Title: Estimation of the increase in deforestation due to agricultural and pastoral activities in the Brazilian Western Amazon: an approach based on the relationship between production and productivity

Authors: E.D. Bidone, E.S. Cadaxo-Sobrinho

Addresses: Departmento de Geoquimica, Instituto de Quimica, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Outeiro de Sao Joao Batista, Niteroi Centro, Rio de Janeiro 24020-007, Brazil. ' Departmento de Ciencias da Natureza, Campus Universitario, Universidade Federal do Acre, BR-364 Km 4, Rio Branco 69900-000, AC, Brazil

Abstract: This paper presents and discusses the evaluation results of the increase in deforestation verified in the period of 1970 to 1990 in the Cruzeiro du Sul area, Acre State, in the Brazilian Western Amazon, based on an analysis of the relationship between the production and the productivity of the agricultural and pastoral (A&P) activities. The analysis suggests a deforestation increase owing to the A&P activities linked to the rise in production without the necessary compensatory increase in productivity. The rise in deforestation was estimated and analysed through an equation based on the ratio between the rates of increase in production and productivity. Comparison of these estimates with monitoring of the forest cover by satellite images presented differences of less than 5%. This suggests a good descriptive (diagnosis) and dynamic (prognosis) potential of the proposed equation.

Keywords: agriculture; pastures; cattle breeding; Amazon; Brazil; deforestation; production; productivity; tropical forests.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEP.1997.028170

International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 1997 Vol.8 No.1/2, pp.212 - 216

Published online: 15 Sep 2009 *

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