title: The impact of swidden decline on livelihoods and ecosystem services in Southeast Asia: A review of the evidence from 1990 to 2015.
abstract: Global economic change and policy interventions are driving transitions from long-fallow swidden (LFS) systems to alternative land uses in Southeast Asia's uplands. This study presents a systematic review of how these transitions impact upon livelihoods and ecosystem services in the region. Over 17 000 studies published between 1950 and 2015 were narrowed, based on relevance and quality, to 93 studies for further analysis. Our analysis of land-use transitions from swidden to intensified cropping systems showed several outcomes: more households had increased overall income, but these benefits came at significant cost such as reductions of customary practice, socio-economic wellbeing, livelihood options, and staple yields. Examining the effects of transitions on soil properties revealed negative impacts on soil organic carbon, cation-exchange capacity, and aboveground carbon. Taken together, the proximate and underlying drivers of the transitions from LFS to alternative land uses, especially intensified perennial and annual cash cropping, led to significant declines in pre-existing livelihood security and the ecosystem services supporting this security. Our results suggest that policies imposing land-use transitions on upland farmers so as to improve livelihoods and environments have been misguided; in the context of varied land uses, swidden agriculture can support livelihoods and ecosystem services that will help buffer the impacts of climate change in Southeast Asia.
authors.affiliation: School of Geography, University of Melbourne, 221 Bouverie, Parkville, VIC, 3070, Australia.
authors.forename: Wolfram H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Dressler
authors.affiliation: World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), International Rice Research Institute, UPLB, College, Philippines Office, 2nd Floor, Khush Hall Building, PO Box 35024, 4031, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines. davewilson.consultancy@gmail.com.|Itad, Unit 12 English Business Park, Hove, UK. davewilson.consultancy@gmail.com.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) Headquarters, Jalan CIFOR, Situ Gede, Sindang Barang, Bogor, Indonesia.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Clendenning
authors.affiliation: School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Queensland, Hartley Teakle Building (83) Room S511, St Lucia Campus, Brisbane, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cramb
authors.affiliation: School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, Baldwin Spencer Building, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia.
authors.forename: Rodney
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Keenan
authors.affiliation: Crawford School of Public Policy, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.
authors.forename: Sango
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mahanty
authors.affiliation: Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 10, 1350, Copenhagen K, Denmark.
authors.forename: Thilde Bech
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Bruun
authors.affiliation: Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 10, 1350, Copenhagen K, Denmark.
authors.forename: Ole
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Mertz
authors.affiliation: World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), International Rice Research Institute, UPLB, College, Philippines Office, 2nd Floor, Khush Hall Building, PO Box 35024, 4031, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines.
authors.forename: Rodel D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Lasco
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*; D001210:Asia, Southeastern; D057231:Climate Change; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D017753:Ecosystem
keywords: Alternative land uses; Ecosystem services; Livelihood security; Shifting cultivation; Southeast Asia