Do forests provide watershed services for farmers in the humid tropics? Evidence from the Brazilian Amazon
Do forests provide watershed services for farmers in the humid tropics? Evidence from the Brazilian Amazon
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DOI：
10.1016/j.ecolecon.2021.106965
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发表时间：
2021-05
影响因子：
7
通讯作者：
Yu Wu;K. Mullan;T. Biggs;Jill L. Caviglia-Harris;Daniel W. Harris;E. Sills
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Yu Wu;K. Mullan;T. Biggs;Jill L. Caviglia-Harris;Daniel W. Harris;E. Sills
森林是水文循环的一个关键组成部分，因此砍伐森林可能影响下游农业生产用水的供应和质量。然而，在水资源相对丰富、地形相对平坦的潮湿热带地区，尚不清楚生态系统服务的这些变化是否对当地农民有影响。我们测试是否在上游流域的森林的程度影响下游的农业生产在巴西亚马逊河流域的农业殖民区。我们首先估计牛奶产量的面板模型，牛奶是我们研究地区的主要农产品。然后，我们测试对牧场放养和奶牛生产力的影响，作为上游森林对牛奶产量的影响的可能途径。估计结果表明，上游森林增加小流域面积的财产的生产力。当水稀少（干旱年份的旱季）或过多（洪水年份的雨季）时，影响最大。由于区域和全球气候变化，降雨量变得更加多变，亚马逊森林对当地农业经济复原力的贡献可能会变得更加重要。
Forests are a key component of hydrological cycles, and thus deforestation is likely to affect the availability and quality of water for downstream agricultural production. However, in humid tropical regions where water is relatively abundant and the terrain is relatively flat, it is unclear whether these changes in ecosystem services matter to local farmers. We test whether the extent of forest in upstream drainage areas affects downstream farm production in an agricultural colonization zone in the Brazilian Amazon. We first estimate panel models of the output of milk, which is the primary farm product in our study region. We then test for effects on pasture stocking and cow productivity as possible pathways for the effect of upstream forests on milk output. Estimation results suggest that upstream forest increases the productivity of properties with small drainage areas. The effects are strongest when water is either scarce (dry season of drought years) or excessive (rainy season of flood years). The contribution of Amazonian forests to the resilience of the local farm economy is likely to become more important as rainfall becomes more variable due to regional and global climate change.