Land tenure security and forest cover in the Colombian Amazon
Land tenure security (LTS) is important for achieving many sustainable development goals but its influence on forest cover is mixed. The uncertain relationship between LTS and forests is driven, in part, by the moderating influence of other drivers of deforestation. In this paper we illustrate this...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Forests and Global Change |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2024.1487898/full |
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| author | Kelly W. Jones Nicolás Cabra-Ruiz Natalia Correa Sánchez Eduardo Molina González Maria Alejandra Vélez |
| author_facet | Kelly W. Jones Nicolás Cabra-Ruiz Natalia Correa Sánchez Eduardo Molina González Maria Alejandra Vélez |
| author_sort | Kelly W. Jones |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Land tenure security (LTS) is important for achieving many sustainable development goals but its influence on forest cover is mixed. The uncertain relationship between LTS and forests is driven, in part, by the moderating influence of other drivers of deforestation. In this paper we illustrate this complex relationship between LTS and forest cover for individual private landholders in the Colombian Amazon. We use household surveys and econometric analysis with matching techniques to examine whether formal land titles and perceptions of LTS influence forest cover. We explore how the effect of a land title on forest cover is moderated by perceptions of LTS, time to markets, and participation in a conservation program. We find that more secure land tenure, on average, has a statistically significant and negative influence on forest cover in our sample. The negative association between LTS and forest cover is stronger when landholders perceive they have secure tenure and are closer to markets. However, we find the negative relationship between land title and forest cover goes away when a landholder participates in a conservation program. While our cross-sectional data and quasi-experimental methods cannot lead to causal statements, our results are in line with many recent studies in the Amazon region, and our household-level data provides important insight regarding drivers of deforestation that moderate the relationship between land title and forest cover. Our results inform the design of future LTS interventions and conservation efforts. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-676d5aa700da43abade74aed37734827 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2624-893X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Forests and Global Change |
| spelling | doaj-art-676d5aa700da43abade74aed377348272025-08-20T02:49:01ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Forests and Global Change2624-893X2024-11-01710.3389/ffgc.2024.14878981487898Land tenure security and forest cover in the Colombian AmazonKelly W. Jones0Nicolás Cabra-Ruiz1Natalia Correa Sánchez2Eduardo Molina González3Maria Alejandra Vélez4Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, United StatesResearch Program in Development Economics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, United StatesDepartment of Global Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United StatesFundación Puerto Rastrojo, Bogotá, ColombiaSchool of Economics, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, ColombiaLand tenure security (LTS) is important for achieving many sustainable development goals but its influence on forest cover is mixed. The uncertain relationship between LTS and forests is driven, in part, by the moderating influence of other drivers of deforestation. In this paper we illustrate this complex relationship between LTS and forest cover for individual private landholders in the Colombian Amazon. We use household surveys and econometric analysis with matching techniques to examine whether formal land titles and perceptions of LTS influence forest cover. We explore how the effect of a land title on forest cover is moderated by perceptions of LTS, time to markets, and participation in a conservation program. We find that more secure land tenure, on average, has a statistically significant and negative influence on forest cover in our sample. The negative association between LTS and forest cover is stronger when landholders perceive they have secure tenure and are closer to markets. However, we find the negative relationship between land title and forest cover goes away when a landholder participates in a conservation program. While our cross-sectional data and quasi-experimental methods cannot lead to causal statements, our results are in line with many recent studies in the Amazon region, and our household-level data provides important insight regarding drivers of deforestation that moderate the relationship between land title and forest cover. Our results inform the design of future LTS interventions and conservation efforts.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2024.1487898/fullAmazon basinColombiaconservationdeforestationforestland title |
| spellingShingle | Kelly W. Jones Nicolás Cabra-Ruiz Natalia Correa Sánchez Eduardo Molina González Maria Alejandra Vélez Land tenure security and forest cover in the Colombian Amazon Frontiers in Forests and Global Change Amazon basin Colombia conservation deforestation forest land title |
| title | Land tenure security and forest cover in the Colombian Amazon |
| title_full | Land tenure security and forest cover in the Colombian Amazon |
| title_fullStr | Land tenure security and forest cover in the Colombian Amazon |
| title_full_unstemmed | Land tenure security and forest cover in the Colombian Amazon |
| title_short | Land tenure security and forest cover in the Colombian Amazon |
| title_sort | land tenure security and forest cover in the colombian amazon |
| topic | Amazon basin Colombia conservation deforestation forest land title |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2024.1487898/full |
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