Population growth and its spatial distribution as factors in the deforestation of Nang Rong, Thailand

Barbara Entwisle; Ronald R Rindfuss; Stephen J Walsh; Philip H Page

doi:10.1016/j.geoforum.2006.09.008

Back

Population growth and its spatial distribution as factors in the deforestation of Nang Rong, Thailand

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Population growth and its spatial distribution as factors in the deforestation of Nang Rong, Thailand

Barbara Entwisle, Ronald R Rindfuss, Stephen J Walsh and Philip H Page

Geoforum, Vol.39(2), pp.879-897

2008

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2006.09.008

Files and links (2)

pdf

PDF - Author's Accepted Version (Open Access)2.34 MBDownload View

Accepted VersionPDF - Author Accepted Version (Open Access)CC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open Access

url

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2006.09.008View

Published Version

Abstract

population growth

population distribution

land use/land cover change

deforestation

cellular Automata

spatial simulation

Thailand

Frontiers constitute a major source of global land cover change hot spots, with forests and grasslands being converted into agricultural uses. As such, frontiers provide an opportunity to see how people manipulate the land and their lives in the context of social, cultural and environmental constraints. This paper examines frontier settlement and land cover change in Nang Rong district, Northeast Thailand for the last half century. It uses a Cellular Automata (CA) model to explore the land cover consequences of alternative patterns of settlement in a setting where people establish dwelling units in nucleated villages and work agricultural plots that surround villages. Forested land around the center of a village is converted into agricultural uses in an inverse relationship to the distance from the village center, but frequently modified by biophysical conditions. Land at the center of the village may be reforested after the village is established as a source of shade as well as fruit and other products. Model variation in land cover change is more sensitive to the spatial reach of village households than their temporal reach, suggesting the important role that technology plays in how villagers travel to their fields (walking versus motorized transit).

Details

Title: Population growth and its spatial distribution as factors in the deforestation of Nang Rong, Thailand
Authors: Barbara Entwisle (Author) - University of North Carolina, United States
Ronald R Rindfuss (Author) - University of North Carolina, United States
Stephen J Walsh (Author) - University of North Carolina, United States
Philip H Page (Author) - University of Hawaii, United States
Publication details: Geoforum, Vol.39(2), pp.879-897
Publisher: Pergamon
Date published: 2008
DOI: 10.1016/j.geoforum.2006.09.008
ISSN: 0016-7185
Copyright note: Copyright © 2008. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Organisation Unit: University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99449819002621
Output Type: Journal article