Related Experiment Videos
Titling indigenous communities protects forests in the Peruvian Amazon.
Allen Blackman1,2, Leonardo Corral3, Eirivelthon Santos Lima4
1Resources for the Future, Washington, DC 20036; blackman@rff.org.
Summary
Granting indigenous groups formal land title in the Peruvian Amazon significantly reduced forest clearing and disturbance. This study shows that land titling can be an effective strategy for forest conservation efforts.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Conservation Biology
- Forestry
Background:
- Decentralization of forest governance is increasing in developing nations.
- Formal legal land title is being granted to indigenous groups and local communities.
- The impact of land titling on forest cover remains uncertain, with potential for both positive and negative outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the effect of a land titling campaign in the Peruvian Amazon on forest cover.
- To provide rigorous empirical evidence on the relationship between land titling and forest conservation.
Main Methods:
- Utilized community-level longitudinal data from high-resolution satellite imagery.
- Estimated the impact of land titling on forest clearing and disturbance between 2002 and 2005.
- Focused on over 1,200 indigenous communities in the Peruvian Amazon that received land titles.
Main Results:
- Land titling reduced contemporaneous forest clearing by over 75%.
- Forest disturbance was reduced by approximately 66% within a two-year window post-titling.
- The positive conservation effects were observed in the immediate years following the awarding of titles.
Conclusions:
- Awarding formal land titles to indigenous communities is an effective mechanism for advancing forest conservation.
- The findings support the decentralization of forest governance through community land rights.
- Policy implications suggest that strengthening local land tenure can mitigate deforestation.