image: This is deforestation in Guatemala. view more
Credit: Image courtesy of Laura Aileen Sauls
A study explores how infrastructure development and resource extraction lead to forest degradation and marginalize indigenous communities. Amazonia, Indonesia, and Mesoamerica are home to much of the world's remaining humid tropical forests. However, these regions also harbor mineral, oil, coal, and natural gas reserves, with planned projects for resource extraction and large-scale crop cultivation. In the Amazon Basin, for example, 327 oil or gas blocks are under bidding, covering around 108 million hectares, and mining concessions cover an additional 160 million hectares. Anthony J. Bebbington and colleagues conducted a geospatial analysis of existing forest loss with areas of potential resource extraction, including mining and hydrocarbon concessions, throughout the remaining forest landscapes in the study area. The authors combined the analysis with qualitative data from interviews with key informants and stakeholders. The authors report that indirect impacts of resource extraction on forest loss exceed direct impacts, largely due to increased infrastructure investment tied to resource extraction, which exacerbates forest degradation. Furthermore, infrastructure enables the expansion of the agricultural frontier in forested areas, with the result that agricultural conversion largely drives forest loss. However, the authors note, previous studies suggest that direct control of resources by indigenous communities, as well as protected areas, can reduce deforestation and carbon emissions. According to the authors, protection of forests and rights of indigenous communities call for novel approaches that balance conservation and agroindustry goals, including rigorous land use zoning and community-led resource management.
Article #18-12505: "Resource extraction and infrastructure threaten forest cover and community rights," by Anthony J. Bebbington et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Anthony J. Bebbington, University of Melbourne, AUSTRALIA; e-mail: abebbington@clarku.edu
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Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences