Yann le Polain
@yannlepolain.bsky.social
Associate Prof. of Geography & Development Studies at McGill University. I work on land use and livelihoods in agricultural frontiers, particularly in the Gran Chaco region. Interested in land, environment, and development. He/him. Web: lendevlab.com
Angela Kronenburg García and I just published a new paper on the moral economy of frontier investments!
It explores the discursive work that goes into realizing the "dream" of new investment frontiers, based on interviews in the Gran Chaco and in Mozambique.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
It explores the discursive work that goes into realizing the "dream" of new investment frontiers, based on interviews in the Gran Chaco and in Mozambique.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
“Dream brokers” and the moral economy of frontier investments
Agricultural frontiers continue to expand rapidly in multiple parts of the world, with massive social and ecological consequences. As awareness of the…
www.sciencedirect.com
July 16, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Angela Kronenburg García and I just published a new paper on the moral economy of frontier investments!
It explores the discursive work that goes into realizing the "dream" of new investment frontiers, based on interviews in the Gran Chaco and in Mozambique.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
It explores the discursive work that goes into realizing the "dream" of new investment frontiers, based on interviews in the Gran Chaco and in Mozambique.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Yann le Polain
Just published a piece in BioScience with @mariapiquerr.bsky.social, Gabriela Fontanarrosa, and Silvia Lomáscolo on what systemic sexism looks like for us as early career researchers.
academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
Systemic sexism in academia: an early-career viewpoint
Over the past years, a theme has recurrently popped up in conversation among us (the present authors): Discussions over Zoom, at conferences, on bumpy road
academic.oup.com
June 17, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Just published a piece in BioScience with @mariapiquerr.bsky.social, Gabriela Fontanarrosa, and Silvia Lomáscolo on what systemic sexism looks like for us as early career researchers.
academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
Reposted by Yann le Polain
🐄🐂 Putting landless cattle on the map! 🐄🐂
New paper in Env. Research Letters on mapping cattle intensification from space - across South America's dry diagonal doi.org/10.1088/1748... @erc.europa.eu @matthiasbaumann.bsky.social @pedrofernandez91.bsky.social #SystemShift @biogeoberlin.bsky.social
New paper in Env. Research Letters on mapping cattle intensification from space - across South America's dry diagonal doi.org/10.1088/1748... @erc.europa.eu @matthiasbaumann.bsky.social @pedrofernandez91.bsky.social #SystemShift @biogeoberlin.bsky.social
June 17, 2025 at 4:32 PM
🐄🐂 Putting landless cattle on the map! 🐄🐂
New paper in Env. Research Letters on mapping cattle intensification from space - across South America's dry diagonal doi.org/10.1088/1748... @erc.europa.eu @matthiasbaumann.bsky.social @pedrofernandez91.bsky.social #SystemShift @biogeoberlin.bsky.social
New paper in Env. Research Letters on mapping cattle intensification from space - across South America's dry diagonal doi.org/10.1088/1748... @erc.europa.eu @matthiasbaumann.bsky.social @pedrofernandez91.bsky.social #SystemShift @biogeoberlin.bsky.social
Reposted by Yann le Polain
Putting land claiming on the map reveals that the footprint of agricultural frontiers extends far into seemingly ‘intact’ forests.
New paper by @o-delgiorgio.bsky.social in PNAS @pnas.org
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
@matthiasbaumann.bsky.social
@tkuemmerle.bsky.social
@yannlepolain.bsky.social
New paper by @o-delgiorgio.bsky.social in PNAS @pnas.org
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
@matthiasbaumann.bsky.social
@tkuemmerle.bsky.social
@yannlepolain.bsky.social
June 3, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Putting land claiming on the map reveals that the footprint of agricultural frontiers extends far into seemingly ‘intact’ forests.
New paper by @o-delgiorgio.bsky.social in PNAS @pnas.org
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
@matthiasbaumann.bsky.social
@tkuemmerle.bsky.social
@yannlepolain.bsky.social
New paper by @o-delgiorgio.bsky.social in PNAS @pnas.org
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
@matthiasbaumann.bsky.social
@tkuemmerle.bsky.social
@yannlepolain.bsky.social
In a new article in the Journal of Peasant Studies, I discuss how Criollo smallholders have dealt with large-scale land deals in the Paraguayan Chaco. The upshot: they are doing all they can, but in the face of immense power imbalances, that is often still not enough. See doi.org/10.1080/0306...
