Deforestation in Central America: Historical and Contemporary Dynamics

Peter Utting

Chapter 2 in Sustainable Agriculture in Central America, 1997, pp 9-29 from Palgrave Macmillan

Abstract: Abstract When reading about deforestation in Central America one is usually presented with a list of ‘causes’ which is likely to include the colonization of agrarian frontier regions by land-seeking peasants and commercial farmers, slash and burn agriculture, the so-called ‘hamburger connection’ involving the rapid conversion of forest land to pasture, the expansion of cash crops such as coffee and bananas, logging activities, fuelwood gathering, and additional pressures on forest land exerted through population growth and urbanization. Many of these ‘causes’ of deforestation, however, are really features of a particular style of development that began to take shape during the colonial era, became more pronounced during the late 1800s and ‘took off’ during the latter half of this century.

Keywords: Forest Area; Forest Resource; Forest Protection; Market Integration; Resource Management System (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1997
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:palchp:978-0-230-37808-7_2

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DOI: 10.1057/9780230378087_2

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