Perceptions on deforestation in the Chaco salteño: An environmental justice perspective

This note analyses the issue of deforestation in the Gran Chaco from an environmental justice perspective. The main purpose of the article is to understand the prevailing perceptions on the issue of deforestation and to assess possible ways forward. For this purpose, first the results of qualitative interviews were analysed through the use of Q method, which allows classifying local perceptions on deforestation in the Chaco Salteño through the use of factor analysis. This resulted in three factors (i.e. perceptions), called “Development”, “Family Agriculture” and “Subsistence”, which were subsequently used to inform future land-use scenarios. Secondly, a social multi-criteria evaluation was deployed to rank these possible land-use scenarios according to sustainability and environmental justice criteria. The results show that the “Subsistence” and “Family Agriculture” scenarios are the most environmentally just as well as the most sustainable. The “Development” scenario, together with the “status quo” scenario, which was added on an ad-hoc basis, are the worst. The article concludes by highlighting the importance of taking justice into account when considering land use issues, especially when indigenous peoples and other marginalized actors are involved

Prescriptive conflict prevention analysis:An application to the 2021 update of the Austrian flood risk management plan

Flood events have become more frequent in Europe, and the adaptation to the increasing flood risks is needed. The Flood Directive set up a series of measures to increase European resilience, establishing Flood Risk Management Plans (FRMPs) at the level of the river basin district as one relevant action. In order to efficiently fulfil this objective, the involvement of stakeholders as well as the analysis of their roles, responsibilities, and demands has been considered to be crucial to develop FRMPs. As a result, the hypothesis tested in this paper is that a consensus solution for the 2021 update Austrian Flood Risk Management Plan is feasible. To demonstrate this, both in-depth interviews and questionnaires to key Austrian stakeholders are implemented. The information collected in both participatory techniques are then used to run a conflict prevention analysis. The results show that (a) improving the coordination among regions and including better land-use planning approaches are preferable to a hypothetical business as usual scenario; and (b) a consensus solution for the 2021 update Austrian FRMP might be achievable on the basis of both a deep discussion on the state-of-the art and green infrastructure development

Using the Constitutionality Framework to Understand Alliances, Collective Action, and Divisions Between Indigenous and Peasant Communities in the Chaco Salteño.

This article analyzes bottom-up institution-building processes in a region considered deforestation and environmental degradation hotspot. Utilizing the constitutionality approach developed by Haller, Acciaioli, and Rist (2016), we examine two recent cases of bottom-up institution-building in the department of Rivadavia, Chaco Salteño, Argentina. We highlight the similarities and differences between both constitutionality processes and identify various weaknesses in the two cases. We argue that constitutionality, understood as a process, has occurred to different (incomplete) degrees in each case. Finally, we show that external catalyzing agents play a decisive role in enabling or hampering the constitutionality process. Our study contributes to the literature on common-pool resource governance by highlighting how collective action can lead to participatory-development processes

Why economic valuation does not value the environment: climate policy as collective endeavour

Economics takes an individualistic approach to human behaviour. This is reflected in the use of “contingent valuation” surveys to conduct cost benefit analysis for economic policy evaluation. An individual’s valuation of a policy is assumed to be unaffected by the burdens it places on others. We report a survey experiment to test this supposition in the context of climate change policy. Willingness to pay for climate change mitigation was higher when richer individuals were to bear higher costs than when, as is usual, no explicit information was provided about cost distribution. This result is inconsistent with the usual interpretation of contingent valuation data. It also suggests that the data may be biased indicators of policy acceptance. Additional survey questions suggest that a collective mode of reasoning is common

Percepções do desmatamento em Salta Chaco: um olhar desde a justiça ambiental

This note analyses the issue of deforestation in the Gran Chaco from an environmental justice perspective. The main purpose of the article is to understand the prevailing perceptions on the issue of deforestation and to assess possible ways forward. For this purpose, first the results of qualitative interviews were analysed through the use of Q method, which allows classifying local perceptions on deforestation in the Chaco Salteño through the use of factor analysis. This resulted in three factors (i.e. perceptions), called “Development”, “Family Agriculture” and “Subsistence”, which were subsequently used to inform future land-use scenarios. Secondly, a social multi-criteria evaluation was deployed to rank these possible land-use scenarios according to sustainability and environmental justice criteria. The results show that the “Subsistence” and “Family Agriculture” scenarios are the most environmentally just as well as the most sustainable. The “Development” scenario, together with the “status quo” scenario, which was added on an ad-hoc basis, are the worst. The article concludes by highlighting the importance of taking justice into account when considering land use issues, especially when indigenous peoples and other marginalized actors are involved.Para entender el problema de la deforestación del Chaco salteño desde la perspectiva de la justicia ambiental, se analizan las percepciones que los actores entrevistados tienen sobre el tema y se evalúan posibles escenarios futuros. Concretamente, primero, a partir del análisis factorial de las entrevistas realizadas con el método Q, se clasificaron las percepciones de los actores en tres grandes grupos: “desarrollista”, “agricultura familiar” y “subsistencia”. A su vez, estos grupos implican tres diferentes usos del suelo y permiten deducir tres posibles escenarios futuros. En segundo lugar, se realizó una evaluación social multicriterio para clasificar los posibles escenarios de uso del suelo de acuerdo con los criterios de sostenibilidad y justicia ambiental. Los resultados muestran que los escenarios de “subsistencia” y “agricultura familiar” son los más justos desde el punto de vista ambiental, así como los más sostenibles. El escenario “desarrollista”, junto con el escenario de “status quo”, que fue agregado ad-hoc, son los menos justos y menos sostenibles. Se concluye destacando la importancia de considerar la justicia al momento de examinar las cuestiones relativas al uso del suelo, especialmente cuando están involucrados los pueblos indígenas y otros actores marginados.Para compreender o problema do desmatamento no Chaco de Salta sob a ótica da justiça ambiental, são analisadas as percepções que os atores entrevistados têm sobre o assunto e são avaliados possíveis cenários futuros. Especificamente, inicialmente, a partir da análise fatorial das entrevistas realizadas com o método Q, as percepções dos atores foram classificadas em três grandes grupos: "desenvolvimentista", "agricultura familiar" e "subsistência". No que lhe concerne, esses grupos implicam em três diferentes usos da terra e nos permitem deduzir três possíveis cenários futuros. Em segundo lugar, uma avaliação social multicritério foi realizada para classificar os possíveis cenários de uso da terra de acordo com os critérios de sustentabilidade e justiça ambiental. Os resultados mostram que os cenários de “subsistência” e “agricultura familiar” são os mais justos do ponto de vista ambiental, bem como os mais sustentáveis. O cenário “desenvolvimentista”, com o cenário “status quo”, adicionado ad-hoc, são os menos justos e menos sustentáveis. Conclui destacando a importância de considerar a justiça ao examinar as questões de uso da terra, especialmente quando os povos indígenas e outros atores marginalizados estão envolvidos

