Land Use and Land Cover Dynamics in the Brazilian Amazon: An Overview. Analysis

摘要

This paper presents a theoretical discussion of process linking land usedecisions and land cover outcomes at household level, with an emphasis on small procedures. Evidence from the literature substantiating the existance of domestic cycle phenomena is brought forward and interpreted for the Brazilian case. Also considered are the relative disposition of production factors in the frontier development process, implications for the exercise of political power, and relationships between land concentration and ecological change. The paper concludes with a discussion of traditional land use zonation models originating with Von Thunen, and considers their relevance for the process of frontier development and tropical deforestation.