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Do Roads Cause Deforestation? Using Satellite Images in Econometric Analysis of Land Use
Author(s) -
Nelson Gerald C.,
Hellerstein Daniel
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
american journal of agricultural economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.949
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1467-8276
pISSN - 0002-9092
DOI - 10.2307/1243944
Subject(s) - deforestation (computer science) , proxy (statistics) , land use , satellite imagery , satellite , geography , environmental science , physical geography , remote sensing , statistics , ecology , mathematics , computer science , aerospace engineering , engineering , programming language , biology
In this paper we demonstrate how satellite images and other geographic data can be used to predict land use. A cross‐section model of land use is estimated with data for a region in central Mexico. Parameters from the model are used to examine the effects of reduced human activity. If variables that proxy human influence are changed to reflect reduced impact, “forest” area increases and “irrigated crop” area is reduced.