Abstract

CARDENAS, Juan Camilo. Local Commons and Cross-Effects of Population and Inequality on the Local Provision of Environmental Services. Lect. Econ. [online]. 2005, n.62, pp.75-121. ISSN 0120-2596.

TThe potential effect of population density over scarce natural resources has been present since the beginning of the environmental and resource debates. The role that inequality plays in this relationship has been less studied. This paper proposes that better distributions of land can lessen the effect of population pressure over land degradation, mainly by changing the use of labor and by providing incentives for more sustainable farm and land-use practices. Using GIS technologies and data from more than 100 "veredas" in the Boyacá region (Colombia), the econometric results support the proposition that under better distribution of land, the effect of population density on land degradation is smaller.

Keywords : Population; sustainable agriculture; land use; land degradation; inequality.

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