Project Summary
While the forces driving deforestation are well understood, relatively little
attention has focused on the decision-making dynamics that result in local or
regional increases in net forest cover. Forests are essential to biodiversity
protection, water quality, and carbon sequestration. Reforestation can occur
through both active tree planting and natural forest regeneration, but the factors
contributing to these reforestation processes are not well understood. This
project addresses how private and public actors at local, state, and federal levels
affect land management dynamics resulting in reforestation. In particular, we seek
to understand the relative influence of biophysical conditions, social factors, and
geographic location on reforestation. Social factors include small-scale local
interactions between landowners as well as large-scale economic dynamics.
Finally, we want to understand how spatial interactions among private landowners,
government, and land trusts affect reforestation. We are using the states of
Indiana and São Paulo, Brazil, which have different legal systems and actors, to
address these questions.
This project is funded by the National
Science Foundation through the Human
and Social Dynamics program (proposal number 0624178) and
endorsed
by the Global Land
Project
initiative.
408 North Indiana Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47408-3799
Phone: (812) 855-2230
TDD: (812) 855-7654
Fax: (812) 855-2634
Last Updated: 2 September 2009
Comments: cipec@indiana.edu
Copyright
2009, The Trustees of Indiana
University.
