Cocoa, livelihoods, and deforestation within the Tridom landscape in the Congo Basin: A spatial analysis

Jonas Ngouhouo-Poufoun, Sabine Chaupain-Guillot, Youba Ndiaye, Denis Jean Sonwa, Kevin Yana Njabo and Philippe Delacote

PLOS ONE, 2024, vol. 19, issue 6, 1-29

Abstract: In the context of emerging international trade regulations on deforestation-free commodities, the drivers of households’ deforestation in conservation landscapes are of interest. The role of households’ livelihood strategies including cocoa production, and the effects of human-elephant conflict are investigated. Using a unique dataset from a survey of 1035 households in the Tridom landscape in the Congo basin, the spatial autoregressive model shows that: (1) Households imitate the deforestation decisions of their neighbors; (2) A marginally higher income from cocoa production-based livelihood portfolios is associated with six to seven times higher deforestation compared to other livelihood strategies with a significant spillover effect on neighboring households’ deforestation. The increase in income, mainly from cocoa production-based livelihoods in open-access systems can have a negative effect on forests. Households with a higher share of auto-consumption are associated with lower deforestation. If economic development brings better market access and lower auto-consumption shares, this is likely to positively influence deforestation. Without proper land use planning/zoning associated with incentives, promoting sustainable agriculture, such as complex cocoa agroforestry systems, may lead to forest degradation and deforestation.

Date: 2024
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Working Paper: Cocoa, livelihoods, and deforestation within the Tridom landscape in the Congo Basin: A spatial analysis (2024)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pone00:0302598

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302598

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