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LEISZ, Stephen J.
Visiting Research Fellow
Area Studies I
Land Use / Cover Change in Southeast Asia

Research Interests

My research focuses on land-use/cover changes that are taking place in the uplands of Southeast Asia. I am interested in historical changes from the late 1800s to the present day. I am especially interested in how farming systems in the uplands are changing and how external and internal pressures are influencing and mitigating these changes. Over the last year, my interest in this subject has expanded to include looking at the influences of global climate change on the Southeast Asia uplands, and also on feedbacks that happen as land-use/cover change in the uplands.

Academic Career

1982 – 1986

Bachelor of Arts, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

1991 – 1996

Master of Science, Environmental Monitoring, University of Wisconsin-Madison, U.S.A.

1997 – 1999

Spatial Information Technology Specialist, Environmental Program, East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A.

2000 – 2002

Researcher / Consultant, U Minh Forest Project and Hanoi Agricultural University, Hanoi, Vietnam.

2002 – 2007

Technical Research Advisor at the Hanoi Agricultural University, Gia Lam, Hanoi, Vietnam. Ph.D. Fellow at the Institute of Geography, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.

2007

Ph.D., Geography Department, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.

2007 – Present

Researcher, Science Division, Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A.

Publications: Journal Articles

1. Leisz, Stephen J., Kjeld Rasmussen, Jorgen E. Olesen, Tran Duc Vien, Bo Elberling, Jens Jacobsen, Lars, Christiansen (2007). The impacts of local farming system development trajectories on greenhouse gas emissions in the northern mountains of Vietnam. Regional Environmental Change 7(4): 187-208.

1. Ziegler, Alan D., Thomas W. Giambelluca, Don Plondke, Stephen Leisz, Liem T. Tran, Jefferson Fox, Michael A. Nullet, John B. Vogler, Dao Minh Truong, Tran Duc Vien (2007). Hydrological consequences of landscape fragmentation in mountainous northern Vietnam: Buffering of Hortonian overland flow. Journal of Hydrology 337(1-2): 52-67.

1. Padoch, Christine, Kevin Coffey, Ole Mertz, Stephen J. Leisz, Jefferson Fox, Reed L. Wadley (2007). The Demise of Swidden in Southeast Asia? Local Realities and Regional Ambiguities. Danish Journal of Geography 107(10): 29-42.

1. Jakobsen, Jens, Kjeld Rasmussen, Stephen Leisz, Rikke Folving, and Nguyen Vinh Quang (2007). The effects of land tenure policy on rural livelihoods and food sufficiency in the upland village of Que, north central Vietnam. Agricultural Systems 94(2): 309-319.

1. Jepsen, Martin R., Stephen J. Leisz, Kjeld Rasmussen, Jens Jakobsen, Lasse Moller-Jensen and Lars Christiansen (2006). Agent-based modeling of shifting cultivation field patterns, Vietnam. International Journal of Geographical Information Science 20(9): 1067-1085.

1. Tran Duc Vien, Stephen J. Leisz, Nguyen Thanh Lam, A. Terry Rambo (2006). Using Traditional Swidden Agriculture to Enhance Rural Livelihoods in Vietnam’s Uplands. Mountain Research and Development 26(3): 192-196.

1. Leisz, Stephen J., Nguyen thi Thu Ha, Nguyen thi Bich Yen, Nguyen Thanh Lam, Tran Duc Vien (2005). Developing a methodology for identifying, mapping and potentially monitoring the distribution of general farming system types in Vietnam’s northern mountain region. Agricultural Systems 85: 340-363.

1. Xu Jianchu, Jefferson Fox, John B. Vogler, Zhang Peifang, Fu Yongshou, Yang Lixin, Stephen J. Leisz (2005). Land-use and land cover change and farmer vulnerability in Xishuangbanna prefecture in southwestern China. Environmental Management 36 (3):404-413.

1. Fox, Jefferson, Dao Minh Truong, A. Terry Rambo, Nghiem Phuong Tuyen, Le Trong Cuc, and Stephen Leisz (2000). Shifting Cultivation: A New Paradigm for Managing Tropical Forests. BioScience 50(6): 521-528.

1. Xiu Jianchu, Jefferson Fox, Lu Xing, Nancy Podger, Stephen Leisz, and Ai Xihui. Effects of Swidden Cultivation, State Policies, and Customary Institutions on Land Cover in a Hani Village, Yunnan, China (1999). Mountain Research and Development 19(2): 123-132.

1. Leisz, Stephen and James Gage (1995). Suggestions for Development/Conservation Research Needs in Madagascar. Society and Natural Resources 9(1): 97-100.

Publications: Book Chapters

1. Fox, Jefferson, Terry Rambo, Deanna Donovan, Le Trong Cuc, Thomas Giambelluca, Alan Ziegler, Donald Plondke, Tran Duc Vien, Stephen Leisz, and Dao Minh Truong. “Linking Household and Remotely Sensed Data for Understanding Forest Fragmentation in Northern Vietnam,” in People and the Environment: Approaches for Linking Household and Community Surveys to Remote Sensing and GIS. Eds. Fox, Rindfuss, Walsh, and Mishra. Kluwer Academic Publishers. 2002.

1. Leisz, Stephen, Dao, Minh Truong, Le Tran Chen, Le Trung Hai. “Land-cover and Land-use.” In: Le , T. C., Rambo, A. T. (Eds.), Bright Peaks, Dark Valleys; A Comparative Analysis of Environmental and Social Conditions and Development Trends in Five Communities in Vietnam’s Northern Mountain Region. The National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, Vietnam, pp. 85 – 118. 2001.

1. Hung, Dao Trong, Stephen Leisz, Dao Minh Truong, Le Tran Chau, and A. Terry Rambo. “Comparative Analysis of Community Ecological Status.” In: Le , T. C., Rambo, A. T. (Eds.), Bright Peaks, Dark Valleys; A Comparative Analysis of Environmental and Social Conditions and Development Trends in Five Communities in Vietnam’s Northern Mountain Region. The National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, Vietnam, pp. 268 – 288. 2001.

1. Fox, Jefferson, Stephen Leisz, Dao Minh Truong, A. Terry Rambo, Nghiem Phuong Tuyen, and Le Trong Cuc. “Shifting Cultivation Without Deforestation: A case study in the mountains of northwestern Vietnam,” In Applications of GIS and Remote Sensing in Biogeography and Ecology. Millington, Walsh, and Osborne, editors. Kluver Press. 2001.

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