Parks and Wildlife

Costa Rica and South Africa share a common policy of creating national protected areas (NPA) as a way to achieve on-site conservation of key landscapes, ecosystems, and/or species. The Central American and the South African EfD centers are working closely with local authorities to tackle the main difficulties in achieving a sustainable system of NPA.

central america eeu sweden | Parks & Wildlife Policy design Ecotourism and the development of indigenous communities: The good, the bad, and the ugly. A large part of the literature analyzing the links between biodiversity conservation and community development assumes that nature-based tourism managed by indigenous communities will result not only in conservation of natural resources but also in increased development. In practice, ecotourism has often failed to deliver the expected benefits to indigenous communities due to a combination of factors, including shortages in the endowments of human, financial and social capital within the community, lack of mechanisms for a fair distribution of the economic benefits of ecotourism, and land insecurity. Coria, J. and E. Calfucura. 2012. Ecotourism and the development of indigenous communities: The good, the bad, and the ugly. Ecological Economics 73(15): 47-55.

central america | Parks & Wildlife Policy design What makes them follow the rules: the case of Ostional turtle egg harvesters Understanding the reasons why some people are more prone to break the rules than others reveal some of the challenges that local people and policy makers must overcome in order to let local institutions endure.

central america | Parks & Wildlife Policy design Perspectivas futuras sobre el comanejo como alternativa para el uso y la protección de las tortugas en Ostional A pesar del relativo éxito del modelo de co-manejo que existe en el Refugio de Vida Silvestre de Ostional, los cambios externos repentinos y sin precedentes en el entorno local plantean serias interrogantes a la permenancia de este modelo de gestión para el uso y la protección de tortugas.

south africa | Parks & Wildlife The valuation of biodiversity conservation by the South African Khomani San “bushmen” community The restitution of land to the Khomani San “bushmen” and Mier “agricultural” communities in May 2002 marked a significant shift in conservation in the Kgalagadi area in South Africa. The Khomani San and Mier communities were awarded land inside and outside the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Dikgang Johane and Muchapondwa Edwin, (2011), The valuation of biodiversity conservation by the South African Khomani San “bushmen” community, Working paper 257.

central america | Behavior ec. Parks & Wildlife Policy design Paying the price of sweetening your donation: Evidence from a natural field experiment We add a gift in appreciation of the subject’s contribution to a social reference treatment successfully proven to trigger higher donations, and find that the share of people contributing decreases significantly, thereby eroding the original treatment’s capacity to increase donations. Alpizar, F. and P. Martinsson (2011). Paying the price of sweetening your donation- Evidence from a natural field experiment. Economics Letters 114 (2012) 182–185.

kenya south africa tanzania | Parks & Wildlife Policy design Wildlife conservation can help poor communities survive Press release in connection with EfD Policy Day Arusha, Tanzania, 27 October 2011

central america | Parks & Wildlife Policy design Human Choices Affect Conservation Impact: Correct Impact Evaluation after the Fact and Looking Forward Pfaff, A. and Robalino, J. 2008 “Human Choices Affect Conservation Impact: Correct Impact Evaluation after the Fact and Looking Forward.” In C. Palmer and S. Engel Eds. Avoided Deforestation: Prospects for Mitigating Climate Change. Routledge 192-207

central america | Forestry Parks & Wildlife Policy design Measuring the Effectiveness of Protected Area Networks in Reducing Deforestation: A Rigorous Impact Evaluation Approach Global efforts to reduce tropical deforestation rely heavily on the establishment of protected areas. Measuring the effectiveness of these areas is difﬁcult because the amount of deforestation that would have occurred in the absence of legal protection cannot be directly observed. Conventional methods of evaluating the effectiveness of protected areas can be biased because protection is not randomly assigned and because protection can induce deforestation spillovers (displacement) to neighboring forests. We demonstrate that estimates of effectiveness can be substantially improved by controlling for biases along dimensions that are observable, measuring spatial spillovers, and testing the sensitivity of estimates to potential hidden biases. Andam, K., Ferraro, P., Pfaff, A. Sanchez, A. and Robalino, J. 2008 “Measuring the Effectiveness of Protected Area Networks in Reducing Deforestation: A Rigorous Impact Evaluation Approach” Proceedings of National Academy of Science. 105 (42) 16089-94

central america | Forestry Parks & Wildlife Policy design Park Location Affects Forest Protection: Land Characteristics Cause Differences in Park Impacts across Costa Rica To support conservation planning, we ask whether a park's impact on deforestation rates varies with observable land characteristics that planners could use to prioritize sites. Using matching methods to address bias from non-random location, we find deforestation impacts vary greatly due to park lands' characteristics. Avoided deforestation is greater if parks are closer to the capital city, in sites closer to national roads, and on lower slopes. In allocating scarce conservation resources, policy makers may consider many factors such as the ecosystem services provided by a site and the costs of acquiring the site. Pfaff and Sanchez 2004 claim impact can rise with a focus upon threatened land, all else equal. We provide empirical support in the context of Costa Rica's renowned park system. This insight, alongside information on eco-services and land costs, should guide investments. Pfaff, A., Robalino, J., Sanchez-Azofeifa, G.A., Andam, K. and Ferraro, P., 2009 "Park Location Affects Forest Protection: Land Characteristics Cause Differences in Park Impacts across Costa Rica," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy: 9 (2) (Contributions), Article 5.

central america | Behavior ec. Parks & Wildlife Choice Experiments in Environmental Impact Assessment: The Case of the Toro 3 Hydroelectric Project and the Recreo Verde Tourist Center in Costa Rica Choice experiments, a stated preference valuation method, are proposed as a tool to assign monetary values to environmental externalities during the ex-ante stages of environmental impact assessment. This case study looks at the impacts of the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity’s Toro 3 hydroelectric project and its affects on the Recreo Verde tourism center in San Carlos, Costa Rica. Carias, D. and F. Alpizar. 2011. Choice Experiments in Environmental Impact Assessment: The Case of the Toro 3 Hydroelectric Project and the Recreo Verde Tourist Center in Costa Rica. Forthcoming in Impact Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal.

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