Tragedy of the Commons: a visualization(cgdev.org)
cgdev.org
Tragedy of the Commons: a visualization
http://www.cgdev.org/section/initiatives/_archive/zimbabwe/landreform
8 comments
The author states that the dams that formed the lakes collapsed once under communal control => they look a different color because there is no water in them.
Agreed. It might be a visualisation, but it certainly isn't a good visualisation.
Even the user interface makes it difficult to figure out what you're looking at.
Even the user interface makes it difficult to figure out what you're looking at.
Indeed, this "visualization" was extremely underwhelming.
Is this article a joke?
In order to make this conclusion, they'd need to isolate the land reform variable and show that the reforms were the cause. Give the deterioration of Zimbabwe's economy and government since 2000, I'd think this is impossible.
In 2000, inflation in Zimbabwe was a measly 55%. In July of 2008, it was 231,150,888.87%. Now, who knows the date of the Google Maps pictures that they're using, but things started getting bad soon after 2000.
(figures from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperinflation_in_Zimbabwe)
In order to make this conclusion, they'd need to isolate the land reform variable and show that the reforms were the cause. Give the deterioration of Zimbabwe's economy and government since 2000, I'd think this is impossible.
In 2000, inflation in Zimbabwe was a measly 55%. In July of 2008, it was 231,150,888.87%. Now, who knows the date of the Google Maps pictures that they're using, but things started getting bad soon after 2000.
(figures from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperinflation_in_Zimbabwe)
I think this may not be a "fair" example (are any). There have been severe criticisms of Mugabe for a number of things including cronyism.
A lot of the media reports I read in Britain suggested much of the land didn't in fact become common land, but actually was handed over to Mugabe supporters, particularly ex-paramilitaries.
While I'm not going to dispute that commercial farming by a smaller number of individuals was more productive, it may not be entirely fair to attribute this to a tragedy of the commons.
A lot of the media reports I read in Britain suggested much of the land didn't in fact become common land, but actually was handed over to Mugabe supporters, particularly ex-paramilitaries.
While I'm not going to dispute that commercial farming by a smaller number of individuals was more productive, it may not be entirely fair to attribute this to a tragedy of the commons.
I don't know about your, but I have the impression that the whole photograph changes only in color balance (a 'sepia' filter?).
the right part seems less green because it contains more green. If you look carefully on the left side, you will see that it's less green too.
the right part seems less green because it contains more green. If you look carefully on the left side, you will see that it's less green too.
To make them easier to compare, before and after pictures resized so they line up with each other properly.
Before:http://img714.yfrog.com/i/beforem.png/
After:http://img185.yfrog.com/i/afterq.png/
It shows up the use of the clone tool around the bottom of the images more clearly.
Before:http://img714.yfrog.com/i/beforem.png/
After:http://img185.yfrog.com/i/afterq.png/
It shows up the use of the clone tool around the bottom of the images more clearly.
All the farms and all the water on both sides of the dividing line deteriorate in quality. If the detrimental effects were the result of the redistribution of land, then we should see a disproportionate decline in the green farms on the right.
Since all the farms declined in fertility and water containment, it appears to me that there was another factor affecting the deterioration than just new owners.
Since all the farms declined in fertility and water containment, it appears to me that there was another factor affecting the deterioration than just new owners.
Seeing as entire lakes have dried up, I really doubt it's just color balance.
The blue edges around the dried up lakes seems rather suspect as well. Looks like the result of using the Feather tool on a selection of the lake. For reference before and after satellite images of dried up lakes:
http://weheartworld.com/climate-change/global-devastation-ho...
Anyone find this in GoogleMaps/Earth?
Did Mugabe stop the rain from falling, or turn up the volume of the sun shine? It seems a bit of a leap, to be frank; my guess is that those lake beds are dry for much if not most of the year, and only fill up during or after a rainy season.
Those lakes are almost certainly not natural, but created by dams. The dams in that part of the world tend to be quite simple and need frequent maintenance. It's easily conceivable that they fell into disrepair and drained.
As a Peace Corps volunteer, I lived in Botswana for a while in the 1980s. My village was right on the border with South Africa. Aerial photos show a dramatic "step function" in how green each side of the border is (even during the dry season). I always heard the difference attributed to the free-ranging of goats and cows in Botswana, versus managed livestock in South Africa. From my experience (the goats are everywhere), may be.
There also may have been large effects from burning wood on the Botswana side, versus gas cylinders in RSA, but that was outside my direct experience.
I believe the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic shows a similar effect.
There also may have been large effects from burning wood on the Botswana side, versus gas cylinders in RSA, but that was outside my direct experience.
I believe the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic shows a similar effect.
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This shows a particular farm. Is it representative?
Besides illustrating the Tragedy of the Commons, this is visual proof that, dare I say it, "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence."
It certainly isn't a convincing visualization of what it purports to describe, to me at least.