Agricultural intensification, deforestation and the environment: assessing tradeoffs in Sumatra, Indonesia.

Abstract

The chapter reports on empirical results from study sites on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. The area was chosen to represent the lowland humid tropical forest zone in Asia for the global Alternatives to Slash and Burn project (ASB). The 'ASB matrix' of indicators is applied to a series of crop monoculture, agroforestry and forest management land uses in Sumatra. The ASB research in Indonesia is distinguished by including analysis of large estates as well as smallholder activities. At least six distinct interest groups have a stake in the trajectory of land-use in Sumatra, but there are crucial differences among them in the weights they place on the various economic and environmental outcomes of forest conversion.

Assessing stakeholders' perceptions and values towards social-ecological systems using participatory methods

“…These correspond with the findings of scientific studies that show how rubber agroforests' functions resemble those of secondary forests' (Long and Nair 1999;Beukema et al 2007;Gouyon et al 1993;Tomich et al 2001). Furthermore, the role-playing games highlighted the differences in land-use preferences between females and males -that females preferred more profitable land uses (e.g., oil palm) while males preferred forest and rubber agroforests (Villamor et al 2013).…”

Negotiation Support Models for Integrated Natural Resource Management in Tropical Forest Margins

“…The main conclusions of the research in Indonesia (van Noordwijk et al 1995, Tomich et al 2001) have been:…”

“…Unfortunately, this relationship applies particularly to indigenous trees, rather than to introduced species. There has been much debate on the conditions under which the availability of options for more intensive use of agricultural or degraded lands can reduce the pressures on forest conversion (Jepma 1995, Kaimowitz and Angelsen 1998, Tomich et al 2001. The "Alternatives to Slash-and-Burn" program was built on the expectation that such a relation indeed exists.…”

Policy responses to complex environmental problems: insights from a science–policy activity on transboundary haze from vegetation fires in Southeast Asia

“…One way to do this is to explore the tradeoffs for different land-use systems when public and private concerns are compared (see Tomich et al, 2001).…”