Land-use changes impact the energy balance of the Earth system, and feedbacks in the Earth system can dampen or amplify this perturbation. We analyze here from satellite data the response of clouds and subsequently radiation to a change of land use for the example of deforestation in the Amazon Basin. In this region, the characteristics of different cloud types over two vegetation types (forest and crop-/grasslands) were calculated for a time period of five years by using satellite data from the instruments MODIS and CERES. The cloud types are defined according to height, optical thickness, and fraction of cloud cover. For calculating the radiative forcing caused by deforestation, the dependency of spatial and temporal averages for the reflected shortwave and outgoing longwave radiation of the top of the atmosphere on vegetation types were determined as well. The results show distinct differences in cloud cover and radiative forcing over crop-/grasslands and forests for the two vegetation regimes, implying a potentially significant positive cloud feedback to deforestation.

Die Abholzung tropischer Wälder stellt eine erhebliche Bedrohung für Natur und Menschen dar. In dieser Arbeit wird die Dynamik zwischen Entwaldungs- und anderen Landnutzungsprozessen erforscht, mit Schwerpunkt auf den oft unbeachteten tropischen Trockenwäldern. Konkret zielt die Arbeit darauf ab, (1) Typen von Entwaldungsprozessen in tropischen Trockenwäldern zu charakterisieren und zu kartieren, (2) diese Typen mit Naturschutzgebieten in Beziehung zu setzen, (3) die Beziehung zwischen gescheiterten Landinvestitionen und Entwaldung zu untersuchen und (4) zu konzeptualisieren, wie sich der Naturschutz ausweitet. Dabei werden zum ersten Mal einige Haupttypen von Entwaldungsprozessen identifiziert, wobei sich unterschiedliche Dynamiken der Grenzausdehnung sowie eine erhebliche Bedrohung für tropische Trockenwälder aufzeigen lassen – mit einem Verlust von 71 Millionen Hektar zwischen 2000 und 2020. Diese Grenzen bedrohen zudem v. a. Gebiete, die reich an biologischer Vielfalt und Kohlenstoff sind, während Schutzgebiete und das Land indigener Völker entscheidend dazu beitragen, die Grenzausdehnung einzudämmen. Eine weitere Erkenntnis dieser Arbeit ist der Zusammenhang zwischen gescheiterten Landinvestitionsprojekten und der daraus resultierenden Entwaldung. Hierbei werden häufig lokale Bedürfnisse übersehen und Sorgfaltspflichten umgangen, was zu Umweltzerstörung und sozialen Konflikten beiträgt. Darüber hinaus wird die Ausweitung des Naturschutzes beschrieben, indem untersucht wird, wie Prioritäten gesetzt werden, wie Governance-Systeme umstrukturiert werden und wie Naturschutzakteure mit anderen Interessengruppen interagieren. Insgesamt werden in dieser Arbeit innovative Methoden zur Beschreibung von Entwaldungsprozessen vorgestellt, die für verschiedene Kontexte, Maßstäbe und Landnutzungen angepasst und getestet werden können. Auf diese Weise trägt diese Arbeit zu einem tieferen Verständnis der globalen Entwaldung sowie der Möglichkeiten für Naturschutzbemühungen bei. / Uncurbed tropical deforestation poses significant threats to both nature and people. This thesis delves into the dynamics between deforestation frontiers and other land use frontiers, particularly focusing on tropical dry woodlands, which have been largely overlooked in research and policy. Specifically, the thesis aims to (1) characterise and map deforestation frontier types in tropical dry woodlands, (2) relate these frontier types to areas of woodland protection and conservation interest, (3) explore the relation of failed land investments with deforestation, and (4) conceptualise how conservation expands in response to deforestation frontiers. Thus, for the first time, major frontier types are identified, revealing varied dynamics of frontier expansion and a substantial threat to tropical dry woodlands, with a loss of 71 million hectares between 2000 and 2020. These frontiers disproportionately threaten areas rich in biodiversity and carbon, while protected areas and Indigenous Peoples’ lands are crucial in mitigating frontier expansion. Another significant finding of this thesis is the link between failed land investment projects and resulting deforestation frontiers. These projects often overlook local needs, and bypass due diligences contributing to environmental degradation and social conflict. Additionally, the thesis describes conservation frontiers by conceptualising (1) how conservation actors influence conservation priorities, (2) how the expansion of area-based conservation leads to the restructuring of governance systems, including possible resulting conflicts, and (3) the intricate dynamics between conservation actors and other stakeholders. Overall, the thesis introduces innovative methods for describing deforestation frontiers that could be adapted and tested across various contexts, scales, and land uses. Thereby, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of global deforestation challenges and opportunities for conservation efforts.

