Deforestation of "degraded" rangelands: The Argentine Chaco enters the next state of the anthropocene

TitleDeforestation of "degraded" rangelands: The Argentine Chaco enters the next state of the anthropocene
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2014
AuthorsBestelmeyer BT
JournalRangelands
Volume36
Issue4
Start Page36
Pagination36-39
Date Published08/2014
ARIS Log Number308153
Abstract

Twenty years ago I completed my Master’s work in the Chaco forests of northern Argentina. The native forests are, in fact, rangelands. In addition to livestock grazing, there is timber extraction, wildlife harvest (think tegu lizard cowboy boots), and charcoal production. I took part in a project comparing biodiversity among production systems. A new system promised to reverse biodiversity loss and soil degradation. But it’s a moot point now since much of that forest has been cleared for cropland—the highest rate of tropical forest loss in the world.

URL/files/bibliography/14-033.pdf
DOI10.2111/Rangelands-D-14-00026.1