REFRAMING THE SHARING VS SPARING DEBATE FOR TROPICAL FORESTRY LANDSCAPES

Abstract

Humans now manage the majority of land on earth. It is no surprise that a debate about how to mix people and nature has resurfaced. That debate, now dubbed ‘land sharing vs sparing’ asks: How do we achieve the greatest conservation outcomes in a landscape given demands for food, fibre and fuel? Should we intensify production in one part of the landscape so that we may strictly protect (spare) the remainder? Or should we integrate (share) production and conservation in the same areas?