Vulnerabilities and Threats to Natural Forest Regrowth: Land Tenure Reform, Land Markets, Pasturelands, Plantations, and Urbanization in Indigenous Communities in Mexico

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1340
Author(s):  
Elena Lazos-Chavero ◽  
Paula Meli ◽  
Consuelo Bonfil
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Tenure ◽  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Forest Conservation ◽  
Biosphere Reserve ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Landscape Restoration ◽  
Peasant Communities ◽  
Tenure Reform ◽  
Biological Corridor

Despite the economic and social costs of national and international efforts to restore millions of hectares of deforested and degraded landscapes, results have not met expectations due to land tenure conflicts, land-use transformation, and top-down decision-making policies. Privatization of land, expansion of cattle raising, plantations, and urbanization have created an increasingly competitive land market, dispossessing local communities and threatening forest conservation and regeneration. In contrast to significant investments in reforestation, natural regrowth, which could contribute to landscape regeneration, has not been sufficiently promoted by national governments. This study analyzes socio-ecological and economic vulnerabilities of indigenous and other peasant communities in the Mexican states of Veracruz, Chiapas, and Morelos related to the inclusion of natural regeneration in their forest cycles. While these communities are located within protected areas (Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve, Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve, El Tepozteco National Park, and Chichinautzin Biological Corridor), various threats and vulnerabilities impede natural regeneration. Although landscape restoration involves complex political, economic, and social relationships and decisions by a variety of stakeholders, we focus on communities’ vulnerable land rights and the impacts of privatization on changes in land use and forest conservation. We conclude that the social, economic, political, and environmental vulnerabilities of the study communities threaten natural regeneration, and we explore necessary changes for incorporating this process in landscape restoration.

A planning support system for rangeland allocation in Iran with case study of Chadegan sub-region

2004 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 225 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Farahpour ◽  
H. van Keulen ◽  
M. A. Sharifi ◽  
M. Bassiri
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Tenure ◽  
Support System ◽  
Land Evaluation ◽  
Local Planning ◽  
Tenure Reform ◽  
Planning Support ◽  
Planning Support System ◽  
The Status ◽  
Land Improvement

Overgrazing and untimely grazing are common on rangelands in Iran often because of land tenure ambiguities. For the same reason a considerable portion of the rangelands has been converted into farmland for rainfed cereal production. As a result, these rangelands are experiencing land degradation under the increasing pressure to support a growing population of people and livestock. Land tenure reform is perceived as one approach to improving the use and condition of Iranian rangelands. Changes in land tenure involve very complex decision-making that should lead to sustainable use of the land and contribute to the sustainable livelihood of present and future generations. This paper describes a planning support system developed for rangeland allocation in Iran to support the tenure-reform process. The system is composed of three modules: land evaluation module, district planning module and local planning module. The land evaluation module works in a GIS environment and uses the FAO methodology for land evaluation, with emphasis on biophysical characteristics of the land-use system. Socio-economic factors in terms of the effect of human intervention on the current status of the land have also been taken into account. The district planning module comprises three sub-modules: planning sub-module, grazing sub-module, and a multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) sub-module. The planning sub-module is an optimisation model that examines the degree of realisation of various objectives of stakeholders and generates alternative solutions. For each alternative, the grazing capacity of the land is assessed (grazing sub-module). The MCE sub-module ranks the alternative solutions, taking into account their advantages and disadvantages. The outcome is a pattern of land use consistent with existing government policies and satisfying the needs and desires of the local population. The local planning module also comprises three sub-modules: land allocation sub-module, economically viable grazing enterprise sub-module, and a land improvement planning sub-module. The land allocation sub-module transforms the district land-use pattern into a local land-use plan. The economically viable grazing enterprise sub-module determines the appropriate size of the land holding for each household on each land-mapping unit. Finally, the land improvement planning sub-module provides information on the status and impact of the land improvement program. This planning support system has been applied to the Chadegan sub-region in Iran to illustrate its potential as a decision-making tool. Three scenarios were defined at district level, in addition to the status quo: maximum benefit for farm households; minimum government subsidies; and maximum land cover, emphasizing environmental goals. Results suggest that maximum land cover is the preferred scenario with the highest income and carrying capacity, and lowest level of subsidisation. However, since it eliminates wheat production, this scenario it culturally less attractive.

scholarly journals Mapping Land Suitability to Guide Landscape Restoration in the Amazon

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 368
Author(s):  
René Poccard-Chapuis ◽  
Sophie Plassin ◽  
Reinis Osis ◽  
Daniel Pinillos ◽  
Gustavo Martinez Pimentel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Land Tenure ◽  
Forest Restoration ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Land Suitability ◽  
Landscape Restoration ◽  
Design Assessment ◽  
Ecosystem Services Mapping

