How cash can promote tropical forest conservation
Cash payments to rural villagers for conserving tropical forests can have long-term benefits, finds a new study from CU Boulder.
➡️ Paying forest users to cut down fewer trees boosts conservation not only while the payments are being made but even after they’re discontinued, according to the study.
➡️ The study also found that when forest users trust each other, their conservation efforts are further enhanced even after cash incentives go away.
➡️ Research is mixed as to whether such programs work, and little has been done to assess what happens after payment goes away.
➡️ Meanwhile, some research suggests cash payments can backfire and “crowd out” other intrinsic non-monetary motivations people already have, and thus leave them less likely to conserve after payments are withdrawn than before they started.
The forest conservation game
Did you know that simply paying people to conserve forests can work?
In a study recently published in the journal Science, researchers found that when communities were given payments to cut down fewer trees, they did.
Even after the payments stopped, those groups who had been paid continued to conserve at a higher rate than those who had not received payments.
The study was conducted by staging a half-day table-top simulation game in which local forest users were divided into groups of eight and asked to make decisions about how many trees they would harvest from a shared forest.
Participants who got cash in the second stage cut down 19 percent fewer trees. Those who got cash and were encouraged to communicate in their decisions cut down 48 percent fewer trees.
“Our experimental results suggest that payments, especially when they are conditional on group cooperation, can help people realize the value of cooperation and that lasting cooperation can lead to better forest conditions,” said Andersson.
Paying cash for ecosystem services is seen as a way to promote tropical forest conservation, but it is not a silver bullet. Forest conservation requires the engagement of multiple stakeholders, including governments, communities, companies, and NGOs. To be effective, policymakers need to structure payments so that they reward cooperative behavior, pay attention to how much trust there is among the groups they are working with and do what they can to foster communication. cash can be a powerful tool for tropical forest conservation, but only if it is used wisely.
Conclusion
Now that we know cash payments can help promote tropical forest conservation, what can you do to help? There are a few things:
➡️ First, learn more about the issue and share what you’ve learned with your friends and family. The more people who understand the importance of conserving our forests, the better.
➡️ Second, support organizations that are working to protect forests around the world. This could mean donating money or volunteering your time.
➡️ Finally, get involved in local efforts to conserve forests near you. If there’s a park or forest preserve in your community, see how you can help keep it clean and beautiful. Thank you for reading!
References:
How cash can promote tropical forest conservation: University of Colorado Boulder
Experimental evidence on payments for forest commons conservation: nature.com