Additionality and design of forest conservation programs: Insights from Ecuador's Socio Bosque Program

Phillip M. Mohebalian and Francisco Aguilar

Forest Policy and Economics, 2016, vol. 71, issue C, 103-114

Abstract: Ecuador has experienced one of the highest rates of deforestation in South America over the turn of the century with consequent threats to the provision of essential life-supporting environmental services. The Ecuadorian government instituted the ‘Socio Bosque Program’ (PSB) in 2008 in an effort to incentivize the conservation of privately-owned native forests. This study is the first to examine the PSB additionality in prevented deforestation through use of a geographic information system. Moreover, face-to-face surveys were conducted and analyzed to create a typology of forest owners based on their estimated likelihood to engage in forest land changes and elicit corresponding preferences for PSB-like forest conservation program participation. The survey data were collected from individual Ecuadorian forest owners in the Western region of the province of Pichincha. We estimate that less than 1% of forestland enrolled in the PSB would have been deforested were it not enrolled in the program. Landowners more likely to engage in deforestation practices denoted greater interest in participating in a conservation program when contracts allowed for the sustainable harvesting of timber. Landowners likely to conserve, showed greater interest in participating in a conservation program contingent on the amount of financial incentive provided. A design strategy, counter to the traditional focus, points to the allowance of sustainable forest harvesting, as a means of more effectively preventing deforestation in the Tropics.

Keywords: Payment for environmental services; Socio Bosque Program; Propensity score matching; Forest owner typology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:forpol:v:71:y:2016:i:c:p:103-114

DOI: 10.1016/j.forpol.2015.08.002

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