Beyond reducing deforestation, the control of forest degradation, the promotion of forest restoration, and the improvement of agricultural practices in the Brazilian Amazon are becoming increasingly important for sustainable development. To enable farmers and authorities to organize their landscapes and optimize both agricultural practices and the provision of ecosystem services, mapping land suitability is essential, but it is lacking in the region. In this paper, we present a method for mapping land suitability at a fine scale (30-m pixels), adapted to the needs of farmers and municipalities, to not only optimize agricultural production but also the ecosystem services provided by forests. We used topographic data from the Brazilian municipality of Paragominas to produce four maps, one each of soil texture, slope, floodplains, and hydrography, that we then combined into a single land suitability map. This map has been incorporated into a spatial database, which also contains information on land use, remoteness, and land tenure. We performed spatial analyses to measure the process of land use change, and to define indicators that enable local stakeholders to organize landscape restoration. We highlight an organic link between agricultural intensification and forest restoration, and provide a spatial tool for landscape design, assessment, and monitoring.

scholarly journals Grassroots and Global Governance: Can Global–Local Linkages Foster Food System Resilience for Small Northern Canadian Communities?

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2415
Author(s):  
Carla Johnston ◽  
Andrew Spring
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Governance ◽  
Land Tenure ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Global Network ◽  
Global Networks

Communities in Canada’s Northwest Territories (NWT) are at the forefront of the global climate emergency. Yet, they are not passive victims; local-level programs are being implemented across the region to maintain livelihoods and promote adaptation. At the same time, there is a recent call within global governance literature to pay attention to how global policy is implemented and affecting people on the ground. Thinking about these two processes, we ask the question: (how) can global governance assist northern Indigenous communities in Canada in reaching their goals of adapting their food systems to climate change? To answer this question, we argue for a “community needs” approach when engaging in global governance literature and practice, which puts community priorities and decision-making first. As part of a collaborative research partnership, we highlight the experiences of Ka’a’gee Tu First Nation, located in Kakisa, NWT, Canada. We include their successes of engaging in global network building and the systemic roadblock of lack of formal land tenure. Moreover, we analyze potential opportunities for this community to engage with global governance instruments and continue connecting to global networks that further their goals related to climate change adaptation and food sovereignty.

scholarly journals Land Use Spatial Optimization for Sustainable Wood Utilization at the Regional Level: A Case Study from Vietnam

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 245
Author(s):  
Nguyen Dang Cuong ◽  
Köhl Michael ◽  
Mues Volker
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Forest Plantations ◽  
Land Resource ◽  
Forest Landscape ◽  
Timber Supply ◽  
Landscape Restoration ◽  
Forest Landscape Restoration ◽  
Wood Utilization

Forest landscape restoration is a widely accepted approach to sustainable forest management. In addition to revitalizing degraded sites, forest landscape restoration can increase the supply of sustainable timber and thereby reduce logging in natural forests. The current study presents a spatial land use optimization model and utilizes a linear programming algorithm that integrates timber production and timber processing chains to meet timber demand trade-offs and timber supply. The objective is to maximize yield and profit from forest plantations under volatile timber demands. The model was parameterized for a case study in Thai Nguyen Province, Vietnam, where most forest plantations grow Acacia mangium (A. mangium). Data were obtained from field surveys on tree growth, as well as from questionnaires to collect social-economic information and determine the timber demand of local wood processing mills. The integration of land use and wood utilization approaches reduces the amount of land needed to maintain a sustainable timber supply and simultaneously leads to higher yields and profits from forest plantations. This forest management solution combines economic and timber yield aspects and promotes measures focused on economic sustainability and land resource efficiency.

Rubber specialization vs crop diversification: the roles of perceived risks

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 188-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shi Min ◽  
Jikun Huang ◽  
Hermann Waibel
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Tenure ◽  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Household Wealth ◽  
Environmental Conservation ◽  
Crop Diversification ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Entry Points ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of farmers’ risk perceptions regarding rubber farming on their land use choices, including rubber specialization and crop diversification. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional survey data of some 600 smallholder rubber farmers in Xishuangbanna in Southwest China is employed. This paper develops a general conceptual framework that incorporates a subjective risk item into a model of farmers’ land use choices, thereby developing four econometric models to estimate the role of risk perceptions, and applies instrumental variables to control for the endogeneity of risk perceptions. Findings The results demonstrate that risk perceptions play an important role in smallholders’ decision-making regarding land use strategies to address potential risks in rubber farming. Smallholders with higher risk perceptions specialize in rubber farming less often and are more likely to diversify their land use, thereby contributing to local environmental conservation in terms of agrobiodiversity. The land use choices of smallholder rubber farmers are also associated with ethnicity, household wealth, off-farm employment, land tenure status, altitude and rubber farming experience. Originality/value This study contributes to a better understanding of the implications of farmers’ risk perceptions and shows entry points for improving the sustainability of rubber-based land use systems.

Main trends and problems of spatial development of agricultural land use and land tenure in the Non-Chernozem Economic Zone of Russia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.A. Polunin ◽  
V.V. Alakoz
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Tenure ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Spatial Development ◽  
Agricultural Land Use ◽  
Economic Zone

The article sets out the main goals, objectives and priorities of the spatial development of agricultural land use and land tenure in the territories of the Non-Black Earth Economic Zone. The principles, main directions and scenarios of the spatial development of agricultural land use are given. The greatest attention is paid to the mechanisms of spatial development of agricultural land use.

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