Whose Forest Land Is It?

The document identifies two contradictory trends in tropical land tenure: a 'global land rush' where agricultural land is transferred from governments and communities to corporate control, and a simultaneous increase in forestland tenure granted to Indigenous Peoples and local communities. The author argues that while agricultural land transfers are driven by economic factors—such as rising food prices, changing diets, and biofuel demand—forestland transfers are primarily political, driven by rights campaigns and the financial incentives of national-scale REDD+ programs. The paper notes regional disparities, with community tenure increasing significantly in Latin America, while corporate land-grabbing is most prevalent in Africa.

• There are two divergent trends in tropical land tenure: agricultural land is increasingly transferred to corporate control, while forestland is increasingly transferred from governments to communities and Indigenous Peoples.
• The 'global land rush' for agricultural land peaked in 2009 and was most prominent in Africa, with the state acting as the previous legal owner in 51 of 90 cases.
• The increase in community forest tenure is most evident in Latin America, whereas in Africa, forestland is more frequently transferred to corporate hands.
• Economic drivers of agricultural land tenure changes include the globalization of agriculture, rising crop prices, population growth, a 'nutrition transition' toward higher meat and oil consumption, and the expansion of biofuel production.
• Forestland transfers to communities are driven by political factors, including campaigns for Indigenous rights and the structure of national-scale REDD+ programs.
• National-scale REDD+ compensation provides a financial incentive for governments to transfer forest tenure to communities, as governments can receive payments for national emissions reductions without needing to maintain direct ownership of the land.
• Community-controlled forests generally exhibit lower deforestation rates than government-administered areas, as seen in Brazil where Amazon deforestation dropped 75 percent in 2011–2012 compared to the 1996–2005 average.

APA

Boucher, D. (2013). Whose Forest Land Is It? Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Whose-Forest-Land-Is-It-UCS-Whitepaper.pdf

Chicago

Boucher, Doug. Whose Forest Land Is It? Union of Concerned Scientists, 2013. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Whose-Forest-Land-Is-It-UCS-Whitepaper.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Boucher |first1=Doug |title=Whose Forest Land Is It? |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=May 2013 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Whose-Forest-Land-Is-It-UCS-Whitepaper.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{boucher2013whose, author = {Boucher, Doug}, title = {{Whose Forest Land Is It?}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2013}, month = may, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Whose-Forest-Land-Is-It-UCS-Whitepaper.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }