Mapping forest-cultivation transition using spatial-temporal classification of multi-temporal Landsat images: The Maya forest of southern Belize

Background/Question/Methods

Since the end of British colonialism in 1981, the Maya communities of southern Belize have struggled with the state for control of the lands which they have customarily used to produce an agricultural livelihood.  Since state officials often assert that the Maya are poor stewards of these lands (Maya agricultural practices are said to cause deforestation) the geographical and ecological evaluation of land use and cover takes on a political character. We were approached by leaders of some Maya communities to produce an analysis of forest change that could assist them in managing their lands and in countering the government’s narrative.  This paper presents the results of our interdisciplinary research.  We examine spatio-temporal analysis of forest change in southern Belize (1976-2009) by re-interpreting Landsat images from this entire period, coupled with a focus on changes in one sub-region during the 1990s (a period for which we have especially clear and consistent Landsat data). 

Results/Conclusions

We found that [1] the forests in our study area, where customary land use and tenure has been practiced consistently since the colonial era, persist as secondary forests, used periodically by Maya farmers; [2] the forest area cleared annually by Maya farmers is stable; [3] the fallow period is stable; [4] so too the farming population.  These findings do not to deny the possibility of 'deforestation', of course.  But they suggest that the popular association of ‘slash and burn farming’ with ‘deforestation’ may have led to an exaggerated emphasis on Maya communities in discussions about the changing forests of Belize.  We hypthesize that the relative stability of land use, fallow, and population in our study area may be due to the persistence of customary Maya land use and tenure and conclude by discussing ongoing research that examines effects of roads and reductions in forest cover in southern Belize.