Journal article

The impact of swidden decline on livelihoods and ecosystem services in Southeast Asia: A review of the evidence from 1990 to 2015

WH Dressler, D Wilson, J Clendenning, R Cramb, R Keenan, S Mahanty, TB Bruun, O Mertz, RD Lasco

Ambio | SPRINGER | Published : 2017

Abstract

Global economic change and policy interventions are driving transitions from long-fallow swidden (LFS) systems to alternative land uses in Southeast Asia’s uplands. This study presents a systematic review of how these transitions impact upon livelihoods and ecosystem services in the region. Over 17 000 studies published between 1950 and 2015 were narrowed, based on relevance and quality, to 93 studies for further analysis. Our analysis of land-use transitions from swidden to intensified cropping systems showed several outcomes: more households had increased overall income, but these benefits came at significant cost such as reductions of customary practice, socio-economic wellbeing, liveliho..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

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Funding Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge the support of the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) via the award of an Evidence-Based Forestry grant administered on behalf of the UK Government's Department for International Development (DfID) under the KNOW-FOR programme. We also wish to recognise the helpful comments and inputs provided by Dr Carol Colfer which have greatly improved this paper.