Swidden agriculture in transition and its roles in tropical forest loss and industrial plantation expansion

Tropical forest and swidden agriculture are declining, while industrial tree plantations are continuously expanding due to a robust global demand for timber and pulp. However, little is known about the processes, trends and mechanisms of the tropical forest-swidden-plantation (TFSP) nexus. Global ongoing initiatives including the United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (UN-REDD Programme), not only have repeatedly emphasized the significance of conserving forests, reforestation and afforestation, but also pushed swidden agriculture to the forefront of a long-standing international debate of climate change and biodiversity. Many facets limit our understanding of swidden agriculture and its roles in forest loss and plantations expansion. The lack of geographic and demographic data and their dynamics across the tropics undoubtedly further aggravates this situation since the first appeals for eradication of shifting cultivation by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in the late 1950s. Although recent studies have significantly enriched our knowledge of forest loss and plantation expansion, previous research has proceeded separately and has yet to be integrated under the umbrella of 'sustainable development of swidden agriculture'. Efforts are needed to investigate the dynamics of the TFSP nexus for the sake of a synergetic goal of climate mitigation, biodiversity conservation, and poverty alleviation.

Automated summary

Tropical forests are decreasing and industrial tree plantations are expanding, but little is known about the interactions and effects among tropical forests, swidden agriculture, and plantations. Initiatives like the UN-REDD Programme emphasize forest conservation and climate change, highlighting the importance of swidden agriculture in biodiversity and climate issues.