Shifting cultivation and forest cover change in the tropics: the case of Niassa, Mozambique

摘要

Shifting cultivation is generally seen as one of the main causes of deforestation in the tropics. Based on the analysis of remote sensing imagery and interviews, we examine the relationship between agricultural practices and forest cover change in two districts of the Niassa province, Mozambique. The area of forest increased in Marrupa district with an annual change rate of 0.43% and decreased in Mandimba district with an annual change rate of -1.06% between 1989 and 2005. Our findings support the twin claim that shifting cultivation in Africa is a complex system in which change may occur in many directions and at different rates simultaneously, and that tropical deforestation is best explained by multiple causes and driving forces rather than by single-factor causation. Furthermore, it also reveals the advantage of combining remote sensing with ethno-agronomic data in the study of land use/cover changes.