Data from: The impact of income, land, and wealth inequality on agricultural expansion in Latin America

Agricultural expansion remains the most prominent proximate cause of tropical deforestation in Latin America, a region characterized by deforestation rates substantially above the world average and extremely high inequality. This paper deploys several multivariate statistical models to test whether different aspects of inequality, within a context of increasing agricultural productivity, promote agricultural expansion (Jevons paradox) or contraction (land-sparing) in 10 Latin American countries over 1990–2010. Here I show the existence of distinct patterns between the instantaneous and the overall (i.e., accounting for temporal lags) effect of increasing agricultural productivity, conditional on the degree of income, land, and wealth inequality. In a context of perfect equality, the instantaneous effect of increases in agricultural productivity is to promote agricultural expansion (Jevons paradox). When temporal lags are accounted for, agricultural productivity appears to be mainly land-sparing. Increases in the level of inequality, in all its forms, promote agricultural expansion, thus eroding the land-sparing effects of increasing productivity. The results also suggest that the instantaneous impact of inequality is larger than the overall effect (accounting for temporal lags) and that the effects of income inequality are stronger than those of land and wealth inequality, respectively. Reaping the benefits of increasing agricultural productivity, and achieving sustainable agricultural intensification in Latin America, requires policy interventions that specifically address inequality

PNAS_Data

Data for the PNAS publication "The impact of income, land and wealth inequality on agricultural expansion in Latin America" by M.G. Ceddi

Policy analysis for the widespread introduction of genetically modified crops : the case of herbicide tolerant oilseed rape

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Data from: The impact of income, land, and wealth inequality on agricultural expansion in Latin America

Agricultural expansion remains the most prominent proximate cause of tropical deforestation in Latin America, a region characterized by deforestation rates substantially above the world average and extremely high inequality. This paper deploys several multivariate statistical models to test whether different aspects of inequality, within a context of increasing agricultural productivity, promote agricultural expansion (Jevons paradox) or contraction (land-sparing) in 10 Latin American countries over 1990–2010. Here I show the existence of distinct patterns between the instantaneous and the overall (i.e., accounting for temporal lags) effect of increasing agricultural productivity, conditional on the degree of income, land, and wealth inequality. In a context of perfect equality, the instantaneous effect of increases in agricultural productivity is to promote agricultural expansion (Jevons paradox). When temporal lags are accounted for, agricultural productivity appears to be mainly land-sparing. Increases in the level of inequality, in all its forms, promote agricultural expansion, thus eroding the land-sparing effects of increasing productivity. The results also suggest that the instantaneous impact of inequality is larger than the overall effect (accounting for temporal lags) and that the effects of income inequality are stronger than those of land and wealth inequality, respectively. Reaping the benefits of increasing agricultural productivity, and achieving sustainable agricultural intensification in Latin America, requires policy interventions that specifically address inequality

Jevons paradox and the loss of natural habitat in the Argentinean Chaco: the impact of the Indigenous Communities’ land titling and the Forest Law in the province of Salta

The Chaco Salteño in Argentina is part of the Dry Chaco ecoregion, the largest neotropical dry forest in the world, and represents an important hotspot for deforestation and natural habitat loss due to agricultural expansion. The purpose of this article is: i) to assess systematically the role of agricultural expansion, intensification and demographics on the loss of natural habitat and ii) to understand how institutional factors contribute to direct the impact of agricultural intensification towards land sparing or Jevons paradox. We use multivariate statistical methods to assess the effect of important institutional changes, including the promulgation of the Forest Law in the Province of Salta and the titling of communal lands to Indigenous Peoples (IPs), on the loss of natural forests, shrublands and grasslands in the Chaco Salteño. Our results show that the approval of the Forest Law in Salta has been ineffective at slowing down the loss of natural habitat and is associated with the emergence of Jevons paradox via the increase in agricultural productivity. Moreover, this new institutional context appears to have increased the pressures on IPs land and encouraged preventive clearing on these lands. Finally, we detect the decreasing importance of livestock heads as drivers of natural habitat loss