Forest transition, its causes and environmental consequences: an empirical evidence from Yunnan of Southwest China

China is experiencing forest transition with its associated environmental and
geopolitical impacts. This paper examines forest transition with empirical evidences experienced over the last half century at five sites in Yunnan Province of Southwest China. Results suggest that the forest transitions in Yunnan were mainly driven by economic growth that created off-farm opportunities. It was also supported by state policies favourable for environmental conservation that secured tenure and provided technical assistance and financial compensation. The forest transition in China contributes to global carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation and in improving local and regional environment. The forest transition was also useful in understanding people and land interactions in the coupled human-environment systems in Yunnan of the eastern Himalayas; this also provided potential policy understandings for regional application specifically when it comes to environmental conservation and economic development.