Monitoring Human Vulnerability In The Amazon

An extensive literature has implicated road construction and presence to be associated with adverse impacts on human health and well-being, particularly in tropical environments. The influence of roads in the Amazon directly and indirectly impacts health through mediation of human exposure to infectious diseases, altering nutritional status, changing health behaviors, and facilitating resource extractive activities (gas exploration, gold mining) that increase exposures to mercury and other chemicals. While the adverse effects of roads usually are experienced during early settlement and construction, improvements in road infrastructure may ultimately lead to greater access to health, social and economic infrastructure. However, in the Amazon, this transition has been historically slow, as settlers often confront uncertain land tenure policies, rising population pressure from high fertility and migration, and poor health. Furthermore, changes in vulnerability as roads develop have not been studied from a br...