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Forestland-cover changes in China’s tropical area: Historical patterns, implications, and policy options—a case study from Xishuangbanna

ABSTRACT To effectively conserve tropical forested areas, it is useful to study and understand historical land-cover changes and local people’s attitudes toward the current land-uses. Using forest inventory data, and data collected from a survey of 145 households, we explored the forestland-cover changes, within the past 50 yr, in Xishuangbanna, China, and assessed the local residents’ perceptions toward the existing forestland management schemes. Our analysis showed that although forestland coverage has increased during the time-period studied, the increase can be mostly attributed to the expansion of rubber plantations. Forest degradation continues to be an issue in the area studied. The government’s attempts to mitigate the effects of rubber monocultures, by promoting environment-friendly plantations, have been proven challenging, which was mainly due to locals’ unfavorable view of the plan. Also, because of the recent decreasing prices of dry rubber, many locals have lost their interest in managing the forest plots they own, hindering further the successful implementation of the plan. Considering these challenges, and the strong negative effects of rubber monocultures on biodiversity, we argue that the current incentives should be further strengthened to promote more efficiently the government’s “Environment-Friendly Ecological Rubber Plantations” plan, and the joint management of the locals’ forest plots.