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Land Change in the Greater Antilles between 2001 and 2010

Author

Listed:
  • Nora L. Álvarez-Berríos

    (Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, P.O. Box 70377, San Juan, PR 00936, USA)

  • Daniel J. Redo

    (Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, P.O. Box 23360, San Juan, PR 00931, USA)

  • T. Mitchell Aide

    (Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, P.O. Box 23360, San Juan, PR 00931, USA)

  • Matthew L. Clark

    (Center for Interdisciplinary Geospatial Analysis, Department of Geography and Global Studies, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA 94928, USA)

  • Ricardo Grau

    (CONICET, Instituto de Ecología Regional, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Casilla de Correo 34 (4107), Yerba Buena, Tucumán, Argentina)

Abstract

Land change in the Greater Antilles differs markedly among countries because of varying socioeconomic histories and global influences. We assessed land change between 2001 and 2010 in municipalities (second administrative units) of Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. Our analysis used annual land-use/land-cover maps derived from MODIS satellite imagery to model linear change in woody vegetation, mixed-woody/plantations and agriculture/herbaceous vegetation. Using this approach, we focused on municipalities with significant change ( p ≤ 0.05). Between 2001 and 2010, the Greater Antilles gained 801 km 2 of woody vegetation. This increase was mainly due to the return of woody vegetation in Cuba, and smaller increases in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Despite relatively similar environments, the factors associated with these changes varied greatly between countries. In Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica, agriculture declined while mixed-woody vegetation increased, mostly in montane regions. In contrast, Cuba experienced an extensive decline in sugarcane plantations, which resulted in the spread of an invasive woody shrub species and the increase in woody vegetation in areas of high agricultural value. In Haiti, the growing population, fuelwood consumption, and increase in agriculture contributed to woody vegetation loss; however, woody vegetation loss was accompanied with a significant increase in the mixed woody and plantations class. Most regional analyses often treated the Greater Antilles as a homogeneous unit; our results suggest that historical and socio-economic differences among countries are crucial for understanding the variation in present day land change dynamics.

Suggested Citation

  • Nora L. Álvarez-Berríos & Daniel J. Redo & T. Mitchell Aide & Matthew L. Clark & Ricardo Grau, 2013. "Land Change in the Greater Antilles between 2001 and 2010," Land, MDPI, vol. 2(2), pages 1-27, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:2:y:2013:i:2:p:81-107:d:24574
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Dolisca, Frito & McDaniel, Joshua M. & Teeter, Lawrence D. & Jolly, Curtis M., 2007. "Land tenure, population pressure, and deforestation in Haiti: The case of Forêt des Pins Reserve," Journal of Forest Economics, Elsevier, vol. 13(4), pages 277-289, November.
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    4. Dolisca, Frito & McDaniel, Josh M. & Teeter, Lawrence D., 2007. "Farmers' perceptions towards forests: A case study from Haiti," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 9(6), pages 704-712, February.
    5. Norman Myers & Russell A. Mittermeier & Cristina G. Mittermeier & Gustavo A. B. da Fonseca & Jennifer Kent, 2000. "Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities," Nature, Nature, vol. 403(6772), pages 853-858, February.
    6. World Bank, 2011. "World Development Indicators 2011," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 2315, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Bhagawat Rimal & Lifu Zhang & Hamidreza Keshtkar & Xuejian Sun & Sushila Rijal, 2018. "Quantifying the Spatiotemporal Pattern of Urban Expansion and Hazard and Risk Area Identification in the Kaski District of Nepal," Land, MDPI, vol. 7(1), pages 1-22, March.
    2. Wenjie Wang & Chuanrong Zhang & Jenica M. Allen & Weidong Li & Mark A. Boyer & Kathleen Segerson & John A. Silander, 2016. "Analysis and Prediction of Land Use Changes Related to Invasive Species and Major Driving Forces in the State of Connecticut," Land, MDPI, vol. 5(3), pages 1-22, July.
    3. Matthew L. Clark & Jorge Ruiz & Maria C. Fandino & David López-Carr, 2021. "Conservation Priorities in Terrestrial Protected Areas for Latin America and the Caribbean Based on an Ecoregional Analysis of Woody Vegetation Change, 2001–2010," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-21, October.
    4. Apostolos Gaitanis & Kleomenis Kalogeropoulos & Vassilis Detsis & Christos Chalkias, 2015. "Monitoring 60 Years of Land Cover Change in the Marathon Area, Greece," Land, MDPI, vol. 4(2), pages 1-18, April.
    5. Newman, Minke E. & McLaren, Kurt P. & Wilson, Byron S., 2018. "Using the forest-transition model and a proximate cause of deforestation to explain long-term forest cover trends in a Caribbean forest," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 395-408.

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