The role of property rights in shaping the effectiveness of protected areas and resisting forest loss in the Yucatan Peninsula.

Daniela A Miteva,Edward A Ellis,Bronson W Griscom,Peter W Ellis,Laura C Schneider

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0215820

Daniela A Miteva, Edward A Ellis + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0215820

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Abstract

The impact of different types of land tenure in areas with high biodiversity and threats of deforestation remains poorly understood. We apply rigorous quasi-experimental methods and detailed geospatial data to assess the role of tenure regimes—communally held lands (specifically, ejidos), private property, and their impact on the effectiveness of protected areas, in reducing forest loss in a biodiversity hotspot- the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico. We find evidence that, while protected areas are effective on average, their impact depends on the underlying type of tenure regime and forest, proxied by biomass levels and biome. Protecting communally held land may reduce deforestation, specifically the loss of medium- and high-biomass forests, compared to forests under private property regimes. Our results have important policy implications for the conservation and climate change mitigation efforts on the Yucatan. However, the high variance in forest loss rates among ejidos indicates that other characteristics of ejidos may be central to understanding community-based forest conservation opportunities.

Highlights

There has been a recent push in the literature towards rigorous impact evaluations of interventions, coupled with a strong emphasis on how performance varies by context, the underlying tenure regimes that create different incentives for conservation and land use clearing (e.g., [1,2,3,4,5])
Our results indicate that protected areas in the Yucatan peninsula are generally an effective conservation strategy that can contribute to climate change mitigation
Of the private properties spanned by a protected area, 55% are under a mixed use, followed by biosphere reserves (31%) and strict protected areas (13%)

Summary

Introduction

There has been a recent push in the literature towards rigorous impact evaluations of interventions, coupled with a strong emphasis on how performance varies by context, the underlying tenure regimes that create different incentives for conservation and land use clearing (e.g., [1,2,3,4,5]). Still very little is known about the heterogeneity of interventions based on the context (e.g., [2, 3, 5]). We address this gap by examining how a common conservation intervention—protected areas, has varying impacts depending on the underlying property rights and the profitability of forests. We focus on the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico, an area with high biodiversity and importance for climate change mitigation

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Conclusion