Pushing the Limits: The Pattern and Dynamics of Rubber Monoculture Expansion in Xishuangbanna, SW China

Abstract

The rapidly growing car industry in China has led to an equally rapid expansion of monoculture rubber in many regions of South East Asia. Xishuangbanna, the second largest rubber planting area in China, located in the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, supplies about 37% of the domestic natural rubber production. There, high income possibilities from rubber drive a dramatic expansion of monoculture plantations which poses a threat to natural forests. For the first time we mapped rubber plantations in and outside protected areas and their net present value for the years 1988, 2002 (Landsat, 30 m resolution) and 2010 (RapidEye, 5 m resolution). The purpose of our study was to better understand the pattern and dynamics of the expansion of rubber plantations in Xishuangbanna, as well as its economic prospects and conservation impacts. We found that 1) the area of rubber plantations was 4.5% of the total area of Xishuangbanna in 1988, 9.9% in 2002, and 22.2% in 2010; 2) rubber monoculture expanded to higher elevations and onto steeper slopes between 1988 and 2010; 3) the proportion of rubber plantations with medium economic potential dropped from 57% between 1988 and 2002 to 47% in 2010, while the proportion of plantations with lower economic potential had increased from 30% to 40%; and 4) nearly 10% of the total area of nature reserves within Xishuangbanna has been converted to rubber monoculture by 2010. On the basis of our findings, we conclude that the rapid expansion of rubber plantations into higher elevations, steeper terrain, and into nature reserves (where most of the remaining forests of Xishuangbanna are located) poses a serious threat to biodiversity and environmental services while not producing the expected economic returns. Therefore, it is essential that local governments develop long-term land use strategies for balancing economic benefits with environmental sustainability, as well as for assisting farmers with the selection of land suitable for rubber production.

Assessing Ecosystem Services in Rubber Dominated Landscapes in South-East Asia—A Challenge for Biophysical Modeling and Transdisciplinary Valuation

“…This extension was set to 2% per year in relation to the area occupied by rubber in the previous year, resulting in an encroachment of rubber plantations into higher altitudes and also steeper slopes, where they replace secondary forest areas. This scenario represents the continuation of a trend observed in many other parts of MMSEA [8,44]. According to this trend, we expected this scenario to result in increased dry rubber yields trading off against the supply of other ESS.…”

Climate change impact assessment on the potential rubber cultivating area in the Greater Mekong Subregion

“…zones from the traditional rubber growing regions (the 10 • S to 10 • N equatorial belt) to higher latitudes and longitudes (Priyadarshan et al 2005, Ziegler et al 2009, Li and Fox 2012, Ahrends et al 2015, Chen et al 2016a, Chen et al 2016b. Thailand, the leading rubber producing country since 1990, which also has had the highest share of the global area converted each year to rubber cultivation (30% on average since the turn of the century), can well illustrate the situation (figure 2).…”

Effectiveness of protected areas in preventing rubber expansion and deforestation in Xishuangbanna, Southwest China

“…In accordance with China's commitment to expanding a national PA network, two PAs were established in Xishuangbanna in 1959 and 1993 (~241,776 ha) (Chen, Yi, et al, ). In 1991, Nabanhe PA was established (~26,600 ha) with Bulong PA following in 2009 (~36,000 ha) (Chongrui, ).…”

“…Due to habitat loss, the Asian elephant is now restricted to only three PAs (Lin et al, ). Today, little natural forest exists in non‐PAs in Xishuangbanna, particularly in the lowlands, whereas rubber has expanded from 264 to 23,616 ha during the past 30 years (Chen, Yi, et al, ) even within reserves covering a large area.…”