The spatial dynamics of deforestation and agent use in the Amazon

The objective of this study was to better understand the linkages between spatial patterns of forest use, land use, and rates of deforestation. We focused on a region of the Brazilian Amazon characterized by a variety of spatial patterns of deforestation and that experienced rapid deforestation in the last decade: the colonization project "Pedro Peixoto" in the extreme East of Acre State. By combining time series of remote sensing data and household survey data, we tested the hypothesis that each spatial pattern of deforestation is associated with specific socio-economic characteristics of land managers. The statistical results support our hypothesis. However, spatial patterns of deforestation are not a consequence of the main economic activities. Rather, spatial patterns of forest use are linked to the pre-conceived design of the settlement project. The main economic activities are influenced by factors such as the property size, their location and disposition, and the availability of infrastructure. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.