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Is collective titling enough to protect forests? Evidence from Afro-descendant communities in the Colombian Pacific region

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  • Vélez, Maria Alejandra
  • Robalino, Juan
  • Cardenas, Juan Camilo
  • Paz, Andrea
  • Pacay, Eduardo

Abstract

During the mid-1990s, one of the most ambitious land reforms in recent decades took place in Colombia. The reform recognized collective land rights of almost 6 million hectares to Afro-Colombian communities, with the dual goals of improving livelihoods and preserving valuable ecosystems. We estimate the impact of this collective land titling program on forest cover using panel data and a difference-in-difference empirical strategy. We find that overall, collective titling significantly reduces deforestation rates, but the effect varies substantially by sub-region. We observe that the larger effects are in Nariño and Valle del Cauca. Our qualitative analysis suggest that this might be the result of local community-based organization defining the rules for community use of natural resources and the expulsion of private companies dedicated to timber exploitation and oil palm plantations. We conclude that under the adequate conditions, collective titling can lead to forest conservation.

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  • Vélez, Maria Alejandra & Robalino, Juan & Cardenas, Juan Camilo & Paz, Andrea & Pacay, Eduardo, 2020. "Is collective titling enough to protect forests? Evidence from Afro-descendant communities in the Colombian Pacific region," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:128:y:2020:i:c:s0305750x19304863
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2019.104837
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    Cited by:

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    2. De Los Rios, Camilo, 2022. "The double fence: Overlapping institutions and deforestation in the Colombian Amazon," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    3. Shuning Zhu & Jinlong Liu & Hao Xu & Lingchao Li & Wentao Yang, 2022. "Has China’s New Round of Collective Forest Reforms Reduced Forest Fragmentation? A Case Study of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-15, May.
    4. Fox, Jonathan, 2020. "Contested terrain: International development projects and countervailing power for the excluded," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    5. Barrero-Amórtegui, Yady & Maldonado, Jorge H., 2021. "Gender composition of management groups in a conservation agreement framework: Experimental evidence for mangrove use in the Colombian Pacific," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    6. Deininger,Klaus W. & Ali,Daniel Ayalew, 2022. "How Urban Land Titling and Registry Reform Affect Land and Credit Markets : Evidencefrom Lesotho," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10043, The World Bank.
    7. Quintero-Angel, Mauricio & Coles, Ashley & Duque-Nivia, Andrés A., 2021. "A historical perspective of landscape appropriation and land use transitions in the Colombian South Pacific," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    8. Blackman, Allen & Dissanayake, Sahan & Martinez Cruz, Adan & Corral, Leonardo & Schling, Maja, 2022. "Benefits of Titling Indigenous Communities in the Peruvian Amazon: A Stated Preference Approach," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 12633, Inter-American Development Bank.
    9. Larson, Anne M. & Monterroso, Iliana & Liswanti, Nining & Tamara, Ade, 2023. "What is forest tenure (in)security? Insights from participatory perspective analysis," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    10. Ivan D. Lobo & Maria Alejandra Vélez, 2020. "From strong leadership to active community engagement: effective resistance to illicit economies in Afro Colombian collective territories," Documentos CEDE 17908, Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE.
    11. Camilo De Los Rios Rueda, 2020. "The Double Fence: Overlapping Institutions and Deforestation in the Colombian Amazon," Documentos CEDE 18007, Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE.
    12. Marcos Criado de Diego, 2019. "Territorio y acceso a la justicia en el posconflicto colombiano," Books, Universidad Externado de Colombia, Facultad de Derecho, number 1166, October.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Afro-descendants; Collective property; Colombia; Land titling; Forest cover; Impact evaluation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q15 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Land Ownership and Tenure; Land Reform; Land Use; Irrigation; Agriculture and Environment
    • Q23 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Forestry

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