IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/has/discpr/1326.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Development and application of a new Forestation Index: global forestation patterns and drivers

Author

Listed:
  • Zsofia Benedek

    (Institute of Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies, Hungarian Academy of Sciences)

  • Imre Ferto

    (Institute of Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies, Hungarian Academy of Sciences)

Abstract

Deforestation has long been heavily studied; several proximate and underlying causes behind the global decrease of forest extent have been discussed. However, systematic analyses of positive examples are sparse, even if forestation is happening in almost 70 countries (on approximately 40% of the world forested area). This study focuses on countries where forest cover increased between 1990 and 2010. As "forests" is a heterogeneous group, a biodiversity-corrected Forestation Index is also introduced to distinguish between different forms of "environmentally valuable" new forests (that are expected to have positive impact on biodiversity) and monocultures (that are debatable with that respect). OLS regression is used to reveal factors that may influence the observed patterns. Our results present some evidence to support the existence of an environmental Kuznets curve (EKC). Direct conservation investments appear to have negative effect on forestation which implies substitution of measures. Several traditional factors, which are important in deforestation (such as corruption, economic freedom, etc.) seems to have no impact from forestation perspective. Results show that refinement is needed during the modelling of forestation and different types should be acknowledged - treatment of forests as a homogenous category is an oversimplification.

Suggested Citation

  • Zsofia Benedek & Imre Ferto, 2013. "Development and application of a new Forestation Index: global forestation patterns and drivers," CERS-IE WORKING PAPERS 1326, Institute of Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies.
    • Handle: RePEc:has:discpr:1326
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://econ.core.hu/file/download/mtdp/MTDP1326.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Culas, Richard J., 2007. "Deforestation and the environmental Kuznets curve: An institutional perspective," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(2-3), pages 429-437, March.
    2. Bhattarai, Madhusudan & Hammig, Michael, 2001. "Institutions and the Environmental Kuznets Curve for Deforestation: A Crosscountry Analysis for Latin America, Africa and Asia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 29(6), pages 995-1010, June.
    3. Henk Folmer & G. Cornelis van Kooten, 2006. "Deforestation," Working Papers 2006-06, University of Victoria, Department of Economics, Resource Economics and Policy Analysis Research Group.
      • Folmer, Henk & van Kooten, G. Cornelis, 2006. "Deforestation," Working Papers 37035, University of Victoria, Resource Economics and Policy.
    4. C.-Y. Cynthia Lin & Zachary D. Liscow, 2013. "Endogeneity in the Environmental Kuznets Curve: An Instrumental Variables Approach," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 95(2), pages 268-274.
    5. Mills, Julianne H. & Waite, Thomas A., 2009. "Economic prosperity, biodiversity conservation, and the environmental Kuznets curve," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(7), pages 2087-2095, May.
    6. Karen Ehrhardt‐Martinez & Edward M. Crenshaw & J. Craig Jenkins, 2002. "Deforestation and the Environmental Kuznets Curve: A Cross‐National Investigation of Intervening Mechanisms," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 83(1), pages 226-243, March.
    7. Koop, Gary & Tole, Lise, 1999. "Is there an environmental Kuznets curve for deforestation?," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(1), pages 231-244, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Pablo-Romero, María P. & Sánchez-Braza, Antonio & Gil-Pérez, Jesús, 2023. "Is deforestation needed for growth? Testing the EKC hypothesis for Latin America," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    2. Ajanaku, B.A. & Collins, A.R., 2021. "Economic growth and deforestation in African countries: Is the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis applicable?," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    3. Iritié, Bi Goli Jean Jacques, 2015. "Economic growth and biodiversity: An overview. Conservation policies in Africa," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 8(2), pages 196-208.
    4. Köthke, Margret & Leischner, Bettina & Elsasser, Peter, 2013. "Uniform global deforestation patterns — An empirical analysis," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 23-37.
    5. Culas, Richard J., 2012. "REDD and forest transition: Tunneling through the environmental Kuznets curve," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 44-51.
    6. Caravaggio, Nicola, 2020. "Economic growth and the forest development path: A theoretical re-assessment of the environmental Kuznets curve for deforestation," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    7. Ajanaku, Bolarinwa & Collins, Alan R., 2020. "Economic growth and deforestation in developing countries: Is the Environmental Kuznets Curve Hypothesis Still Applicable? Evidence from a Panel of Selected African Countries," 2020 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, Kansas City, Missouri 304271, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    8. Yi-Bin Chiu, 2012. "Deforestation and the Environmental Kuznets Curve in Developing Countries: A Panel Smooth Transition Regression Approach," Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie, Canadian Agricultural Economics Society/Societe canadienne d'agroeconomie, vol. 60(2), pages 177-194, June.
    9. Zoubida Mahcane & Mayou Abdellah & Mohamed Zergoune & Miloud Lacheheb, 2019. "Land Degradation and Economic Development in Algeria," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 9(1), pages 137-142.
    10. Mina Baliamoune-Lutz, 2017. "Trade and Environmental Quality in African Countries: Do Institutions Matter?," Eastern Economic Journal, Palgrave Macmillan;Eastern Economic Association, vol. 43(1), pages 155-172, January.
    11. Damette, Olivier & Delacote, Philippe, 2012. "On the economic factors of deforestation: What can we learn from quantile analysis?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 29(6), pages 2427-2434.
    12. Shouro Dasgupta & Enrica De Cian, 2016. "Institutions and the Environment: Existing Evidence and Future Directions," Working Papers 2016.41, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    13. Ariane Amin & Johanna Choumert, 2015. "Development and biodiversity conservation in Sub-Saharan Africa: A spatial analysis," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 35(1), pages 729-744.
    14. Iritie, Jean-Jacques, 2015. "Economic Growth, Biodiversity and Conservation Policies in Africa: an Overview," MPRA Paper 62005, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Mills Busa, Julianne H., 2013. "Dynamite in the EKC tunnel? Inconsistencies in resource stock analysis under the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 116-126.
    16. Jean-Louis Combes & Pascale Combes Motel & Philippe Delacote, 2014. "Public expenses, credit and natural capital: Substitution or complementarity?," Working Papers halshs-00979191, HAL.
    17. Novice Patrick Bakehe, 2019. "The effects of migrant remittances on deforestation in the Congo basin," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 39(4), pages 2361-2373.
    18. Jesus Crespo Cuaresma & Olha Danylo & Steffen Fritz & Ian McCallum & Michael Obersteiner & Linda See, 2016. "Economic Development and Forest Cover: Evidence from Satellite Data," Department of Economics Working Papers wuwp215, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Department of Economics.
    19. Wang, Sen & DesRoches, C. Tyler & Sun, Lili & Stennes, Brad & Wilson, Bill & van Kooten, G. Cornelis, 2007. "Linking Forests and Economic Well-Being: A Four-Quadrant Approach," Working Papers 37036, University of Victoria, Resource Economics and Policy.
    20. Caravaggio, Nicola, 2020. "A global empirical re-assessment of the Environmental Kuznets curve for deforestation," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Forests; biodiversity; global model; environmental Kuznets curve; environmental policy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q23 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Forestry
    • Q56 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environment and Development; Environment and Trade; Sustainability; Environmental Accounts and Accounting; Environmental Equity; Population Growth
    • Q57 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Ecological Economics

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:has:discpr:1326. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Nora Horvath (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/iehashu.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.