Experimental evidence on the impact of payments and property rights on forest user decisions

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cg.authorship.typesCGIAR and developing country instituteen_US
cg.contributor.crpPolicies, Institutions, and Marketsen_US
cg.contributor.crpWater, Land and Ecosystemsen_US
cg.contributor.donorEuropean Research Councilen_US
cg.contributor.donorForeign and Commonwealth Officeen_US
cg.contributor.donorUniversity of Stirlingen_US
cg.contributor.donorInternational Development Research Centreen_US
cg.contributor.donorLeverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowshipen_US
cg.contributor.donorCGIAR Trust Funden_US
cg.coverage.countryKenyaen_US
cg.coverage.countryMadagascaren_US
cg.coverage.iso3166-alpha2KEen_US
cg.coverage.iso3166-alpha2MGen_US
cg.coverage.regionEastern Africaen_US
cg.coverage.regionSub-Saharan Africaen_US
cg.coverage.regionAfricaen_US
cg.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2021.661987en_US
cg.issn2673-611Xen_US
cg.journalFrontiers in Conservation Scienceen_US
cg.reviewStatusPeer Reviewen_US
cg.volume2en_US
dc.contributor.authorRakotonarivo, O. Sarobidyen_US
dc.contributor.authorBell, Andrewen_US
dc.contributor.authorDillon, Brianen_US
dc.contributor.authorDuthie, A. Bradleyen_US
dc.contributor.authorKipchumba, Adamsen_US
dc.contributor.authorRasolofoson, Ranaivo Andriarilalaen_US
dc.contributor.authorRazafimanahaka, Julieen_US
dc.contributor.authorBunnefeld, Nilsen_US
dc.date.accessioned2025-01-29T12:58:08Zen_US
dc.date.available2025-01-29T12:58:08Zen_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/171416en_US
dc.titleExperimental evidence on the impact of payments and property rights on forest user decisionsen_US
dcterms.abstractClearing forests for swidden agriculture, despite providing food to millions of farmers in the tropics, can be a major driver of deforestation. Payments for ecosystem services schemes can help stop swidden agriculture-induced forest loss by rewarding forest users for maintaining forests. Clear and secure property rights are a key prerequisite for the success of these payment schemes. In this study, we use a novel iterative and dynamic game in Madagascar and Kenya to examine farmer responses to individual and communal rights to forestlands, with and without financial incentives, in the context of swidden agricultural landscapes. We find that farmer pro conservation behaviour, defined by the propensity to keep forests or fallows on their lands, as well as the effects of land tenure and conservation incentive treatments on such behaviour, differ across the two contexts. The average percentages of land left forest/fallow in the game are 65 and 35% in Kenya and Madagascar, respectively. Individual ownership significantly improves decisions to preserve forests or leave land fallow in Madagascar but has no significant effect in Kenya. Also, the effect of the individual tenure treatment varies across education and wealth levels in Madagascar. Subsidy increases farmers' willingness to support conservation interests in both countries, but its effect is four times greater in Kenya. We find no interaction effects of the two treatments in either country. We conclude that the effectiveness of financial incentives for conservation and tenure reform in preserving forestland vary significantly across contexts. We show how interactive games can help develop a more targeted and practical approach to environmental policy.en_US
dcterms.accessRightsOpen Accessen_US
dcterms.available2021-07-16en_US
dcterms.bibliographicCitationRakotonarivo, O. Sarobidy; Bell, Andrew; Dillon, Brian; Duthie, A. Bradley; Kipchumba, Adams; Rasolofoson, Ranaivo Andriarilala; Razafimanahaka, Julie; and Bunnefeld, Nils. 2021. Experimental evidence on the impact of payments and property rights on forest user decisions. Frontiers in Conservation Science 2: 661987. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2021.661987en_US
dcterms.issued2021en_US
dcterms.languageenen_US
dcterms.licenseCC-BY-4.0en_US
dcterms.publisherFrontiers Mediaen_US
dcterms.subjectshifting cultivationen_US
dcterms.subjectpayments for ecosystem servicesen_US
dcterms.subjectproperty rightsen_US
dcterms.subjectland tenureen_US
dcterms.subjectforest landen_US
dcterms.subjectforest conservationen_US
dcterms.subjectagricultureen_US
dcterms.typeJournal Articleen_US

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