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The impact of community forest concessions on income: an analysis of communities in the Maya Biosphere Reserve

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  • Bocci, Corinne
  • Fortmann, Lea
  • Sohngen, Brent
  • Milian, Bayron

Abstract

Forests in developing tropical countries are frequently overexploited because they are essentially treated as open access due to the lack of resources dedicated to protect the area. In response, some governments have shifted towards community-based, common property resource management policies. While there is emerging evidence that these policies can reduce deforestation, there has been less research assessing the effect of these concessions on rural livelihoods. This is surprising, since sustainable income generation is an important outcome that can influence the long-term success of concession policies. This study examines the effect of community-managed forest concessions on income in the context of the Maya Biosphere Reserve in northern Guatemala. In this region, forest concessions have been established in the past 20 years to give local residents access to the forests. Residents granted access to a forest concession are required to reduce overexploitation by abiding by a sustainable forest management plan and obtaining certification from the Forest Stewardship Council. In the Maya Biosphere Reserve, the characteristics of concession communities vary and the sustainable management plan is often tailored to meet the needs of the community. The results show that the effects of participating in a forest concession on income are generally positive, although there is significant heterogeneity among communities with different socioeconomic characteristics.

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  • Bocci, Corinne & Fortmann, Lea & Sohngen, Brent & Milian, Bayron, 2018. "The impact of community forest concessions on income: an analysis of communities in the Maya Biosphere Reserve," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 10-21.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:107:y:2018:i:c:p:10-21
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2018.02.011
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    1. Bocci, Corinne F., 2023. "Assessing the private and social benefits of forest concessions in the Maya Biosphere Reserve," 2023 Annual Meeting, July 23-25, Washington D.C. 335973, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    2. Butler, Megan & Current, Dean, 2021. "Relationship between community capitals and governance: The perspective of local actors in the Maya Biosphere Reserve," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 21(C).
    3. Shyamsundar, Priya & Sauls, Laura Aileen & Cheek, Jennifer Zavaleta & Sullivan-Wiley, Kira & Erbaugh, J.T. & Krishnapriya, P.P., 2021. "Global forces of change: Implications for forest-poverty dynamics," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    4. Butler, Megan, 2021. "Analyzing community forest enterprises in the Maya Biosphere Reserve using a modified capitals framework," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    5. Gnych, Sophia & Lawry, Steven & McLain, Rebecca & Monterroso, Iliana & Adhikary, Anukram, 2020. "Is community tenure facilitating investment in the commons for inclusive and sustainable development?," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    6. Bocci, Corinne & Fortmann, Lea, 2023. "Community and industrial forest concessions: Are they effective at reducing forest loss and does FSC certification play a role?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    7. Bocci, Corinne F. & Fortmann, Lea, 2023. "Community and Industrial Forest Concessions: are they effective at reducing forest loss and does FSC certification play a role?," 2023 Annual Meeting, July 23-25, Washington D.C. 335972, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    8. Doremus, Jacqueline, 2019. "Unintended impacts from forest certification: Evidence from indigenous Aka households in Congo," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 1-1.
    9. Ramirez-Gomez, Sara O.I. & van Laerhoven, Frank & Boot, René & Biermann, Frank & Verweij, Pita A., 2020. "Assessing spatial equity in access to service-provisioning hotspots in data-scarce tropical forests regions under external pressure," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 45(C).
    10. Bocci, Corinne & Sohngen, Brent & Finnegan, Bridget & Milian, Bayron, 2022. "An analysis of migrant characteristics in forest-dwelling communities in northern Guatemala," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    11. Baral, Sony & Chhetri, Bir Bahadur Khanal & Baral, Himlal & Vacik, Harald, 2019. "Investments in different taxonomies of goods: What should Nepal's community forest user groups prioritize?," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 24-32.
    12. Shang Xu & H. Allen Klaiber & Daniela A. Miteva, 2023. "Impacts of forest conservation on local agricultural labor supply: Evidence from the Indonesian forest moratorium," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 105(3), pages 940-965, May.
    13. Puspa K.C. Bhandari & Prabin Bhusal & Ganesh Paudel & Chiranjibi P. Upadhyaya & Bir Bahadur Khanal Chhetri, 2019. "Importance of Community Forestry Funds for Rural Development in Nepal," Resources, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-14, May.
    14. Bocci, Corinne & Mishra, Khushbu, 2021. "Forest power: The impact of community forest management on female empowerment," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    15. Bocci, Corinne F. & Lupi, Frank & Sohngen, Brent, 2018. "Timber or Carbon? Evaluating forest conservation strategies through a discrete choice experiment conducted in northern Guatemala," 2018 Annual Meeting, August 5-7, Washington, D.C. 274011, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    16. Bocci, Corinne & Sohngen, Brent & Lupi, Frank & Milian, Bayron, 2020. "Timber or carbon? Evaluating forest conservation strategies through a discrete choice experiment," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).

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