Spatial relationship between deforestation and protected areas, accessibility, population density, GDP and other factors in mainland Tanzania
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Date
2017
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Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Abstract
Deforestation is a problem that adversely affects the socioeconomic
and ecological dimensions of human life locally, nationally and
globally. This paper reports on the analysis of the spatial relationships
between deforestation (study period: 1995–2010) and protected areas,
accessibility, human population density, regional gross domestic
product (GDP) and geographic and climatic factors using land use/land
cover maps covering the whole of mainland Tanzania. Multiple linear
regression analysis was used for statistical analysis of the relationship
between deforestation and the explanatory variables. Deforestation
was estimated at the rate of 320,067 ha/yr. High deforestation was
associated with unprotected areas, low distance to railway, road and
town, high population density and high regional GDP. These results
have at least the following four implications: (1) Protected areas are
better in controlling deforestation than if there were none. (2) Town
dwellers depend on forests for wood and livelihood. (3) Roads and
railways are not used only to access off farm activities but also to
access forests for exploitation and conversion to other land covers
than forest. (4) High population density and high GDP did not result
in switching from dependence on forests for wood and livelihoods.
It is recommended that appropriate strategies should address these
implications so that the patterns of dependence on forests for wood
and livelihoods are redressed.
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Keywords
Deforestation, Forest access, Forest use, Human population density, Land cover changes, Land use dynamics, Livelihoods, Protected areas