Chapter 2: State and Trends
human and land rights. The region has demonstrated leadership in the adoption of more sustainable practices in export-oriented value chains. Making those practices widely available for domestic and export-oriented crops is possible, but needs strong leadership and financial commitment to make the transition feasible, especially for smallholders.
4. Ensure that all cadastral information containing the geo-referenced registry of all properties in the countries are up to date (reflecting the true distribution of land property), publicly available and accessible, and used for monitoring and tracing environmental compliance.
Land-use management in an uncertain future
Agricultural expansion is expected to continue, as the region holds one of the largest land reserves suited for agriculture, and remains tightly linked to global markets. Although this expansion can bring important economic benefits in the form of employment, foreign currency flows, investment in technology and infrastructure, among others, it also poses several risks. As some provisioning ecosystem services (such as food, fibre and energy) are prioritized in this new land configuration, others, such as hydrological and climatic regulation and soil fertility, may be compromised.
There is no ‘silver bullet’ for designing and implementing sustainable
management practices. Each biophysical
and socio-economic context is different, and how local, national and international conditions articulate in a specific location is unique. However, planners, policy makers and land managers might benefit from taking into account the following characteristics:
• There are many illegal and informal activities in the region that exacerbate land degradation and threaten the sustainability of land management and its productivity. Informal land ownership may lead to degradation. People active in illegal activities are usually aware of the nature of their conduct and disregard the negative impacts on other stakeholders. Detrimental land management strategies need to
Credit: UNEP/Francesco Gaetani
have stronger enforcement to eliminate or reduce their impacts. Education of land managers as well as the communication of good practices (including transferable indigenous knowledge) is desirable.
•
Intensifying management strategies where they can be sustainable is critical. This means using land more efficiently and restoring ecosystems. By using land according to its potential, the transformation of natural habitats can be slowed. Rather than extending activities into natural areas, advantage should be taken of the full potential of lands already being used.
• Sustainability means taking into consideration spatial and temporal links as well as limits. There are certain thresholds – biophysical, social and economic. When these thresholds are crossed, land degradation occurs. strategies are mutually
• Some • exclusive. Social,
economic and environmental trade-offs and also pay for ecosystem service (PES) must be carefully considered in identifying the most appropriate option.
For agriculture and animal husbandry, strategies may involve intensification of production (producing more in the same amount of land) or extensification (bringing more land into production).
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Coffee plantation, Boquete, Panama.
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