Reconstructing landscape histories and land use trajectories in Eastern Amazônia: Social, demographic, and economic dimensions of deforestation in comparative, multi-level perspective
This synthesis paper presents a comparative, multi-level analysis of land use trajectories in Eastern Amazônia. Emphasis is given to the analysis of factors affecting intra-regional variability in land use trajectories, such as the role of time of settlement, infrastructure change, land tenure and institutional arrangements, and economic incentives, particularly credit programs and market opportunities. Research sites discussed in the paper represent differences in historical occupation, social groups and population dynamics, land tenure, and environmental conditions. Three sites located in the state of Para are analyzed: Site 1. government colonization areas along the TransAmazon Highway west of Altamira, Site 2. Caboclo and colonist settlements, and large-scale farms along the Cuiabá-Santarém Highway, and Site 3. Caboclo community settlements in the Southeastern portion of the Amazon estuary. Building upon previous work at each site, the paper provides a synthesis based on the integration of historical remote sensing data (post-1969), vector layers for farm-lots, communities and settlements, survey and archival data, and ethnographic research. The colonization and land use history of each site is reconstructed at the levels of farm-lots (n=5,500), community areas (n=20), and whole settlements (n=5) based on a common timeframe for the three sites: 1970-72, 1975-76, 1978-79, 1985-86, 1991-92, 1995-96, and 2000-01). The paper provides a comparative analysis of deforestation and land use trajectories within and across sites since 1970 and examines the role of historical conditions and contemporary factors affecting these trajectories.