Page 163 - Environment: The Science Behind the Stories

THE SCIEnCE BEHInD THE SToRy

Do Payments Help Costa Rican farmers take
Preserve Forest? PSA payments into consider-
ation when judging whether
to clear forest.
Costa Rica’s program to pay for ecosys-
tem services has garnered international
praise and has inspired other nations to
implement similar programs. But have
Costa Rica’s payments actually been
effective in preventing forest loss?
A number of research teams have
sought to answer this surprisingly dif-
ficult question by analyzing data from
the early years of the PSA program.
The answers matter; for if we can draw
lessons about what works and doesn’t
work in Costa Rica’s program, we can of regions where forest was at greatest was enforceable, in theory made the
design more effective incentives for for- risk of clearance. PSA contracts were PSA payments unnecessary. However,
est conservation worldwide to seques- only slightly more likely to be near such the PSA program made the mandate
ter carbon and combat global climate a region than far from it. This meant, far more palatable to legislators, and
change (pp. 332, 529). they argued, that PSA contracts were most researchers feel that Forest Law
Some early studies were quick not being targeted to regions where 7575 might never have passed had it
to credit the PSA program for saving they could have the most impact. not included the PSA program.
forests. A 2006 study conducted for Moreover, since enrollment was Despite the PSA program’s ques-
FONAFIFO, the agency administer- voluntary, most landowners applying for tionable impact in preserving existing
ing the program, concluded that PSA payments likely had land unprofitable forest, scientific studies show that it
payments in the central region of the for agriculture and were not planning has been effective in regenerating new
country had prevented 108,000 ha to clear forest in the first place (FIguRE forest. In Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula,
(267,000 acres) of deforestation—38% 1). In a 2008 paper, these researchers
of the area under contract. Indeed, compared lands under PSA contracts
deforestation rates fell as the program with similar lands not under contracts. 4.0%
proceeded; rates of forest clearance in The deforestation rate on non-PSA lands 4
1997–2000 were half what they were in was 0.21%/yr, whereas PSA lands expe-
the preceding decade. rienced no forest loss. However, their 3 2.8%
However, some researchers analyses indicated that the PSA lands
hypothesized that PSA payments were stood only a 0.08%/yr likelihood of being Percent of parcels enrolled 2
not responsible for this decline and cleared, suggesting that the program
that deforestation would have waned prevented only 0.08%/yr of forest loss, 1 1.0%
anyway because of other factors. To test not 0.21%/yr.
this hypothesis, a team led by G. Arturo Other research was bearing this out; 0.0% 0.0%
Sanchez-Azofeifa of the University of at least two studies had found that many
Alberta and Alexander Pfaff of Duke Uni- PSA participants, when interviewed, said 0–15 15–30 30–45 45–60 60–75
versity worked with FONAFIFO’s data on they would have retained their forest Probability of deforestation (%)
PSA payments, as well as data on land even without the PSA program.
use and forest cover from satellite sur- These researchers argued that FIguRE 1 In areas at greater risk of
veys of Costa Rica. They layered these the enhanced protection of forest deforestation, lower percentages of land
parcels were enrolled in the PSA program.
data onto maps using a geographic during these years was most likely This is because land more profitable for
information system (GIS) (p. 133), then due to other factors. In particular, agriculture was less often enrolled. Data:
explored the patterns revealed. Forest Law 7575, besides establishing Pfaff, A., et al. 2008. Payments for environmental
In 2007 in the journal Conservation the PSA system, had banned forest services: Empirical analysis for Costa Rica. Working
Biology, they reported that only 7.7% of clearing nationwide. This top-down Papers Series SAN08-05, Terry Sanford Institute of
PSA contracts were located within 1 km government mandate, assuming it Public Policy, Duke University.

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