Deforestation is driven by global markets

By Ruben Valbuena, Lecturer in Forest Sciences, Bangor University
Thomas Lovejoy, Senior Fellow, UN Foundation and University Professor, George Mason University

The world is at a crossroads, as humanity tries to mitigate climate change and halt biodiversity loss, while still securing a supply of food for everyone. A recent study in Nature Communications shows that global demands for commodities, especially in connection with agricultural development, are the main drivers of land use change in the global south.

A land use change is defined as a permanent or long-term conversion in the type of cover of an area of land, for instance from forest to urban use, agricultural…

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