Modeling Effects of Land Management in the Brazilian Amazonian Settlement of Rondônia

Abstract

The socioeconomic and ecological aspects of land. use change are interrelated, especially in the Brazilian Amazorg where immigrants are rapidly cutting the forest to establish farm~ A computer simulation has been developed that projects iand-use changeg carbon releas¢ and the time a family can remain on a farm lot as a function of initial soil and vegetation condition~ market and road infrastruc-tur~ and decision vartablex The model simulates extremes of land-use practices and typical land-use conditions for central Rond6ni~ Brazil Typical land-use practices in Ron-dOnia are based on published accounts of farmers" activitie£ The most severe practices are defined based on extreme landmanagement conditions along the Transamazon Highway, The best land.use practices are innovative farming techniques that use a diversity of perennial crop~ Model projections using the typical land-use scenario produce changes in land cleare~ carbon relea$¢ and farmer turnover rates rep.

A Biodiversity Assessment of Bats (Chiroptera) in a Tropical Lowland Rainforest of Central Amazonia, Including Methodological and Conservation Considerations

“…is becoming increasingly important. In this context, detailed studies on the diversity of local species assemblages are crucial, particularly in forests that are seriously affected by the continuing increase of the human population and consequent urbanization and land conversion processes (Dale et al, 1994;Ferreira & Laurance, 1996;Granjon et al, 1996;Whitmore, 1997;Gascon & Lovejoy, 1998;Laurance et al, 1998). Studies on diversity related to conservation issues are needed to develop and apply efficient management programs to preserve and maintain the remaining diversity.…”

Mapping Process to Pattern in the Landscape Change of the Amazonian Frontier

“…The first is a farm-level application implementing the agent-based models to show how variables such as size of family workforce, discount rates, and prices affect the deforestation associated with individual households. Here, numerical methods are used with field data to produce land-cover-change magnitudes consistent with the empirical setting, an approach that has been previously deployed for similar purposes (Dale et al 1994;Beaumont and Walker 1996;Angelsen 1999;Albers and Goldbach 2000;Evans et al 2001).…”

Using fuzzy cognitive maps to describe current system dynamics and develop land cover scenarios: a case study in the Brazilian Amazon

“…Plausible reasons are the use of detailed fieldwork information and different assumptions in conservation policies between the land reform and conservation and the governance scenario. At the property level, the simulated changes by Dale et al (1994) under the typical case scenario were almost twofold higher than both FCMs under the current situation. Differences between the best case and the land reform and conservation scenarios were relevant in the data-FCM.…”

“…Soares-Filho et al (2004) simulated two scenarios of deforestation at local scale over 30 years, with detailed spatial data for the Transamazon highway among other three areas. Dale, Oneill, Southworth, and Pedlowski (1994) simulated deforestation models at the property scale in Rondônia State using spatial data at fine scale. The authors simulated a best-case scenario with innovative land practices and a typical case scenario where the whole property, including its legal reserve, is deforested after 20 years.…”