Reviewer #1's Review

“This article is original and excellent. It confirms the assumptions of many scientists, that the deforestation is more important where population density is low, and where property rights are not well defined. This counter-intuitive result is very stimulating as it is at the opposite of the usual assumptions of conservation NGOs, that the population density is the main deforestation driver. The data are very good, and well analyzed and processed. The references are relevant, apart the quasi absence of references in French (but this is, alas, too frequent...)
The paper is understandable by non specialists, and is pleasant to read.
I consider that the paper is acceptable as it is, with very minor corrections (see the remarks to be sent to the authors). And I predict a large influence of this paper among the scientific community involved in forest-people interactions and more generally, in interactions between natural and social dynamics. It is very important to go beyond ready-made thinking on biodiversity and forests in relation with local populations institutions and behaviour.

The Malagasyan State owns some 97% of the land. It would have been interesting to recall this information so as to better define what "well defined property rights" means. Actually, local communities have no recognized right to control access to or use of the renewable resources of their traditional territory. A law, "GELOSE" was voted in 1996 to put an end to the generalized situation of de facto open access, and transfer the control of access to the resources, through contracts, to the local communities. Even if not adequately implemented, this law testifies that Malagasyans where conscious of the role of local institutions in the development of forests. The authors do not refer to this important law whose design was based on assumptions very close to the authors ideas.
The list of references is very relevant, and multi-disciplinary.
But references in French are poorly represented, when French is the common scientific language of Madagascar. There are important references on property rights in relation with environmental dynamics such as:

Leroy, E. A. Karsenty , A. Bertrand: La sécurisation foncière en Afrique. Paris, Karthala, 1996.

Jean Pierre Raison : Les Hautes Terres de Madagascar. 2 tomes 664 p et 614 p. Paris , Karthala 1984

Lasry F., Blanc-Pamard C., Milleville, P. Razanaka, S., Grouzis, M. 2005. Environnnement et pratiques paysannes à Madagascar. Atlas CD-ROM, Paris, IRD.
I have also directed a thesis on a question very close to the the article :
Locatelli, Bruno. Pression démographique et construction du paysage rural des tropiques humides l'exemple de Mananara (Madagascar). Thèse Sciences de l'environnement [ ENGREF ] (2000).( http://pastel.paristech.o... )
(demographic pressure and the building of humid tropic landscape: the example of Mananara, Madagascar)

I have very much appreciated this article and have no doubt about its potential influence worldwide. It is a piece of reason, rigor and multidisciplinarity, in an area -forests and people- dominated by opinions, so called "arguments" and ready made thinking.”

n.b. These are the general comments made by the reviewer when reviewing this paper. Specific points addressed during revision of the paper are not shown.