The paper reviews trends in land use change in the tropics and subtropics of Latin America and the Caribbean, and their relation to the evolution of the cattle industry in the region. It is posited that horizontal expansion is nearly finished, and that cattle sector, and the grasslands that support it, are beginning to intensify. Nevertheless a number of paradoxes subsist and are discussed. Most notable among these are the interactions among land speculation, a characteristic aspect of much of the extensive cattle industry throughout history, with policies and technologies.

Vietnam has pilot-tested a payment for forest environmental services (PFES) program in an effort to restore and protect forest areas, some of which have been severely degraded by the excessive cutting of trees by small-scale farmers planting annual crops on steep, sloping lands. The pilot program implemented in southern Vietnam seems to be successful, yet the program in northern Vietnam has not produced the desired rates of planting and maintaining forest areas.

According to the latest report of the Intergovern- mental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), emissions must be cut by 41–72 % below 2010 levels by 2050 for a likely chance of containing the global mean temperature increase to 2 ?C. The AFOLU sector (Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use) contributes roughly a quarter (? 10–12 Pg CO2 e yr?1 ) of the net anthropogenic GHG emissions mainly from de- forestation, fire, wood harvesting, and agricultural emissions including croplands, paddy rice, and livestock.

Many people want to improve the governance of forest areas, yet what is considered good governance is not necessarily self-evident or agreed upon by everyone. This study demonstrates the diversity of views held by communities and government officials in Malinau, Indonesian Borneo about what they consider to be good governance. Each group described how they thought decisions about forests should be made, including how to represent interests, allocate land rights, distribute cash benefits from forests, share information and manage forests.