Village settlement, deforestation, and the expansion of agriculture in a frontier region: Nang Rong, Thailand

Abstract

The settlement of a frontier is the outcome of demographic processes occurring within a changing socio-spatial context and subject to biophysical constraints. This chapter elaborates on these interrelationships using the history of the last 50 years in Nang Rong, Thailand. It documents two eras in village settlement, a period of colonization prevailing in the 1950s and 1960s when entirely new villages were being formed, and a period of consolidation in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s that consisted of the expansion of existing villages. Spatial and temporal patterns of settlement reveal clues about the factors influencing village settlement, including the importance of suitable land for cultivation, proximity to water, markets and prices, road access, and social factors linked to proximity to other villages. The impact of initial and expanded settlement on deforestation and conversion of land to agricultural uses over four decades is examined using aerial photography. © 2008 Springer-Verlag US.