As little as 5 percent of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil may remain as pristine forest by 2020, according to a study published today in the journal Science. The researchers say that Brazil’s plan to invest $40 billion on development projects in the Amazon Basin will overwhelm conservation efforts. The 1.3 million-square-mile Amazon forest makes up 40 percent of the Earth’s remaining tropical rainforest, but the researchers fear that logging, oil exploration, roads, and new homes will devastate the area.
