Are forest transitions associated with the international trade of agricultural commodities?

Abstract

Abstract Critics of the forest transition theory suggest that it occurs through the displacement of agricultural production abroad while exporting countries suffer agricultural expansion and deforestation. Other studies refute the idea of international trade as the main connection between the occurrence of the forest transition in importing countries and the advance of agricultural frontiers and deforestation in producing countries. Considering this divergence, we assessed whether international trade in agricultural commodities is associated with forest growth in importing countries and deforestation in exporting countries. Data on exports and imports of soy and palm oil among the leading countries in this market were confronted with their historical variation of forest cover between 1990 and 2020. The results suggest that global soy and palm oil markets significantly connect the exporting regions to importing countries that undergo forest transition.