Local Commons and Cross-Effects of Population and Inequality on the Local Provision of environmental Services

The potential effect of population density over natural resources has been present since the beginning of the environmental and resource debates. The role that inequality plays in this relationship has been less studied. This paper proposes that better distributions of land and by providing incentives for more sustainable farm and land-use practices. Using GIS technologies and data from more than 100 "veredas" in Boyacá region (Colombia), the econometric results support the proposition that under better distribution of land, the effect of population density on land degradation is smaller.