The role of global-to-local linkages in land use/land cover change in South Florida

This paper examines the land use/land cover change in South Florida from the late 19th century to the late 20th century, Its theoretical approach is derived from geographical literatures on globalization, spatial scale and ecological transition. Two research questions frame the discussion. (1) Is there evidence of top-down or bottom-up global-to-local interactions in the region? and (2) Is there evidence of an ecological transition present in the region? Evidence of the land use/land cover impacts of these global-to-local linkage shifts is developed for the region by examining the socio-economic conditions and land use/land cover changes. These interactions are studied through a review of primary and secondary reference sources. The results of the analysis indicate that local conditions and actors remain important in determining local land use/land cover change in South Florida despite a long history of non-local interventions/processes in the region. In recent years, globalization and other non-local influences may have activated local coalitions around land-use change issues. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.