1. Population and deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon: a mediating perspective and a mixed-method analysis.
- Author
-
Sydenstricker-Neto, John
- Subjects
DEFORESTATION ,POPULATION & the environment ,MIXED methods research ,LAND use ,FUZZY sets - Abstract
As progress is made in understanding the dynamics of land-use and land-cover change (LUCC), arguments that view population pressure as one of the major factors affecting forest destruction continue to be framed. Following the advances in the field of population-environment studies, this paper contends that a full account of the complex web of drivers involved in tropical deforestation needs to go beyond demographics per se. This paper examines the contribution of the 'population factor' as a cause of deforestation in Machadinho D'Oeste, Rondônia, Brazilian Amazonia, an area with significant small-scale farming. Conceptually, the paper shows that socioeconomic status and mediating factors (i.e., education, managerial skills, previous rural experience, integration into the local, and regional contexts), and attitudes and behaviors toward the land parcel development mediate migrants' relationships with the local environment. The analysis combines multiple data sources (i.e., demographic census, household survey, land-cover maps, in-depth interviews) and analytical approaches (i.e., fuzzy sets statistics, remote-sensing/GIS analysis, interpretivist qualitative assessment) to examine the complex interrelationships between LUCC and human population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2012
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