The effects of land use regulation on deforestation: evidence from the Brazilian Amazon
To reduce deforestation rates in the Amazon, Brazil established in the period 2004-2010 conservation zones covering an area 1.5 times the size of Germany. In the same period, Brazil experienced a large reduction in deforestation rates. By combining satellite data on deforestation with data on the lo...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Working paper |
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University of Oxford
2016
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| _version_ | 1797070272657883136 |
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| author | Anderson, L De Martino, S Harding, T Kuralbayeva, K Lima, A |
| author_facet | Anderson, L De Martino, S Harding, T Kuralbayeva, K Lima, A |
| author_sort | Anderson, L |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | To reduce deforestation rates in the Amazon, Brazil established in the period 2004-2010 conservation zones covering an area 1.5 times the size of Germany. In the same period, Brazil experienced a large reduction in deforestation rates. By combining satellite data on deforestation with data on the location and timing of the conservation zones, we provide spatial regression discontinuity estimates and difference-in-difference estimates indicating that the policy cannot explain the large reduction in deforestation rates. The reason is that the zones are located in areas where agricultural production is likely to be unprofitable. We also provide evidence that zones reduce deforestation if the incentives for municipalities to reduce deforestation are high. We rationalize these finding with a spatial economics model of land use, with endogenous location of conservation zones and imperfect enforcement. Our findings point to the need for other explanations than the conservation zones to explain the sharp decline in deforestation rates in the Brazilian Amazon since 2004. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-06T22:36:26Z |
| format | Working paper |
| id | oxford-uuid:5a0edec7-3494-48de-a129-6b51375f2250 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-06T22:36:26Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publisher | University of Oxford |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:5a0edec7-3494-48de-a129-6b51375f22502022-03-26T17:13:27ZThe effects of land use regulation on deforestation: evidence from the Brazilian AmazonWorking paperhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_8042uuid:5a0edec7-3494-48de-a129-6b51375f2250Bulk import via SwordSymplectic ElementsUniversity of Oxford2016Anderson, LDe Martino, SHarding, TKuralbayeva, KLima, ATo reduce deforestation rates in the Amazon, Brazil established in the period 2004-2010 conservation zones covering an area 1.5 times the size of Germany. In the same period, Brazil experienced a large reduction in deforestation rates. By combining satellite data on deforestation with data on the location and timing of the conservation zones, we provide spatial regression discontinuity estimates and difference-in-difference estimates indicating that the policy cannot explain the large reduction in deforestation rates. The reason is that the zones are located in areas where agricultural production is likely to be unprofitable. We also provide evidence that zones reduce deforestation if the incentives for municipalities to reduce deforestation are high. We rationalize these finding with a spatial economics model of land use, with endogenous location of conservation zones and imperfect enforcement. Our findings point to the need for other explanations than the conservation zones to explain the sharp decline in deforestation rates in the Brazilian Amazon since 2004. |
| spellingShingle | Anderson, L De Martino, S Harding, T Kuralbayeva, K Lima, A The effects of land use regulation on deforestation: evidence from the Brazilian Amazon |
| title | The effects of land use regulation on deforestation: evidence from the Brazilian Amazon |
| title_full | The effects of land use regulation on deforestation: evidence from the Brazilian Amazon |
| title_fullStr | The effects of land use regulation on deforestation: evidence from the Brazilian Amazon |
| title_full_unstemmed | The effects of land use regulation on deforestation: evidence from the Brazilian Amazon |
| title_short | The effects of land use regulation on deforestation: evidence from the Brazilian Amazon |
| title_sort | effects of land use regulation on deforestation evidence from the brazilian amazon |
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