Impacts of the deforestation driven by agribusiness on urban population and economic activity in the Dry Chaco of Argentina

Article

Authorship

Sacchi, Laura Valeria ; GASPARRI, NESTOR IGNACIO

Date

2016

Publishing House and Editing Place

Taylor & Francis

Magazine

Journal of Land Use Science, vol. 11 (pp. 523-537) - ISSN 1747-423X
Taylor & Francis

ISSN

1747-423X

Summary Information provided by the agent in SIGEVA

Agriculture expansion oriented to global market has changed the relation between population and deforestation in South America. Actually, the population dynamic in an agricultural frontier turned into a consequence of deforestation (rather than the cause). For Dry Chaco of Argentina during the period 1991–2001, we explore the impacts of deforestation over urban population and employment dynamics in small- and medium-size urban centers. We used deforestation maps from remote sensing data a... Agriculture expansion oriented to global market has changed the relation between population and deforestation in South America. Actually, the population dynamic in an agricultural frontier turned into a consequence of deforestation (rather than the cause). For Dry Chaco of Argentina during the period 1991–2001, we explore the impacts of deforestation over urban population and employment dynamics in small- and medium-size urban centers. We used deforestation maps from remote sensing data and demographic information from the national census. We found a positive relation between population growth and deforestation. Additionally, urban centers in a context of new and active deforestation stages generate more jobs than in a context of advanced stages. Based on our results, we suggest a boom and bust pattern. Agriculture expansion and deforestation generate transient jobs and benefits, but in a long-run perspective, positive impacts are uncertain.