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Disentangling the numbers behind agriculture-driven tropical deforestation
Florence Pendrill1, Toby A Gardner2, Patrick Meyfroidt3,4
1Department of Space, Earth and Environment, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|September 8, 2022
Summary
Tropical deforestation, primarily driven by agriculture, persists globally. Ending this trend requires addressing supply chains and land governance, as much deforested land isn't productively used.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Ecology
- Climate Change
Background:
- Tropical deforestation continues at alarming rates, impacting ecosystems, climate, and livelihoods.
- Agriculture is a known driver, but its precise role and mechanisms in deforestation are debated.
- A clear evidence base on agricultural drivers is often lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize pantropical evidence and clarify how agriculture drives deforestation.
- To provide an evidence base for effective interventions against tropical deforestation.
Main Methods:
- Pantropical evidence synthesis.
- Analysis of land-use dynamics following deforestation events.
Main Results:
- Agriculture drove 90-99% of tropical deforestation between 2011-2015.
- Only 45-65% of deforested land was converted to productive agriculture within a few years.
- Significant evidence gaps remain regarding deforestation trends, commodity-specific dynamics, and data from tropical dry forests and African forests.
Conclusions:
- Halting deforestation necessitates a dual approach: creating deforestation-free supply chains and implementing effective landscape governance.
- Addressing the inefficiency of land conversion is crucial for conservation efforts.
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