Social and Ecological Determinants of Land Clearing in the Brazilian Amazon: A Spatial Analysis
研究利用空间计量方法分析1975-1995年巴西亚马逊地区土壤肥力、气候等生态因素及空间互动对土地开垦的影响，发现土壤肥力与开垦呈负相关，且存在正向空间互动。
While tropical land clearing provides for the livelihoods of Brazilians from many socioeconomic backgrounds, it also affects climatological and ecological processes. To develop sustainable forest use, further study is needed to investigate the causes of tropical land clearing. This study uses spatial econometric techniques to estimate the effects of ecosystem productivity, measured by soil fertility and climate, and strategic interactions on municipal-level land clearing in the Brazilian Legal Amazon between 1975 and 1995. We find a negative relationship between soil fertility and land clearing. Furthermore, there is evidence of positive spatial interactions across municipalities. <i></i>