Land Use Transitions in the Tropics

MaGrann Conference Spring 2008

Rutgers University/Columbia University

Changes in land-use and land-cover in the tropics are persistent, and when aggregated at a global scale affect key aspects of the earth system functioning, such as biodiversity, global and micro- climate and ecosystem services. Such changes also determine the vulnerability of places and people to climatic, economic and socio- political perturbations.

Land use land cover change studies in the tropics are not limited to deforestation; they expand to other complex transitions such as agricultural change, pasture development and secondary vegetation re-growth. Developing theories of land-use transitions in the tropics is a challenging task due in part to the unique and complex socio-ecological context of the region. We propose to organize a workshop to discuss how land-use transitions in the tropics relate to ecological processes, economies and livelihoods and how interdisciplinary methods could contribute to the understanding of such transitions. The workshop will welcome researchers in social, ecological and remote sensing/GIS sciences. The conference is already sponsor in addition to MaGrann funds by Moore Foundation and Columbia University.

Co-Organizers

Dr. Laura C. Schneider –Geography, Rutgers University

Dr. Tom Rudel – Human Ecology, Rutgers University

Dr. Maria Uriarte- Dept. of Ecology, Evolution & Env. Biology, Columbia University