DEFORESTATION AROUND THE WORLD - India Environment Portal

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Deforestation Around the World
EVALUATION AXES SPECIAL CRITERIA OF EVALUATION
A.1 Human decision level
A. SCALE
A.2 Spatial Level
A.3 Temporal Level (time step)
B.1 Raking of the phenomenon
B. FOCUS OF THE THEORY
B.2 Descriptive
B.3 Causal
B.4 Predictive
C.1 Economic Mechanisms
C.
MAIN MECHANISM OF
LAND USE CHANGE
C.2 Social Mechanisms
C.3 Administrative-Political Mechanisms
C.4 Natural Resources
D. INTERDISCIPLINARY
D.1 Transectoral focus
D.2 Sectoral focus
E.1 Descriptive
E. NATURE OF THEORY
E.2 Geometrical
E.3 Mathematical
F. LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT
F.1 Developed countries
F.2 Developing countries
Table 1. Framework for evaluating of deforestation-related theoretical schemata.
a. The scale in which the theory can be applied for describing and interpreting land use
changes.
The significance of scale is critical and concerns:
The human decision-making process (single person, household etc).
The geographical unit of analysis (spatial analysis) in which the theory can be effectively
applied (city, region, country).
The time unit of analysis, (temporal analysis) which is connected with the ability of the
theory approaching short-term, medium-term or long-term changes.
b. The central aim of the theory.
Theories, mainly attempt to classify, describe, explain or even forecast spatial tranformation
phenomena. Classification is a way of categorizing observed land use changes, so that any
likely differences or similarities in the way that spatial phenomena transform space, are
better understood. Descriptive theoretical approaches, in addition to classifying observed
complex geographical formations, also attempt to determine concrete functional
relationships and processes that, in turn, reveal likely associations between different uses of
land. Explanatory theoretical perspectives concentrate on the determination of factors and
dynamics that produce, wear out or eliminate certain land uses. Finally, predictive
theoretical perspectives focus on the projection of spatial phenomena into the future aiming
at forecasting any future composition of land use system.
c. Main mechanism of land use change.
The comprehension of underlying causes associated with land use change processes as well
as The understanding of the major mechanisms of land use allocation is a critical matter. The
existing theoretical pool in the field of land use change includes diverse approaches that
either focus on economic processes and factors or on social and administrative processes, or
support that the spatial distribution of different land uses is determined by the existing