Demarcating Forest, Containing Disease: Land and HIV/AIDS in Southern Zambia

The ongoing HIV/AIDS pandemic in southern Africa continues to manifest itself in 
unexpected ways. While the consequences of the disease appear straightforward in some 
aspects—eg., medical, labor, cost—in other respects the repercussions, while large, are 
nonetheless highly nuanced and can be counterintuitive. This paper reports on the 
intersection of AIDS, migration, livelihood adaptation, land tenure, and forest 
conservation, to outline how adaptation to the pandemic has reworked significant aspects 
of land tenure to result in increased forest conservation in southern Zambia in the near to 
medium-term. The research uses a combination of ethnography, case studies, household 
survey and spatial analyses and finds that HIV/AIDS is used in customary legal settings 
to enhance land access. We also draw links to practical and theoretical implications of 
the relationship between AIDS, land tenure, and deforestation in Sub-Saharan Africa.