‘Who defends us?' Criollo livestock herders amidst commodity frontier expansion in the Paraguayan Chaco
The expansion of large-scale cattle ranches and commercial crop farms into the Gran Chaco woodlands is displacing forest-based smallholders at an alarming rate. In this paper, I use the case of Cri...
doi.org
February 26, 2025 at 7:02 PM
In a new article in the Journal of Peasant Studies, I discuss how Criollo smallholders have dealt with large-scale land deals in the Paraguayan Chaco. The upshot: they are doing all they can, but in the face of immense power imbalances, that is often still not enough. See doi.org/10.1080/0306...
Reposted by Yann le Polain
Now that so many people are on blue sky I want to rehype this amazing paper by Leonie Hodel, @yannlepolain.bsky.social, & myself. I really found this to be one of the most interesting papers I have participated in during the last years.
It is an outcome of @glp-earth.bsky.social OSM4!
It is an outcome of @glp-earth.bsky.social OSM4!
📰 Fresh paper out at
@naturesustainab
“Characterizing culture’s influence in land systems", led by Leonie Hodel
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@naturesustainab
“Characterizing culture’s influence in land systems", led by Leonie Hodel
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Characterizing culture’s influence in land systems - Nature Sustainability
While land use is often seen as a function of governance and economics, the role of culture is largely understudied. This study examines the cultural dynamics that play a role in a wide range of land-...
www.nature.com
January 9, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Now that so many people are on blue sky I want to rehype this amazing paper by Leonie Hodel, @yannlepolain.bsky.social, & myself. I really found this to be one of the most interesting papers I have participated in during the last years.
It is an outcome of @glp-earth.bsky.social OSM4!
It is an outcome of @glp-earth.bsky.social OSM4!
Reposted by Yann le Polain
Agricultural expansion in the Chaco leads to the marginalization of Indigenous peoples and other smallholders through limiting access to surface water --> doi.org/10.1016/j.ap... Paper led by Patrice Matthews & Yann le Polain de Waroux at McGill University with @biogeoberlin.bsky.social
July 17, 2024 at 10:31 AM
Agricultural expansion in the Chaco leads to the marginalization of Indigenous peoples and other smallholders through limiting access to surface water --> doi.org/10.1016/j.ap... Paper led by Patrice Matthews & Yann le Polain de Waroux at McGill University with @biogeoberlin.bsky.social
New paper out! In "Frontier constellations", I use the notion of land-use regimes to frame a discussion of long-term land-use transitions in the Paraguayan Chaco, based on oral histories and historical documents.
Check it out here! www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Check it out here! www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Frontier Constellations: A History of Land-use Regimes in Paraguay’s Pilcomayo River Basin
The Paraguayan Chaco is increasingly known for the extreme rates of forest loss caused by the rapid expansion of cattle ranching and crop farming over the last few decades. Knowledge of its twentie...
www.tandfonline.com
June 21, 2024 at 6:15 PM
New paper out! In "Frontier constellations", I use the notion of land-use regimes to frame a discussion of long-term land-use transitions in the Paraguayan Chaco, based on oral histories and historical documents.
Check it out here! www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Check it out here! www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Yann le Polain
Land-use typology for conservation in tropical dry woodlands published in Global Environmental Change
By Marie Pratzer, @tkuemmerle.bsky.social, Patrick Meyfroidt, Natasha Ribeiro, Jayshree Ratnam, Mariana Rufino, Yann le Polain, Maria Vallejos and more!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
By Marie Pratzer, @tkuemmerle.bsky.social, Patrick Meyfroidt, Natasha Ribeiro, Jayshree Ratnam, Mariana Rufino, Yann le Polain, Maria Vallejos and more!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
An actor-centered, scalable land system typology for addressing biodiversity loss in the world’s tropical dry woodlands
Land use is a key driver of the ongoing biodiversity crisis and therefore also a major opportunity for its mitigation. However, appropriately consider…
www.sciencedirect.com
May 2, 2024 at 10:11 AM
Land-use typology for conservation in tropical dry woodlands published in Global Environmental Change
By Marie Pratzer, @tkuemmerle.bsky.social, Patrick Meyfroidt, Natasha Ribeiro, Jayshree Ratnam, Mariana Rufino, Yann le Polain, Maria Vallejos and more!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
By Marie Pratzer, @tkuemmerle.bsky.social, Patrick Meyfroidt, Natasha Ribeiro, Jayshree Ratnam, Mariana Rufino, Yann le Polain, Maria Vallejos and more!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Yann le Polain
How to be more nuanced about land use in conservation? We identify land systems, focused on actors, that represent key threats and conservation opportunities - across the tropical dry woodlands.
May 2, 2024 at 10:11 AM
How to be more nuanced about land use in conservation? We identify land systems, focused on actors, that represent key threats and conservation opportunities - across the tropical dry woodlands.