NY, Cornell Univ., Diss.--Ithaca, 2004. / Kopie, ersch. im Verl. UMI, Ann Arbor, Mich. - Enth. 3 Beitr.

Ohio, Ohio State Univ., Diss.--Columbus, 2004. / Kopie, ersch. im Verl. UMI, Ann Arbor, Mich. - Enth. 2 Beitr.

Univ., Diss.--Göteborg, 2005. / Enth. 3 Beitr.

Humboldt-Univ., Diss.--Berlin, 2007.

Land-use changes impact the energy balance of the Earth system, and feedbacks in the Earth system can dampen or amplify this perturbation. We analyze here from satellite data the response of clouds and subsequently radiation to a change of land use for the example of deforestation in the Amazon Basin. In this region, the characteristics of different cloud types over two vegetation types (forest and crop-/grasslands) were calculated for a time period of five years by using satellite data from the instruments MODIS and CERES. The cloud types are defined according to height, optical thickness, and fraction of cloud cover. For calculating the radiative forcing caused by deforestation, the dependency of spatial and temporal averages for the reflected shortwave and outgoing longwave radiation of the top of the atmosphere on vegetation types were determined as well. The results show distinct differences in cloud cover and radiative forcing over crop-/grasslands and forests for the two vegetation regimes, implying a potentially significant positive cloud feedback to deforestation.

Landwirtschaftliche Expansion und Intensivierung treiben die Umwandlung natürlicher Ökosysteme weltweit. Bis heute ist unklar, inwieweit politische Maßnahmen negative Folgen für die Umwelt minimieren können. Die Kombination mit Szenarien-Analysen kann ein Rahmen zur Unterstützung von Planungsprozessen schaffen, um potentielle Auswirkungen von politischen Maßnahmen zu erforschen. Das Ziel dieser Dissertation war es, die Triebkräfte der Veränderung von Argentiniens Agrarlandschaften zu verstehen, potentielle zukünftige Landnutzungsveränderungen zu analysieren und den Einfluss ökonomischer und naturschutzbezogener politischer Maßnahmen auf diese zu erfassen. Im ersten Teil der Dissertation wurden die Triebkräfte landwirtschaftlichen Landnutzungswandels mittels eines Nettoertrags-Modells ermittelt. Danach wurde der Einfluss von ökonomischen und naturschutzbezogenen Maßnahmen auf zukünftige Landnutzungsveränderungen sowie auf die Konnektivität von Waldgebieten mit Hilfe von Landnutzungs-Szenarien analysiert. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass landwirtschaftliche Intensivierung von ökonomischen Maßnahmen getrieben ist, während landwirtschaftliche Expansion durch naturräumliche Eigenschaften und Zonierungsprogramme jenseits der Profitmaximierung determiniert wird. Politische Maßnahmen mögen einen geringeren Einfluss auf Landnutzungswandel haben als bisher erwartet. Die Entwicklung von Agrarland konzentriert sich auf Gebiete mit hoher Priorität für den Umweltschutz. Zonierungsprogramme wie das Argentinische Waldgesetz stellen wirkungsvolle Maßnahmen dar, um umweltschädigenden Entwicklungen vorzubeugen. Die Erkenntnisse zeigen, dass Naturschutz nicht zwingend im Konflikt mit ökonomischer Entwicklung steht, denn mittels Landschaftsplanung kann die Konnektivität von Waldgebieten auch unter gleichbleibenden Abholzungsraten bewahrt werden. Die Dissertation zeigt den Mehrwert von a-priori Evaluierungen der potentiellen Einflüsse von Maßnahmen auf Landnutzungswandel. / Agricultural expansion and intensification drive the conversion of natural areas worldwide. Yet, it is not clear where and how much production would need to expand and intensify to meet future demands and how policies may help minimizing environmental trade-offs. Particularly the latter requires an understanding of the underlying forces that drive agricultural land-use changes. This offers a framework for planners and decision makers to explore potential impacts from policies, especially in very dynamic regions. Argentina, where agricultural expansion and intensification result in dramatic conversions of natural areas, is a good example of a dynamic human-environment system. The goal of this thesis was to understand the drivers of agricultural land-use change and to explore future trajectories of land-use change, and how economic and conservation policies may impact them. This thesis examines drivers of agricultural land-use changes using a net returns model of agricultural production. Then, it evaluates the effects of economic and conservation policies on future land-use changes and on the connectivity of forests by developing scenarios of future land-use change. Results highlight that agricultural intensification in Argentina is driven by economic interventions, whereas agricultural expansion primarily responds to environmental characteristics and zonation programs. Economic policies may have less power in governing land use changes than previously thought, as results suggest that there are other factors, than profit maximization, influencing land conversions. Future agricultural development would occur in priority areas for conservation in Argentina, but zonation policies, such as the Forest Law, appear to be powerful in limiting potential environmental trade-offs. Conservation planning does not necessarily need to conflict with economic development, since under similar deforestation rates; landscape planning can preserve forest connectivity in the Chaco.

