Assessing spatial equity in access to service-provisioning hotspots in data-scarce tropical forests regions under external pressure

Abstract

Equity is an essential element in the implementation of policies related to ecosystem services. With the rapid expansion of commercial land use into tropical forest regions, the urgency and importance to integrate equity issues in space and time in decisions and actions stand without doubt. However, data scarcity in these regions limits the understanding of factors that affect spatial and temporal aspects of equity. This again emphasizes the need of rapid and robust ways to address spatio-temporal patterns of equity that are especially suited for data-scarce regions. This study addresses this gap. We assess the factors that have an influence on spatial equity through an empirical study that compares two sub-regions in the Upper Suriname River Basin. In the first sub-region, some logging and road building occur; the other, however, is more remote and such interventions are not yet developed but merely planned. We collected spatial data for 1995 and 2015 using a participatory GIS survey (n = 493), registering provisioning service hotspots. We then explored spatial equity, according to clan and authority position, by analyzing variation over time and across regions in relation to access capabilities of these users. In the region with roads and logging, spatial equity concerns emerged over time regarding the provision of timber and fish. In the remote region, spatial inequity in access to fish provisioning hotspots of ecosystem services increased while it showed a decreasing trend for timber. In outlining spatial equity concerns, we argue that spatial equity analysis unveils an essential social dimension in the use of the space that is integral in spatial planning processes in data scarce forest regions under external pressures.