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Fire use and prevention by traditional households in the Brazilian Amazon

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  • Bowman, Maria S.
  • Amacher, Gregory S.
  • Merry, Frank D.

Abstract

Fire is an important land management tool for smallholders in the Brazilian Amazon. However, when fires are not properly controlled they can give rise to large-scale wildfires that threaten forests, agricultural plantations, and settlement areas. We use data from a survey of 220 households to examine fire prevention and the scale of fire prevention and burning activities among traditional subsistence households in the Tapajós National Forest in Pará, Brazil. We find that in traditional households, economic variables such as the opportunity cost of household time, market conditions, and the hiring wage are important predictors of these decisions, as is household reliance on standing forest resources for non-timber products. Our results confirm that traditional households actively engage in fire prevention, and suggest that fire prevention is motivated by a desire to protect agricultural plantations as well as standing forest reserves. The results suggest that increased income, improved infrastructure, and improved access to markets for labor and agricultural goods will encourage fire prevention among smallholders in communities with education and planning programs.

Suggested Citation

  • Bowman, Maria S. & Amacher, Gregory S. & Merry, Frank D., 2008. "Fire use and prevention by traditional households in the Brazilian Amazon," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(1), pages 117-130, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:67:y:2008:i:1:p:117-130
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    1. Cammelli, Federico & Angelsen, Arild, 2017. "Amazonian farmers’ response to fire policies and climate change," Working Paper Series 04-2017, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, School of Economics and Business.
    2. Carmenta, Rachel & Cammelli, Federico & Dressler, Wolfram & Verbicaro, Camila & Zaehringer, Julie G., 2021. "Between a rock and a hard place: The burdens of uncontrolled fire for smallholders across the tropics," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    3. Fonseca Morello, Thiago & Marchetti Ramos, Rossano & O. Anderson, Liana & Owen, Nathan & Rosan, Thais Michele & Steil, Lara, 2020. "Predicting fires for policy making: Improving accuracy of fire brigade allocation in the Brazilian Amazon," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    4. Amacher, Gregory S. & Merry, Frank D. & Bowman, Maria S., 2009. "Smallholder timber sale decisions on the Amazon frontier," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(6), pages 1787-1796, April.
    5. Thiago Morello, 2023. "An Agri-environmental Scheme for Reducing Inputs Subjected to Accidental Spillage: An Application to Agricultural Burnings by Smallholders," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 84(2), pages 383-408, February.
    6. Busby, Gwenlyn & Amacher, Gregory S. & Haight, Robert G., 2013. "The social costs of homeowner decisions in fire-prone communities: Information, insurance, and amenities," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 104-113.
    7. Cammelli, Federico & Angelsen, Arild, 2019. "Amazonian farmers' response to fire policies and climate change," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 1-1.
    8. Morello, Thiago Fonseca & Parry, Luke & Markusson, Nils & Barlow, Jos, 2017. "Policy instruments to control Amazon fires: A simulation approach," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 199-222.
    9. Jeremy G. Weber & Erin O. Sills & Simone Bauch & Subhrendu K. Pattanayak, 2011. "Do ICDPs Work? An Empirical Evaluation of Forest-Based Microenterprises in the Brazilian Amazon," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 87(4), pages 661-681.
    10. Thiago Fonseca Morello & Rossano M. Ramos & Liana O. Anderson & Thais M. Rosan - Lara Steil, 2018. "Predicting Amazon Fires For Policy Making," Anais do XLIV Encontro Nacional de Economia [Proceedings of the 44th Brazilian Economics Meeting] 184, ANPEC - Associação Nacional dos Centros de Pós-Graduação em Economia [Brazilian Association of Graduate Programs in Economics].
    11. Yuki Yamamoto & Kenji Takeuchi & Gunnar Kohlin, 2013. "What Factors Promote Peatland Fire Prevention? Evidence from Central Kalimantan, Indonesia," Discussion Papers 1312, Graduate School of Economics, Kobe University.

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