Population pressure, land tenure, and tree resource management in Uganda

Abstract

Assessments of changes in land use and tree cover density were made for 64 parishes in east-central Uganda between 1960 and 1995 using remote sensing data. Additional data were collected on population, tenure, access to markets, and other factors, and were used in models to explain changes in the land use and tree cover variables. Conversion of land into agriculture was heavily influenced by population pressure and was greater under the customary tenure system. The change in tree cover density was not linked to population pressure, and for agricultural land, was higher under the more privatized 'mailo' tenure system