Institutional Dimensions and Land-Cover Change: Regional and Local Variability in the Lower Amazon
Celia
R T
Futemma, PROCAM- UNIVERSIDADE DE SAO PAULO, cfutemma@indiana.edu
(Presenting)
Eduardo
Sonnewend
Brondizio, ACT-CIPEC, DEPTO DE ANTROPOLOGIA- UNIVERSIDADE DE INDIANA, ebrondiz@indiana.edu
Type of land and resource ownership--public, private or common has been recognized as a component of conservation and use of forests. We selected 14 areas of the Lower Amazon region to analyze inter- and intra-variations of land-cover changes across property regimes: public (n=3; total area of 490,716 ha), private (n=1,860; total area of 102,769 ha), and common (n=15; total area of 197,499 ha). In this paper we focus on three main issues. First, we look at the influence of different types of ownership upon land-use and land-cover (LUCC) trajectories between 1986 and 1999. Second, we look at variations in LUCC trajectories within each property regime. We examine factors such as rules of use, size of property, time of occupation and social group, and location. Finally, we pursue a methodological question, that is, to examine the influence of measurement unit upon the interpretation deforestation rates in the region. Particularly, we compare absolute (ha) and relative (%) measurements of deforestation and areas in use in relation to property size. Results show
that type of property regime alone does not guarantee conservation of forest. There exists great variability of land-use and land-cover forms across different types of ownership. Behind all types
of property regimes, two aspects are important that affect maintenance of forest coverage or facilitate deforestation:
adequate and efficient monitoring system and the economic role of forest for different group of actors. To conclude, strong governance in old and new frontiers and across properties--public, private and community--is fundamental to guarantee fairly economic return to local people and maintenance of natural vegetation.
Submetido por Celia Regina Tomiko Futemma em 16-MAR-2004