Abstract
Despite the increasing prevalence of forest-cover change and conflicts, most studies have been unable to unravel the complex relations between the two processes. We attribute this failure to methodological limitations. We put forward an alternative approach that combines different datasets (remote sensing, GIS, local narratives, official censuses, newspaper articles), methods (spatial and relational analyses), and scales (subregions, economic sectors, land-based activities) to create a robust explanation of the relations between different intensities of forest-cover change and conflict in the Meseta Purepecha region, central Mexico. This is an important forest region, inhabited by indigenous and mestizo peasants; it has a worldwide reputation for community forestry and is also the epicenter of international avocado production. Forest-cover change is intense and there are recurrent episodes of conflict. We clustered communities in three subregions according to their patterns of forest-cover change. We analyzed the spatial patterns of forest-cover change and conflicts and we characterized the structure and function of the different economic sectors to unravel the nonlinear, interdependent (and sometimes contradictory) relations among these processes. We found that avocado production has differentially shaped the composition and working of society within each subregion, leading to three diverging patterns. Avocado production has provoked conflicts over landownership and over illegal logging in nearby areas. In some areas, a low incidence of conflicts over forest clearance might be explained by high profits, coercion, and violence. We suggest that, by combining spatial and relational analyses, we can integrate and check the congruence of nonequivalent representations from quantitative sources and observant participation at different scales and explain the heterogeneity that processes display across space. Our methodological approach can thus improve our understanding of similar and other complex and uncertain environmental problems elsewhere, especially when accurate or appropriate data are missing.
Highlights
Forest-cover change (FCC) and conflicts related to the access and use of forest resources have become increasingly apparent in this century (Koning et al 2008)
By combining spatial and relational analyses, we can integrate and check the congruence of nonequivalent representations from quantitative sources and observant participation at different scales and explain the heterogeneity that processes display across space
Some authors have argued that both FCC and conflicts are caused by mutually affecting factors operating at multiple scales, such as the expansion of cattle ranching fostered by increases in global meat demand, the historical agrarian struggles and violence in the Brazilian Amazon, and the combination of poverty and drug trafficking in Colombia and Mexico (O’Brien 1998, Rodrigues et al 2009, Hecht and Cockburn 2010)
Summary
Forest-cover change (FCC) and conflicts related to the access and use of forest resources have become increasingly apparent in this century (Koning et al 2008). The growing literature on the subject has put forward widely diverse theories to explain the relations between FCC and conflicts, and no agreement has been reached (Rustad et al 2008). Land tenure insecurity created by agrarian conflicts can encourage deforestation (Araujo et al 2009, Aldrich et al 2012). Some authors have argued that both FCC and conflicts are caused by mutually affecting factors operating at multiple scales, such as the expansion of cattle ranching fostered by increases in global meat demand, the historical agrarian struggles and violence in the Brazilian Amazon, and the combination of poverty and drug trafficking in Colombia and Mexico (O’Brien 1998, Rodrigues et al 2009, Hecht and Cockburn 2010)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
