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The Environmental Impacts of Protected Area Policy

Author

Listed:
  • Mathias Reynaert
  • Eduardo A. Souza-Rodrigues
  • Arthur A. van Benthem

Abstract

The world has pledged to protect 30 percent of its land and waters by 2030 to halt the rapid deterioration of critical ecosystems. We summarize the state of knowledge about the impacts of protected area policies, with a focus on deforestation and vegetation cover. We discuss critical issues around data and measurement, identify the most commonly-used empirical methods, and summarize empirical evidence across multiple regions of the world. In most cases, protection has had at most a modest impact on forest cover, with stronger effects in areas that face pressure of economic development. We then identify several open areas for research to advance our understanding of the effectiveness of protected area policies: the use of promising recent econometric advancements, shifting focus to direct measures of biodiversity, filling the knowledge gap on the effect of protected area policy in advanced economies, investigating the long-run impacts of protection, and understanding its equilibrium effects.

Suggested Citation

  • Mathias Reynaert & Eduardo A. Souza-Rodrigues & Arthur A. van Benthem, 2023. "The Environmental Impacts of Protected Area Policy," NBER Working Papers 31873, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:31873
    Note: EEE
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    Cited by:

    1. Beverdam, Jesper & Hubacek, Klaus & Scholtens, Bert & Sijtsma, Frans, 2025. "Improving biodiversity resilience requires both public and private finance: A life-cycle analysis of biodiversity finance," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 234(C).
    2. Hunnicutt,Patrick & Denny,Sean & Gabriel Englander, 2024. "Private Management of African Protected Areas Improves Wildlife and Tourism Outcomes but With Security Concerns in Conflict Regions," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10874, The World Bank.
    3. Balietti, Anca & Jaiswal, Sreeja & Schäffer, Daniel, 2024. "Labor market impacts of eco-development initiatives in protected areas," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    4. Shen, Houqi & Zhang, Yuanmeng & Wang, Mingzhe & Lei, Yumeng, 2025. "Unlocking the dual benefits: Economic and ecological impacts of China's National Key Ecological Function Areas," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • Q23 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Forestry
    • Q24 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Land
    • Q57 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Ecological Economics
    • R14 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Land Use Patterns

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