The Subnational Politics of Deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon, 2002-2022

What are the local political factors influencing deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon? Global deforestation continues to pose a significant environmental challenge, with the Peruvian Amazon experiencing a loss of approximately 4% of its primary forest from 2002 to 2024. While policy responses often rely on collaboration among local politicians, elites, and communities, political factors remain understudied. We contribute to the literature by analyzing how local political competition and communal land titling influence subnational forest loss in Peru—a context where decentralization and Indigenous land titling differ significantly from cases like Brazil and Argentina. We draw on a panel dataset that spans 21 years (2002–2022), enabling us to analyze both cross-sectional and temporal variation in deforestation. Our results reveal that local elections—specifically their timing and level of contestation—are linked to increased forest loss. We interpret these findings in the context of local political dynamics that incentivize politicians to pursue particularistic benefits (such as land titles and infrastructure projects) that detract from conservation efforts.

Moises Arce is the Scott and Marjorie Cowen Chair in Latin American Social Sciences and Professor in the Department of Political Science at Tulane University. Professor Arce specializes in conflict processes, democratic governance and environmental politics. He is the author of Market Reform in Society (Penn State 2005), Resource Extraction and Protest in Peru (Pittsburgh 2014), Social Protest and Democracy (Calgary 2019), The Roots of Engagement (Oxford 2022), Popular Politics and Protest Event Analysis in Latin America (New Mexico 2024), and numerous journal articles and book chapters.