Theorizing Land-Cover and Land-Use Change: The Case of Tropical Deforestation
Abstract
This article addresses land-cover and land-use dynamics from the perspective of regional science and economic geography. It first provides an account of the so-called spatially explicit model, which has emerged in recent years as a key empirical approach to the issue. The article uses this discussion as a springboard to evaluate the potential utility of von Thünen to the discourse on land-cover and land-use change. After identifying shortcomings of current theoretical approaches to land use in mainly urban models, the article filters a discussion of deforestation through the lens of bid-rent and assesses its effectiveness in helping us comprehend the destruction of tropical forest in the Amazon basin. The article considers the adjustments that would have to be made to existing theory to make it more useful to the empirical issues.
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Current patterns of land use are the aggregate outcome of individual farmers acting to maximize their utility, given the assets they are endowed with.
“Existing theory and empirical analysis from agricultural economics and land change science suggest that current patterns of land use are the aggregate outcome of individual farmers acting to maximize their utility, given the assets they are endowed with (Officer andHalter 1968, Walker 2004).”
From Explaining the persistence of low income and environmentally degrading land uses in the Brazilian Amazon (2017) · cites this paper as Walker 2004
Cites
The Spatial Economy: Cities, Regions, and International Trade
Fujita, M., Krugman, P., & Venables, A. J. (1999) · doi:10.7551/mitpress/6389.001.0001 · Cited by 4,788 · cited 5× · see citing works
“These models may be taken as one class of spatial economic models, as considered in Fujita, Krugman, and Venables (1999).”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialProximate Causes and Underlying Driving Forces of Tropical Deforestation
GEIST, H. J., & LAMBIN, E. F. (2002) · BioScience · doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2002)052[0143:pcaudf]2.0.co;2 · Cited by 3,123 · see citing works
Tropical Deforestation and Habitat Fragmentation in the Amazon: Satellite Data from 1978 to 1988
Skole, D., & Tucker, C. (1993) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.260.5116.1905 · Cited by 1,590 · see citing works
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Middle-range theories of land system change
Meyfroidt, P., Roy Chowdhury, R., de Bremond, A., Ellis, E. C., Erb, K.-H., Filatova, T., Garrett, R. D., Grove, J. M., Heinimann, A., Kuemmerle, T., et al. (2018) · Global Environmental Change · doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2018.08.006 · Cited by 604 · see citing works
Multiple pathways of commodity crop expansion in tropical forest landscapes
Meyfroidt, P., Carlson, K. M., Fagan, M. E., Gutiérrez-Vélez, V. H., Macedo, M. N., Curran, L. M., DeFries, R. S., Dyer, G. A., Gibbs, H. K., Lambin, E. F., et al. (2014) · Environmental Research Letters · doi:10.1088/1748-9326/9/7/074012 · Cited by 240 · see citing works
Garrett, R. D., Gardner, T. A., Morello, T. F., Marchand, S., Barlow, J., Ezzine de Blas, D., Ferreira, J., Lees, A. C., & Parry, L. (2017) · Ecology and Society · doi:10.5751/es-09364-220327 · Cited by 140 · see citing works
- Authors
- Walker, R.
- Affiliations
- Michigan State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Walker, Robert
- ORCID
- Walker, Robert
- Venue
- International Regional Science Review
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2004-07
- Volume
- 27
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 247-270
- ISSN
- 0160-0176 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-6925
- OpenAlex
- W1990866166
- Cited by
- 172
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 13 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 10
- FWCI
- 7.11
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- International Regional Science Review (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Land Use and Ecosystem Services
- Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Regional Economics and Spatial Analysis
- Keywords
- land cover change, land use change, tropical deforestation, spatially explicit model, von Thünen, bid-rent theory, Amazon basin, regional science, economic geography
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