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Abstract:
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"We present a local-scale case study in the Rio Juma Settlement Project (RJSP) in Apuí, a
deforestation hotspot in the southern portion of Brazils state of Amazonas. We analyze land accumulation
and land use strategies of households with a view to elucidating how their strategies are shaping
deforestation. More than 76% of the household sample was from southern Brazil, and around 72% of them
migrated to older expansion frontiers before reaching Apuí. The percentage of properties with legal land
titles was up to five times less while land accumulation was much greater than reported for other settlement
projects in Brazil. Land use change followed different patterns depending on whether the lot had been
obtained with 100% forest cover or with inherited land use. Regression-tree analysis showed that the size
of the cattle herd and the total area of the property do not always explain the area deforested, nor is the size
of the deforested area necessarily related to productive activities. Lack of income obtained from livestock
indicated that at least 30% of the cases studied were related to the speculative nature of land acquisition
and deforestation. Increasing consolidation of land in larger, more highly capitalized ranches indicates the
potential for high rates of deforestation in the future, even when the profitability of livestock is questionable."
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