Browsing by Subject "Deforestation"
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Item Deforestation and the carbon sink role of forests: theoretical, empirical, and policy perspectives(Texas Tech University, 1997-05) Farias, Christine Maria AranhaThis study focuses on the issue of deforestation m tropical and temperate forests and analyzes its implications on the environment, with particular emphasis on climate change and carbon sink concerns. This study aims to stress the economic value and benefits of timber and non-timber products of forests and to determine the economic impact of deforestation versus conservation of forests. An attempt is made to determine the economic benefits and costs of deforestation and the option value of afforestation/reforestation as a means of maintaining the carbon sink value of forests. The research consists of three essays all dealing with the aspect of deforestation and the role of the forest as a carbon sink. The first essay is a theoretical study that modifies a dynamic optimal control model (initially developed by Brazee and Southgate, 1992) to incorporate the non-timber and carbon sink value of forests and discusses the theoretical implications and qualitative results in comparative static form. The modified model is expected to be used as a framework to analyze how deforestation and forest management influence the role of the forest as a carbon sink and a source of non-timber products. The important policy variables include forest fees, royalties and tax policy in capturing rents, license fees, logging regulations, tax credits, carbon tax, stumpage fees and taxes, interest rates, selective logging system, private forest management and reforestation or replanting deposit and subsidies.Item Payment for environmental services in Costa Rica's Osa peninsula : a feminist political ecology perspective(2015-05) Schwartz, Gregory James; Knapp, Gregory W.; Butzer, Karl W.; Torres, Rebecca M; Arima, Eugenio; Hindman, HeatherThis dissertation investigates payment for environmental services (PES) programs on the Osa peninsula in southwestern Costa Rica. Three aspects of life in Osa Costa Rica are found to critically affect PES implementation: the unique geographical and cultural setting of Osa, a history of murky land tenure in the region, and the often underemphasized role of women. Osa’s mountainous forested terrain makes enforcement of logging bans very difficult without the help of in-situ “guardaparques”(forest rangers) in the form of PES-participating landowners themselves. However, the agency in charge of enforcing environmental protection (MINAE) is indispensable, despite its bouts with corruption and abuse of power. Broadly, though specific flaws in the PES program are identified herein, the program is, nonetheless, found to be a beneficial and core part of the ideological and financial evolution of the region. The related issue of nebulous land tenure in the region began in the 1960s and 70s when squatters were encouraged to settle and develop land on the peninsula. A stark shift came with the passage of National Forestry Law 7575 of 1996 which claimed all non-privately-owned forest for the state of Costa Rica, essentially ceasing the process of granting formal land title to squatters. This thrust hundreds of squatters into a state of legal and financial limbo, affecting their ability both to participate in PES and to sell their land. Gender is also central to this investigation as only approximately ten percent of PES-participating properties in the Osa region are owned by women (nearly twenty percent if married couples are included), yet a greater prevalence of pro-environment and pro-conservation attitudes is exhibited by women in interviews than by men. For instance, women more often mention “more time with family” and “helping the environment” compared to men when asked what are their personal benefits of PES participation. Also, a much larger percentage of women than men see protecting the environment as the responsibility of the landowner. The concluding chapter lauds the philosophical foundation and the overall potential of payment for environmental services and also proffers several recommendations as remedies for specific foibles of the PES system.Item Payments for ecosystem services : opportunities and challenges in the Brazilian Amazon(2013-05) Marquez, Mayra; Arima, Eugenio; Gamkhar, ShamaBrazil has committed to reducing deforestation in the Amazon and has identified target goals for 2020. A variety of environmental policies and tools are used to reduce deforestation in the region, including payments for ecosystems services (PES). This report analyzes whether payments for ecosystem services are a viable option for supporting conservation and socio-economic goals in the Amazon. PES schemes provide economic incentives in exchange for meeting an environmental goal. They have been relatively successful in developed countries but have had limited applications or success in developing contexts. This report identifies the agents and activities that drive deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon and determines which of these may be suitable for PES applications. It also provides a framework for analyzing current PES schemes in order to draw out best practices and lessons learned which may be applied to future program. PES schemes do have a role to play as one of the tools used in addressing deforestation in the Amazon. They can be cheaper than indirect approaches but do face some challenges in evaluation. Future PES applications may benefit from the lessons learned in the early applications of these programs.