Decentralization can help reduce deforestation when user groups engage with local government.

ABSTRACT: Policy makers around the world tout decentralization as an effective tool in the governance of natural resources. Despite the popularity of these reforms, there is limited scientific evidence on the environmental effects of decentralization, especially in tropical biomes. This study presents evidence on the institutional conditions under which decentralization is likely to be successful in sustaining forests. We draw on common-pool resource theory to argue that the environmental impact of decentralization hinges on the ability of reforms to engage local forest users in the governance of forests. Using matching techniques, we analyze longitudinal field observations on both social and biophysical characteristics in a large number of local government territories in Bolivia (a country with a d

SUBMITTER: Wright GD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5206574 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature