@article{b0fc2c897d22493db96ec79a96eb5e54,
title = "Characterizing land-use change over space and time: applying principal components analysis in the Brazilian Legal Amazon",
abstract = "We apply a principal component analysis to characterize the dimensions of spatio-temporal change in agriculture within the Brazilian Legal Amazon for the period 1996–2006. Around 80% of spatio-temporal variation across a broad set of descriptors could be explained by four trajectories well observed in the region: large-scale ranching, inactive forested property, small-scale farming, and mechanized agriculture. Spatial clustering based on these trajectories reveals a shift in the characteristics of the agricultural frontier, and provides quantitative method for distinguishing functional sub-regions previously suggested in the literature. Our analysis suggests a marked growth in agriculture over the decade between 1996 and 2006, with agricultural development encroaching toward the interior of the Brazilian Amazon not only from the south and southeast, but also from the west.",
keywords = "Brazil, Forest Code, Legal Amazon, agriculture, land-use change, principal component analysis",
author = "Bell, {Andrew R.} and Caviglia-Harris, {Jill L.} and Cak, {Anthony D.}",
note = "Funding Information: It is striking in the {\textquoteleft}agricultural pinch{\textquoteright} in the Northwest Amazon (Fuzzy Cluster 4) that the loading of forested farmland jumps dramatically over the study period, while deforestation rates for the region remain low. This implies that the growing numbers of new and consolidated small-to-medium farms in the region are not yet able, or are not (yet) interested in clearing much of this land, and in turn suggests Amazonas is well positioned to develop programs (such as within a REDD+ context) that encourage farmers to preserve forested lands. Indeed, while the overall success of Brazil{\textquoteright}s Proambiente payment-for-ecosystem-services scheme has been limited (Hall, 2008), progress in rewarding avoided deforestation has been greatest in Amazonas. Pioneering legislation at the state level and financial support from Bradesco Bank facilitates the Bolsa Floresta program, which pays stipends for families for leaving forested areas intact as well as makes payments to community associations for providing employment opportunities that do not produce smoke (Funda{\c c}{\~a}o Amazonas Sustentavel, 2012). The opportunities for growth that upstream access to Manaus appears to have provided over the period 1996–2006 may also now provide a solid foothold for REDD+ initiatives to develop in Brazil in the years ahead. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2013 Taylor & Francis.",
year = "2015",
month = jan,
day = "2",
doi = "10.1080/1747423X.2013.832427",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "10",
pages = "19--37",
journal = "Journal of Land Use Science",
issn = "1747-423X",
publisher = "Taylor and Francis Ltd.",
number = "1",
}