POPULATION-DRIVEN CHANGES IN LAND-USE IN DEVELOPING-COUNTRIES

This paper shows that demographic processes influence land degradation through the intervening variables of land use. A proper understanding of the effects of population growth and redistribution on deforestati on, soil erosion, etc., requires examining changes in land-use pattern s over time. A conceptual framework is proposed, wherein these changes are seen to be manifest in various forms, depending on natural resour ces and institutional factors, including changes in land-tenure arrang ements, land intensification, and land extensification. Cross-country data on demographic trends, changes in land use and environmental degr adation are presented, to provide an overview for Latin American and s ub-Saharan Africa. Specific linkages are examined and case studies for Guatemala and Kenya are presented.