Deforestation, livelihoods, and the preconditions for sustainable management in Olancho, Honduras

Growth of the national cattle herd is contributing to rapid and inappropriate deforestation in Honduras. Field research was conducted in the Department of Olancho to better understand this problem and to assess the possibilities for local interest in forest protection. A recent upsurge in the profit...

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Autor principal: Sunderlin, William D.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: 1997
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/17873
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author Sunderlin, William D.
author_browse Sunderlin, William D.
author_facet Sunderlin, William D.
author_sort Sunderlin, William D.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Growth of the national cattle herd is contributing to rapid and inappropriate deforestation in Honduras. Field research was conducted in the Department of Olancho to better understand this problem and to assess the possibilities for local interest in forest protection. A recent upsurge in the profitability of cattle farming bodes badly for the forest, but three countervailing factors could ultimately serve as the basis for community-based forest management. First, area residents have a greater appreciation for the economic and ecological functions of the forest than one might surmise, given the rapid pace of deforestation. Second, timber is a significant source of community income, thus there may be latent incentives to maintain supplies in the long term. Third, some residents will not turn to cattle farming, in spite its profitability, perhaps because of their dependence on timber marketing. Policies enacted in 1992 undermine these incipient incentives for forest custodianship. Inappropriate deforestation can be lessened through policy reforms that would enable smallhorders to conserve and manage their resource their resources over the long-term.
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spelling CGSpace178732025-01-24T14:20:30Z Deforestation, livelihoods, and the preconditions for sustainable management in Olancho, Honduras Sunderlin, William D. deforestation living conditions sustainability forest management honduras Growth of the national cattle herd is contributing to rapid and inappropriate deforestation in Honduras. Field research was conducted in the Department of Olancho to better understand this problem and to assess the possibilities for local interest in forest protection. A recent upsurge in the profitability of cattle farming bodes badly for the forest, but three countervailing factors could ultimately serve as the basis for community-based forest management. First, area residents have a greater appreciation for the economic and ecological functions of the forest than one might surmise, given the rapid pace of deforestation. Second, timber is a significant source of community income, thus there may be latent incentives to maintain supplies in the long term. Third, some residents will not turn to cattle farming, in spite its profitability, perhaps because of their dependence on timber marketing. Policies enacted in 1992 undermine these incipient incentives for forest custodianship. Inappropriate deforestation can be lessened through policy reforms that would enable smallhorders to conserve and manage their resource their resources over the long-term. 1997 2012-06-04T09:04:42Z 2012-06-04T09:04:42Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/17873 en Sunderlin, W.D. 1997. Deforestation, livelihoods, and the preconditions for sustainable management in Olancho, Honduras . Agriculture and Human Values 14 (1) :373-386. ISSN: 0889-048X.
spellingShingle deforestation
living conditions
sustainability
forest management
honduras
Sunderlin, William D.
Deforestation, livelihoods, and the preconditions for sustainable management in Olancho, Honduras
title Deforestation, livelihoods, and the preconditions for sustainable management in Olancho, Honduras
title_full Deforestation, livelihoods, and the preconditions for sustainable management in Olancho, Honduras
title_fullStr Deforestation, livelihoods, and the preconditions for sustainable management in Olancho, Honduras
title_full_unstemmed Deforestation, livelihoods, and the preconditions for sustainable management in Olancho, Honduras
title_short Deforestation, livelihoods, and the preconditions for sustainable management in Olancho, Honduras
title_sort deforestation livelihoods and the preconditions for sustainable management in olancho honduras
topic deforestation
living conditions
sustainability
forest management
honduras
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/17873
work_keys_str_mv AT sunderlinwilliamd deforestationlivelihoodsandthepreconditionsforsustainablemanagementinolanchohonduras