Envisioning better forest transitions: A review of recent forest transition scholarship

Forest transition theory, as introduced by Alexander Mather, depicts forest recovery patterns often occurring in the wake of agricultural intensification and farmland abandonment. Since the forest transition theory was introduced, multiple pathways have been described in the scholarly literature to explain forest transition phases via varied socio-economic forces. This analysis of a set of 78 country-specific case studies published from 2019 to 2022 confirms social inequity in documented forest transitions; forest transition case studies from 2019 to 2022 were concentrated in highly developed countries. This review also substantiates the impact of agricultural land use changes in recent forest transitions. Four out of five case studies assessing pathways identified an economic development pathway for forest transitions. The effect of state interventions such as introducing incentives for reforestation in forest transitions reviewed was mixed; while almost one-third of forest transitions were attributed to state policies or laws, negative biodiversity impacts from forest plantations were documented. With respect to social justice, nearly a third of case studies included interviews with villagers or similar methodologies to capture social perceptions of forest transitions. Based on this review, governance and social equity forest transition benefits are critical issues for forest transition research.