nature.

See Our Maps
Publications

Read key interviews and publications in Mongabay, Nature, Science, Current Biology & many more. View our articles in The New York Times, The Conversation, Australian Geographic & more.

Click Here
Presentations

View a selection of the presentations our researchers have given to promote the benefits of sustainable infrastructure to governments, research groups, and local communities.

Click Here

Key facts about roads:

  • The 21st century is seeing an unprecedented expansion of roads
  • At least 25 million kilometers of new roads are expected worldwide by 2050—enough to circle the Earth over 600 times
  • 90% of all road construction is occurring in developing nations, including many regions with exceptional biodiversity and vital ecosystem services
  • Roads penetrating into Earth’s remaining wildernesses are a major driver of habitat loss and fragmentation, wildfires, overhunting, and other environmental degradation
  • Much road construction is chaotic or poorly planned
  • Not all roads are environmentally detrimental
  • Roads or road improvements in areas where most native vegetation has already been removed, and where farming yields are low, can help to improve agriculture and local livelihoods with limited environmental costs
5-Logging-Road-in-Western-Province-a