Assessing sustainable forest management under REDD +: A community-based labour perspective

Published Date
September 2013, Vol.93:94–103, doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2013.05.003

Analysis

Author 

Patrick Bottazzi ^a,d,,,www 

Andrea Cattaneo ^b,

David Crespo Rocha ^c,

Stephan Rist ^a,

aCentre for Development and Environment, University of Bern, Hallerstrasse 10, Bern 3012, Switzerland

bFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, Rome 00153, Italy

cFacultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales, La Pradera E7-174 y Av. Diego de Almagro-PBX, Quito, Ecuador

dInstitute of Geography and Sustainability, University of Lausanne, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland

Received 18 January 2013. Revised 25 April 2013. Accepted 7 May 2013. Available online 30 May 2013. 

Highlights

• REDD + could incentivize labour input in sustainable forest management (SFM).
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  In forest communities, SFM is more cost-effective than compensated reduction.
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  SFM enhances permanence, reduces leakage, and improves livelihoods.

Abstract

Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation plus (REDD +) encourages economic support for reducing deforestation and conserving or increasing existing forest carbon stocks. The way in which incentives are structured affects trade-offs between local livelihoods, carbon emission reduction, and the cost-effectiveness of a REDD + programme. Looking at first-hand empirical data from 208 farming households in the Bolivian Amazon from a household economy perspective, our study explores two policy options: 1) compensated reduction of emissions from old-growth forest clearing for agriculture, and 2) direct payments for labour input into sustainable forest management combined with a commitment not to clear old-growth forest. Our results indicate that direct payments for sustainable forest management – an approach that focuses on valuing farmers' labour input – can be more cost-effective than compensated reduction and in some cases is the most appropriate choice for achieving improved household incomes, permanence of changes, avoidance of leakages, and community-based institutional enforcement for sustainable forest management.

Keywords

REDD +

Deforestation

Sustainable forest management

Amazon

Labour input

Bolivia

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  Corresponding author at: Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern, Hallerstrasse 10, 3012 Bern, Switzerland. Tel.: + 41 31 631 88 22, + 41 22 731 81 88; fax: + 41 31 631 85 44.
  
  

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