Publication: Impacts of Conservation Incentives in Protected Areas: The Case of Bolsa Floresta, Brazil
Date
2019-11
ISSN
Published
2019-11
Author(s)
Cisneros, Elias
Borner, Jan
Pagiola, Stefano
Wunder, Sven
Abstract
Incentive-based conservation is a
promising approach to tropical forest conservation,
including within multiple-use protected areas. Here we
analyze the environmental impacts of Bolsa Floresta, a
longstanding forest conservation program combining
conditional household payments with livelihood-focused
investments in 15 multiple-use reserves of Amazonas State,
Brazil. We use grid-based data, nearest-neighbor matching,
and panel data econometrics to compare forest-related
program outcomes (deforestation, degradation, fires) with
non-participating reserves. While post-treatment
deforestation and degradation was negligible, this was
already the case pre-treatment, since low-threat reserves
had preferentially been targeted. We thus find only
statistically insignificant additional conservation effects
from implementation. No important heterogeneous treatment
effects could be detected either. Our findings thus add to
the growing evidence that spatial mis-targeting towards
low-hanging fruits, that is disproportionally selecting
low-threat forest conservation areas into programs,
constitutes a prime cause for low additionality found in
rigorous impact evaluations of incentive-based forest
conservation initiatives.
Citation
“Cisneros, Elias; Borner, Jan; Pagiola, Stefano; Wunder, Sven. 2019. Impacts of Conservation Incentives in Protected Areas: The Case of Bolsa Floresta, Brazil. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/33077 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”