Counterurbanization: A neglected pathway of forest transition

Abstract

Human settlement into rural areas (counterurbanization) is generating new patterns of reforestation, with distinctive features compared to the previously considered pathways of forest transition through ''economic development'' and ''forest scarcity''. Here, we discuss the specific features of this neglected pathway of forest recovery and describe the process with the support of study cases around the world. This pathway includes specific motivations (e.g., natural amenities, outdoor recreation), particular socio-economic processes, conflicts between newcomers and locals, and specific ecological outcomes (e.g., a larger proportion of non-native species in the new forests). Although this pathway locally affects small areas, as a widespread and expanding process around the world, counterurbanization could have a growing global effect, with the potential to modify biodiversity, ecosystem services, and cultural values. These novel characteristics should be further explored to better understand the patterns and processes of forest transitions in a context of a globally connected world.

Home garden mixed cropping practice by communities living on peatland in household’s income resilience and climate adaptation

“…Then, on cultivated land, construct secondary and tertiary drainage channels and ditches so that the land can be planted with food crops and does not experience prolonged flooding. According to Bhawana [32], immigrant communities are a significant factor influencing the use of natural resources, land use decisions, and land use transitions in an area and are frequently responsible for changes in land and forest landscapes to agriculture, habitation, and other uses [33].…”

Effects of counter-urbanization on Mediterranean rural landscapes

“…Very recently, an alternative pathway to the forest transition has been described, which has to do with counter-urbanization or the reverse migration phenomenon, from the city to the countryside (Jiménez et al 2022). These authors refer to peri-urbanization as the flow of outmigration of inhabitants settling in existing (and partially abandoned) rural nucleus or hamlets as opposed to the urban overspill that jointly takes place with urban migration and estate development widely studied in the 1980-1990s (Ravetz et al 2013;Serra et al 2014;Shaw et al 2020).…”

“…Often, counter-urbanization is linked to amenities, leisure activities, and second-home ownership that present rural environments as home places, even when no permanent relocation has taken place (Halfacree 2014). According to the global-scale study of Jiménez et al (2022), neo-rurals would favor the forest transition by moving to the countryside with an idyllic vision of nature, although often resulting in conflicts with the local population, not only because of the disparity of visions about the rural environment (Martín-Forés et al 2020;Elbakidze et al 2021) but also by generating an increase in land prices that expel the local population (rural gentrification). However, the movement of the population from the city to the countryside in the double aspect of urbanites seeking another type of life (Halfacree 2009) and foreign migrants settled in rural areas (Camarero et al 2009;Papadopoulos 2011;Sampedro and Camarero 2018), could also be a driver of rural development through several pathways: indirectly, by reinforcing local production through their consumption patterns, or directly, by them initiating agricultural activities, mainly part-time (Duguma et al 2021).…”

“…( 1234567890) such as Mediterranean ones (Concepción 2021). Besides the recently published work of Jiménez et al (2022), which presents a single case study in the Mediterranean basin, there is no other evidence at a global scale of the effects of counter-urbanization on the structure and configuration of landscapes and therefore on the functionality of SES. Thus, the scope and extent of this phenomenon in the Mediterranean basin are largely unknown.…”

Environmental and Economic Factors of Migration from Urban to Rural Areas: Evidence from Poland

“…outdoor recreation [88][89][90]; • high biodiversity [81]; • own garden [70], allowing for relaxation or pursuing one's passions, e.g., gardening [91]; • the attractiveness of the landscape, which can be a source of aesthetic experiences [92]; • quality of life [81].…”