This publication summarizes the main results of the INCAProject during 2011/2012 and the contributions to the according INCA-Summer-School, which took place from September 19th – September 27th 2012 at the Technische Universität Dresden, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Institute of International Forestry and Forest Products, Professorship of Tropical Forestry in Tharandt, Germany.

This publication summarizes the main results of the INCAProject during 2011/2012 and the contributions to the according INCA-Summer-School, which took place from September 19th – September 27th 2012 at the Technische Universität Dresden, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Institute of International Forestry and Forest Products, Professorship of Tropical Forestry in Tharandt, Germany.:AN INTERNATIONAL NETWORK ON CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS ON SMALL FARMERS IN THE TROPICAL ANDES – GLOBAL CONVENTIONS FROM A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE S. 1 1. Introduction S. 2 2. The concept of an International Network on Climate Change S. 5 3. The outlook on an endogenous approach S. 9 4. References S. 12 ADAPTATION MEASURES S. 17 Adaptation strategies of Andean campesinos to cope with the climatic variability – Examples from the Mantaro Valley, Peru S. 18 A socio-economic analysis of livelihood strategies in rural forest depending communities in lowland Bolivia under a changing climate S. 20 Who knows what and why? Intra-cultural knowledge variation of agroforestry plants S. 21 Traditional ecological knowledge, resilience and food security: local strategies in three communities in the Yungas ecosystem, La Paz, Bolivia S. 22 Influence of agroforestry systems in risk reduction and climate change adaptation in the Peruvian Andes S. 24 Assessing adaptation to climate change: Environmental and socio-economic changes in the Andes of Bolivia S. 26 Adaptive capacity of rural communities to climate change in the bio-cultural system of the Andes, Bolivia S. 28 Socio-economic analysis of farm-forestry systems: Case studies from Achamayo and Palcazu watersheds, Peruvian Andes S. 29 MONITORING AND MODELING LAND USE CHANGE S.33 Modeling and forecast of changes in land-use and land-cover caused by climate change in the Peruvian Andes S. 34 Land-use and land-cover change in Cotapata National Park – Natural integrated management area, Bolivia S. 37 Monitoring and analyzing land-use / land-cover changes using remote sensing and GIS in the Achamayo and Shullcas region, Peruvian Andes S. 39 Climate change and land-use in the Bolivian Andes S. 41 Modeling the adaptation strategies of farmers of the Andes against climate change and the related development of land-use / land-cover S. 43 MANAGEMENT OF A CHANGING LANDSCAPE S. 45 Evaluating the strategies for the management of biophysical resources in farm communities of the Mantaro Valley, Central Andes of Peru S. 46 Participative planning, monitoring and evaluation system in bio-cultural local communities S. 50 The monitoring program in Apolobamba protected area S. 51 Progress in the diagnosis of biodiversity vulnerability to climate change in Bolivia S. 52 Sectoral program of adaptation to climate change of biodiversity and ecosystems S. 53 DEFORESTATION AND CLIMATE CHANGE S. 55 Possible interactions between climate projections and deforestation scenarios in Bolivia S. 56 Transport and possible climate impacts of aerosols from biomass burning from the Amazon to the Bolivian Andes S. 56 Transboundary air pollution in southern Amazon of Peru S. 57 SUMMARY S. 59 Challenges presented by climate change in the Andean region: Land-use cover change and adaptive response of small farmers S. 60 List of participants and additional information S. 62