Kyle Davis

Tropical forests are vital for supporting global biodiversity, carbon storage, and local livelihoods, yet ongoing globalization has meant that remote factors exercise growing influence over these forests and their common-pool resources. Large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) by foreign investors have emerged as an important mechanism linking the demands of distal actors to forests in the Global South. These investments are executed with the goal of generating backflows of agricultural commodities to transnational investors, foreign governments, and global markets. Governments in targeted countries have often welcomed LSLAs in the name of facilitating agricultural technology transfers and the inflow of foreign capital as well as to encourage rural development and local job creation. Given the dramatic land use conversions that may need to occur in order for LSLAs to be put to productive use (e.g., from native forest to commercial monoculture), the proliferation of LSLAs suggests the potential for widespread impacts to natural systems. We employ a mixed methods approach, integrating information from diverse data sources to examine to what extent LSLAs have altered land use since the beginning of this century and how the development of these deals may affect biodiversity within contract areas. While our findings portend substantial degradation of natural habitats if current practices are applied in new or developing LSLAs, our assessment can provide valuable information for governments seeking to prevent unsustainable development through such investments. Given the vast extent over which LSLAs are granted globally, these deals – and the policies and regulations that govern their implementation – can play a key role in global conservation initiatives if managed to achieve both socio-economic and environmental co-benefits.