Implications of Land-Grabbing on the Ecological Balance of Brazil

Luca Coscieme,Nadia Marchettini,Federico Pulselli,Paul Sutton,Biagio Giannetti,Valentina Niccolucci

doi:10.3390/resources7030044

Abstract

In the global free-market, natural resource scarcity and opportunities for preserving the local environment are fostering international purchasing of large extensions of land, mainly for agricultural use. These land transactions often involve land cover change (i.e., through deforestation) or a shift from extensive or traditional to intensive agricultural practices. In Brazil, the land appropriation by foreign investors (i.e., the so-called “land-grabbing”) is affecting natural capital availability for local communities to a different extent in the very different territorial entities. At the same time, Brazilian investors are purchasing land in other countries. Ecological footprint accounting is one appropriate lens that can be employed to visualize the aggregated effect of natural capital appropriation and use. The aim of this paper is to provide a first estimate on the effect of land-grabbing on the ecological balance of Brazil through calculating the biocapacity embodied in purchased lands in the different states of Brazil. The results show that Brazil is losing between 9 to 9.3 million global hectares (on a gross basis, or a net total of 7.7 to 8.6 million of global hectares) of its biocapacity due to land-grabbing, when considering respectively a “cropland to cropland” (i.e., no land-cover change) and a “total deforestation” scenario. This represents a minimum estimate, highlighting the need for further land-grabbing data collection at the subnational scale. This analysis can be replicated for other countries of the world, adjusting their ecological balance by considering the biocapacity embodied in international transactions of land.

Highlights

Natural resource scarcity alters global trade dynamics with local and global environmental and socio-economic repercussions [1,2]
The per capita ecological reserve of Brazil has declined by 20% in the last 60 years, according to ecological footprint accounting
In order for this value to be sustained over time, natural capital in Brazil needs to be protected to some extent through conservation policies, ensuring the option of local land management practices and accessibility to land by local and indigenous communities [38]

Summary

Introduction

Natural resource scarcity alters global trade dynamics with local and global environmental and socio-economic repercussions [1,2]. Inequalities between and within countries and the rules of the global market are shaping a geography where rich investors acquire resources located in low-income countries or regions [3,4,5]. This regards a vast range of resources, from fossil to nuclear fuels, to rare earths and metals used in the high-tech and mobile phone industry. These investments in land often occur without consulting or sharing the benefits with current land users and local communities, which is why they are commonly referred to as “land-grabbing” by the media, international organization reports, and in the scientific literature [10,11,12]

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Conclusion