Local Perspectives on Ecosystem Service Trade-Offs in a Forest Frontier Landscape in Myanmar

Feurer, Melanie; Heinimann, Andreas; Schneider, Flurina; Jurt, Christine; Myint, Win; Zähringer, Julie Gwendolin (2019). Local Perspectives on Ecosystem Service Trade-Offs in a Forest Frontier Landscape in Myanmar. Land, 8(3), p. 45. MDPI 10.3390/land8030045

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Extensive land use changes in forest frontier landscapes are leading to trade-offs in the
supply of ecosystem services (ES) with, in many cases, as yet unknown effects on human well-being. In the Tanintharyi Region of Myanmar, a forest frontier landscape facing oil palm and rubber expansion, little is known about local perspectives on ES and the direct impact of trade-offs from land use change. This study assessed the trade-offs experienced with respect to 10 locally important ES from land user perspectives using social valuation techniques. The results show that while intact forests provide the most highly valued ES bundle, the conversion to rubber plantations entails fewer negative trade-offs than that to oil palm. Rubber plantations offer income, fuelwood, a good microclimate, and even new cultural identities. By contrast, oil palm concessions have caused environmental pollution, and, most decisively, have restricted local people’s access to the respective lands. The ES water flow regulation is seen as the most critical if more forest is converted; other ES, such as non-timber forest products, can be more easily substituted. We conclude that, from local
perspectives, the impact of ES trade-offs highly depends on access to land and opportunities to adapt to change.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geography > Geographies of Sustainability > Unit Land Systems and Sustainable Land Management (LS-SLM)
08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geography > Geographies of Sustainability
08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geography
10 Strategic Research Centers > Centre for Development and Environment (CDE)

Graduate School:

International Graduate School North-South (IGS North-South)

UniBE Contributor:

Heinimann, Andreas, Schneider, Flurina, Zähringer, Julie Gwendolin

Subjects:

900 History > 910 Geography & travel

ISSN:

2073-445X

Publisher:

MDPI

Projects:

[857] OneMap Myanmar Phase 2
[1047] Managing Telecoupled Landscapes for Sustainable Provision of Ecosystem Services and Poeverty Alleviation
[803] Cluster: Land Resources

Language:

English

Submitter:

Stephan Schmidt

Date Deposited:

02 Jul 2019 08:46

Last Modified:

27 May 2024 11:25

Publisher DOI:

10.3390/land8030045

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.130699

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/130699

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