The Social Dynamics of Deforestation in Developing Countries

The project was initiated to provide an opportunity for comparative research on deforestation processes in different socio-economic and ecological contexts and their impacts on the livelihoods of various social groups. Initial case studies were carried out in: Brazil, examining the relationships between deforestation and social changes in Rondônia and Pará; Central America, including case studies from Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua; Nepal, looking at the socio-economic and environmental processes associated with deforestation in both the hill and plain regions; and Tanzania, making a detailed analysis of deforestation trends in four ecologically different regions of the country.

A sub-project, Social Dimensions of Deforestation in Francophone West and Central Africa, focused on the broad objectives of assessing the changes in levels of living, employment and incomes of different social groups most affected by deforestation processes. It also aimed to investigate individual and collective strategies to protect livelihoods, and to analyze the social origins and contents of public policies most influencing deforestation processes.

In Brazil: Programme of Research and Conservation of Wetlands in Brazil, University of São Paulo, and Núcleo de Apoio à Pesquisa sobre Populações Humanas e Áreas Úmidas Brasileiras (NUPAUB), São Paulo. In Cameroon: Institut Panafricain de Développement. In Côte d'Ivoire: University of Abidjan. In Nepal: Agricultural Projects Services Centre (APROSC). In Tanzania: Institute of Resource Assessment, University of Dar es Salaam. A July 1991 workshop in Kenya was co-sponsored by the East African Regional Soil Conservancy Unit (RSCU) of the Swedish International Development Authority (Sida).