Land-use change, and in particular tropical deforestation, is the leading cause of species extinctions globally, and is the second most important source of CO2 emissions after fossil fuel combustion. I examine two policy-relevant questions that relate to tropical deforestation and land use change: (1) At regional scales, what biophysical and infrastructure-related factors are associated with deforestation? and (2) At a local scale, what are some of the impacts of land use change on above- and below-ground carbon stocks and on tree-species richness? The first question was examined for the Brazilian Amazon through spatially-explicit correlation analyses of deforestation and a series of predictor variables that included highways and roads, annual rainfall, dry season length, soil characteristics, site accessibility, and population density. The proximity of a site to roads and highways was the strongest predictor of deforestation, with more accessible sites more likely to be deforested. Dry season length was also a strong, positive predictor of deforestation. The results suggest that current plans to expand road infrastructure in Amazonia will have a significant impact on the forests of the areas transected. / The second question was examined in the context of a 3,198 ha area in Eastern Panama that is managed collectively by an Indigenous Embera community.

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