Howard E. Woodin Environmental Studies Colloquium: Good for the poor, good for the forest?

“Good for the poor, good for the forest? Land rights and biodiversity conservation in the Ecuadorian Amazon” a colloquium talk by Lisa Naughton, Professor, Department of Geography at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Land ownership is often uncertain in the world’s most biodiverse tropical forests. Many Latin American countries are now formalizing land titles in remote areas to alleviate poverty and slow deforestation. Our case study measures deforestation rates after >1,500 smallholders received title around Cuyabeno Reserve in Ecuador’s Amazon. We found deforestation slowed on parcels granted restricted rights but accelerated where landholders obtained full rights. Our results call for greater attention to trade-offs in land rights and tropical forest conservation.