Pushing the Limits: The Pattern and Dynamics of Rubber Monoculture Expansion in Xishuangbanna, SW China

PloS One
Huafang ChenJianchu Xu

Abstract

The rapidly growing car industry in China has led to an equally rapid expansion of monoculture rubber in many regions of South East Asia. Xishuangbanna, the second largest rubber planting area in China, located in the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, supplies about 37% of the domestic natural rubber production. There, high income possibilities from rubber drive a dramatic expansion of monoculture plantations which poses a threat to natural forests. For the first time we mapped rubber plantations in and outside protected areas and their net present value for the years 1988, 2002 (Landsat, 30 m resolution) and 2010 (RapidEye, 5 m resolution). The purpose of our study was to better understand the pattern and dynamics of the expansion of rubber plantations in Xishuangbanna, as well as its economic prospects and conservation impacts. We found that 1) the area of rubber plantations was 4.5% of the total area of Xishuangbanna in 1988, 9.9% in 2002, and 22.2% in 2010; 2) rubber monoculture expanded to higher elevations and onto steeper slopes between 1988 and 2010; 3) the proportion of rubber plantations with medium economic potential dropped from 57% between 1988 and 2002 to 47% in 2010, while the proportion of plantations with lower ...Continue Reading

References

Sep 1, 2005·Environmental Management·Jefferson Fox, John B Vogler
Dec 25, 2007·Environmental Monitoring and Assessment·Huabin HuMin Cao
May 23, 2009·Science·Alan D ZieglerJianchu Xu
Aug 1, 2009·Science·Charles C Mann
Jan 3, 2012·Journal of Environmental Management·De-Li ZhaiZhi-Cong Dai
Jul 27, 2012·Nature·William F LauranceFranky Zamzani

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Citations

Aug 9, 2020·Current Biology : CB·Maria M H WangDavid P Edwards
Jun 17, 2019·Environmental Research·Pandji Wibawa DhewantaraRicardo J Soares Magalhães

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Software Mentioned

ArcGIS
Google Earth Quickbird
DigitalGlobe
RapidEye
Google Earth
eCognition

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