Changing Drivers of Deforestation and New Opportunities for Conservation

Rudel, Thomas K.; DeFries, Ruth; Asner, Gregory P.; Laurance, William F.

doi:10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01332.x

Cited by 499 publications

(359 citation statements)

References 41 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

318

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Production of commodities for international export and distal, urban consumption have become dominant drivers of deforestation in the 2000s in many tropical countries [35,36]. Land-use dynamics in Mato Grosso clearly fit this emerging pattern.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Export-oriented deforestation in Mato Grosso: harbinger or exception for other tropical forests?

DeFries

Herold

Verchot

et al. 2013

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Brazilian state of Mato Grosso was a global deforestation hotspot in the early 2000s. Deforested land is used predominantly to produce meat for distal consumption either through cattle ranching or soya bean for livestock feed. Deforestation declined dramatically in the latter part of the decade through a combination of market forces, policies, enforcement and improved monitoring. This study assesses how representative the national-level drivers underlying Mato Grosso's export-oriented deforestation are in other tropical forest countries based on agricultural exports, commercial agriculture and urbanization. We also assess how pervasive the governance and technical monitoring capacity that enabled Mato Grosso's decline in deforestation is in other countries. We find that between 41 and 54 per cent of 2000–2005 deforestation in tropical forest countries (other than Brazil) occurred in countries with drivers similar to Brazil. Very few countries had national-level governance and capacity similar to Brazil. Results suggest that the ecological, hydrological and social consequences of land-use change for export-oriented agriculture as discussed in this Theme Issue were applicable in about one-third of all tropical forest countries in 2000–2005. However, the feasibility of replicating Mato Grosso's success with controlling deforestation is more limited. Production landscapes to support distal consumption similar to Mato Grosso are likely to become more prevalent and are unlikely to follow a land-use transition model with increasing forest cover.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Export-oriented deforestation in Mato Grosso: harbinger or exception for other tropical forests?

DeFries

Herold

Verchot

et al. 2013

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The intensity of tropical land conversion and rates of regeneration varies both spatially and temporally as influenced by a range of biophysical and human drivers, from local soil properties, density of paved roads and management practices [10][11][12] to the global demand for commodities [13,14]. Although LUCC in the tropics is frequently related to population growth [5,15], the underlying causes of this process are mainly political and socio-economic [1,15,16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding patterns of land-cover change in the Brazilian Cerrado from 2000 to 2015

Espírito-Santo

Leite

Silva

et al. 2016

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Clearing tropical vegetation impacts biodiversity, the provision of ecosystem services, and thus ultimately human welfare. We quantified changes in land cover from 2000 to 2015 across the Cerrado biome of northern Minas Gerais state, Brazil. We assessed the potential biophysical and socio-economic drivers of the loss of Cerrado, natural regeneration and net cover change at the municipality level. Further, we evaluated correlations between these land change variables and indicators of human welfare. We detected extensive land-cover changes in the study area, with the conversion of 23 446 km 2 and the natural regeneration of 13 926 km 2 , resulting in a net loss of 9520 km 2 . The annual net loss (−1.2% per year) of the cover of Cerrado is higher than that reported for the whole biome in similar periods. We argue that environmental and economic variables interact to underpin rates of conversion of Cerrado, most severely affecting more humid Cerrado lowlands. While rates of Cerrado regeneration are important for conservation strategies of the remaining biome, their integrity must be investigated given the likelihood of encroachment. Given the high frequency of land abandonment in tropical regions, secondary vegetation is fundamental to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem services. Finally, the impacts of Cerrado conversion on human welfare likely vary from local to regional scales, making it difficult to elaborate land-use policies based solely on socio-economic indicators. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Tropical grassy biomes: linking ecology, human use and conservation’.

show abstract

“…Recent evidence shows that in areas with a high rate of deforestation, commercial farmers are the main agents of deforestation (Adams et al 2013;Lininger 2011;Mertz 2009;Rudel et al 2009;Seidenberg et al 2003). In areas with low deforestation rates, however, small farmers and subsistence shifting cultivation are seen as the major contributors (Damnyag et al 2013;Geist and Lambin 2002;Lininger 2011;Rudel et al 2010;Shearman et al 2009).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Expansion of traditional land-use and deforestation: a case study of an adat forest in the Kandilo Subwatershed, East Kalimantan, Indonesia

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Deforestation issues are more problematic when indigenous (adat) communities, living within a forest, have lived there for many generations. These adat communities, who employ traditional land-use, are frequently accused of encroaching on the forest. To understand existing and future trends in the spatial patterns of the expansion of traditional land-use and deforestation, we conducted a case study in the Kandilo Subwatershed using mixed methods with image interpretation, spatial modelling and sociocultural surveys to examine the interrelationships between physical conditions, community characteristics and traditional land-use expansion. We investigated community characteristics through household interviews, communication with key informants, and discussions with focus groups. By using an area production model, we were able to analyze the effect of improved farming systems, policy intervention and law enforcement on traditional land-use expansion and deforestation. Based on our examination of a 20-year period of traditional land-use activities in adat forests, the evidence indicated that the steeper the slope of the land and the farther the distance from the village, the lower the rate of deforestation. Our study found that customary law, regulating traditional land-use, played an important role in controlling deforestation and land degradation. We conclude that the integration of land allocation, improved farming practices and enforcement of customary law are effective measures to improve traditional land productivity while avoiding deforestation and land degradation.

show abstract

Changing Drivers of Deforestation and New Opportunities for Conservation

Cited by 499 publications

References 41 publications

Export-oriented deforestation in Mato Grosso: harbinger or exception for other tropical forests?

Export-oriented deforestation in Mato Grosso: harbinger or exception for other tropical forests?

Understanding patterns of land-cover change in the Brazilian Cerrado from 2000 to 2015

Expansion of traditional land-use and deforestation: a case study of an adat forest in the Kandilo Subwatershed, East Kalimantan, Indonesia

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About