Fire use and prevention by traditional households in the Brazilian Amazon
Fire is an important land management tool for smallholders in the Brazilian Amazon. However, when fires are not properly controlled they can give rise to large-scale wildfires that threaten forests, agricultural plantations, and settlement areas. We use data from a survey of 220 households to examine fire prevention and the scale of fire prevention and burning activities among traditional subsistence households in the Tapajós National Forest in Pará, Brazil. We find that in traditional households, economic variables such as the opportunity cost of household time, market conditions, and the hiring wage are important predictors of these decisions, as is household reliance on standing forest resources for non-timber products. Our results confirm that traditional households actively engage in fire prevention, and suggest that fire prevention is motivated by a desire to protect agricultural plantations as well as standing forest reserves. The results suggest that increased income, improved infrastructure, and improved access to markets for labor and agricultural goods will encourage fire prevention among smallholders in communities with education and planning programs.
Year of publication: |
2008
|
---|---|
Authors: | Bowman, Maria S. ; Amacher, Gregory S. ; Merry, Frank D. |
Published in: |
Ecological Economics. - Elsevier, ISSN 0921-8009. - Vol. 67.2008, 1, p. 117-130
|
Publisher: |
Elsevier |
Keywords: | Fire prevention Household model Floresta Nacional do Tapajos Brazilian Amazon |
Saved in:
Online Resource
Saved in favorites
Similar items by person
-
Smallholder timber sale decisions on the Amazon frontier
Amacher, Gregory S., (2009)
-
Smallholder timber sale decisions on the Amazon frontier
Amacher, Gregory S., (2009)
-
Smallholder timber sales along the Transamazon Highway : a comment
Walker, Robert T., (2011)
- More ...