Land use and land cover dynamics in the Brazilian Amazon: An overview

This paper presents a theoretical discussion of processes linking land use decisions and land cover outcomes at household level, with an emphasis on small proceduers. Evidence from the literature substantiating the existence of domestic cycle phenomena is brought forward and interpreted for the Brazilian case. Also considered are the relative disposition of production factors in the frontier development process, implications for the exercise of political power, and relationships between land concentration and ecological change. The paper concludes with a discussion of traditional land use zonation models originating with Von Thunen, and considers their relevance for the process of frontier development and tropical deforestation.