Humans as agents of change in forest landscapes

Abstract

Forest systems play a crucial role in biogeochemical cycling and provide a variety of ecosystem services at multiple scales. Considerable progress has been made in understanding the dynamics of tropical and temperate deforestation and land-use and cover change. However, less attention has been dedicated to understanding the social and biophysical conditions under which reforestation occurs. Recent research documents the experiences of many countries that have undergone transitions from a period of high deforestation to a period of declining deforestation or even net reforestation. However, these transitions take place across a range of temporal and spatial scales. Here, we review global forest-cover trends and social processes affecting forest cover and then focus on a comparison of reforestation in Chapter 4

Socioeconomic Factors and Native Vegetation Cover in Rural Lands in São Paulo State, Brazil

“…The results contribute to understand the current state of land use in rural properties in the state of São Paulo as well as the potential effects of size, economic activity and social group on the conservation of native vegetation in the properties. We found that native vegetation cover in rural lands of São Paulo is generally very low, corroborating results in other spatial research scales (CALABONI et al, 2018;FARINACI et al, 2014;PIVELLO, 2009).…”

“…METZGER; PERES, 2010), being more suitable to ecological restoration (FARINACI et al, 2014). However, large farms are directly related to global commodity markets, which promote deforestation in the tropics (DEFRIES et al, 2010).…”

“…Land management decisions also reflect the diversity of values, attitudes, and motivations of landowners (FARINACI et al, 2014). Variations in cultural, historical and economic aspects characterize the diversity of rural social groups, which materialize different forms of territory appropriation (BRONDÍZIO et al, 2009).…”

Forest landscape ecology and global change: what are the next steps?

“…Iverson et al (2014) They are also affected by different drivers, such as climate change. Farinaci et al (2014) discuss this in Chapter 4 of this book. Biodiversity, even more than other ecosystem and landscape components, has been affected by forest landscape changes of many different types and origins, and potentially in irreversible ways in some parts of the world.…”

“…More importantly, we lack a full understanding of the complex feedback loops among the drivers of change and their effects. Farinaci et al (2014) discuss this in Chapter 4 of this book. Furthermore, the lack of knowledge of carbon distribution, temporal changes in this distribution, and the underlying regulatory mechanisms for many ecosystem components limits our understanding of carbon cycles.…”