Private-land control and deforestation dynamics in the context of implementing the Native Forest Law in the Northern Argentinian Dry Chaco

MARINARO S.; GASPARRI, N. IGNACIO; VERÓNICA PIRIZ-CARRILLO

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS

Lugar: Cambridge; Año: 2021

0376-8929

Subtropical dry forests are among the largest and most threatened terrestrial biomes worldwide.In Argentina, the Native Forest Law (NFL) was passed in 2007 to regulate deforestation bymandating the provincial zonation of forested areas, while the erection of fences has beenan increasingly common mechanism of private-land control reinforcement in the region; thisis mainly fuelled by imminent land-use changes, recent land transactions or subsidies from theNFL. We explored the dynamics between the erection of fences and deforestation in theNorthern Argentinian Dry Chaco (NADC) during the implementation of the NFL. We foundthat a third of land deforested during 2000?2017 had been previously fenced, with the highestpercentage (44%) occurring during the sanction of the NFL (2007) and the completion of theforest-zonation maps (2011). Only 34% of deforestation within fenced areas occurred in zoneswhere deforestation was legally permitted. In total, 327 386 ha of forests had been fenced withinNADC by 2017, representing areas of potential access restriction for local people, who historicallyused forest resources for survival. Additionally, 57% of the fenced area occurred in zoneswhere deforestation was restricted. A novel remote-sensing application can serve as an early warning tool for deforestation.