A comparison of the driving forces behind deforestation in the Peruvian and the Brazilian amazon

摘要

On two Brazilian sites (Acre and Rondonia),and on two Peruvian sites (Yurimaguas and Pucallpa),deforestation rates and patterns are very different. Toillustrate these differences, two major factorscontributing to deforestation are selected: howaccessible the frontier is for people including accessto markets; and land abundance and land rights andmarkets. Even if there are commonalties between Braziland Peru, major differences are identified. Road accessto the frontier is much greater in Brazil, linking theforest to the rest of the country; most of the Brazilianfarmers have gained legal title through colonizationprojects or by claiming land after clearing. However,access to good land in Brazil is limited and landspeculation is high, whereas, in Peru there is plentyof room for expansion and land access is free.