IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/wdevel/v173y2024ics0305750x23002504.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

REDD+: The perfect marriage between conservation and development? A comparative study of the impacts of REDD+ on livelihoods and deforestation in Tanzania

Author

Listed:
  • Nantongo, Mary
  • Vatn, Arild
  • Soka, Geofrey

Abstract

This paper investigates the impacts of REDD+ in two pilot sites in the districts of Kilosa and Kondoa in Tanzania. We pose two questions: First: What are the impacts of REDD+ on social welfare? and second: What are the impacts of REDD+ on forest carbon storage? The study employs the Before-After/Control-Intervention research design and a mixed method approach to draw conclusions on REDD+ impacts. A theory-based evaluation is then used to understand the underlying causal mechanisms driving the observed changes. In estimating REDD+ impacts on income, we account for potential selection bias by matching pilot and control villages on factors likely to influence selection and outcomes and by using fixed effects panel data modelling. REDD+ impacts on forest carbon are measured using satellite imagery and ground truthing, combining data on the amount of forestland converted to other land uses, with information on how much carbon remains trapped in the forests after the land use changes. Results suggest that in terms of total income, REDD+ neither improves nor harms livelihoods in the two pilot areas. REDD+ however, increased forest income in the Kilosa pilot. REDD+ is also associated with increased forest carbon in both Kilosa and Kondoa. We discuss what could explain these seemingly contradictory developments. Three policy implications arise from the results 1) the need for REDD+ projects to involve NGOs/implementing partners that have a good understanding of local conditions, as local contexts play a central role in determining welfare and forest carbon outcomes 2) the importance of strengthening forest governance and management for facilitating a balance in livelihoods and forest cover improvements and 3) the significance of considering economic risk, safety nets and insurance against risk in the design of REDD+ projects, as a failure to do so, will lead to overexploitation of forests during periods of economic crisis.

Suggested Citation

  • Nantongo, Mary & Vatn, Arild & Soka, Geofrey, 2024. "REDD+: The perfect marriage between conservation and development? A comparative study of the impacts of REDD+ on livelihoods and deforestation in Tanzania," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:173:y:2024:i:c:s0305750x23002504
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2023.106432
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X23002504
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.worlddev.2023.106432?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Delacote, Philippe, 2007. "Agricultural expansion, forest products as safety nets, and deforestation," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 12(2), pages 235-249, April.
    2. Agrawal, Arun & Chhatre, Ashwini, 2006. "Explaining success on the commons: Community forest governance in the Indian Himalaya," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 149-166, January.
    3. Shyamsundar, Priya & Ahlroth, Sofia & Kristjanson, Patricia & Onder, Stefanie, 2020. "Supporting pathways to prosperity in forest landscapes – A PRIME framework," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    4. Amy E. Duchelle & Gabriela Simonet & William D. Sunderlin & Sven Wunder, 2018. "What is REDD+ achieving on the ground?," Post-Print hal-02623994, HAL.
    5. Corbera, Esteve & Martin, Adrian & Springate-Baginski, Oliver & Villaseñor, Adrián, 2020. "Sowing the seeds of sustainable rural livelihoods? An assessment of Participatory Forest Management through REDD+ in Tanzania," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    6. Faraz Usmani & Marc Jeuland & Subhrendu Pattanayak, 2018. "NGOs and the effectiveness of interventions," WIDER Working Paper Series 59, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    7. Nantongo, Mary & Vatn, Arild & Vedeld, Paul, 2019. "All that glitters is not gold; Power and participation in processes and structures of implementing REDD+ in Kondoa, Tanzania," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 44-54.
    8. Takasaki, Yoshito & Barham, Bradford L. & Coomes, Oliver T., 2004. "Risk coping strategies in tropical forests: floods, illnesses, and resource extraction," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 9(2), pages 203-224, May.
    9. Howard White, 2009. "Theory-based impact evaluation: principles and practice," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 1(3), pages 271-284.
    10. Baland, Jean-Marie & Francois, Patrick, 2005. "Commons as insurance and the welfare impact of privatization," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(2-3), pages 211-231, February.
    11. Andreas Scheba, 2018. "Market-Based Conservation for Better Livelihoods? The Promises and Fallacies of REDD+ in Tanzania," Land, MDPI, vol. 7(4), pages 1-18, October.
    12. Clements, Tom & John, Ashish & Nielsen, Karen & An, Dara & Tan, Setha & Milner-Gulland, E.J., 2010. "Payments for biodiversity conservation in the context of weak institutions: Comparison of three programs from Cambodia," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(6), pages 1283-1291, April.
    13. Vatn, Arild & Kajembe, George & Mosi, Elvis & Nantongo, Maria & Silayo, Dos Santos, 2017. "What does it take to institute REDD+? An analysis of the Kilosa REDD+ pilot, Tanzania," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 1-9.
    14. Dejene, A. & Shishira, E.K. & Yanda, P.Z. & Johnsen, F.H., 1997. "Land Degradation in Tanzania: Perception from the Village," Papers 370, World Bank - Technical Papers.
    15. Gabriela Simonet & Amy Duchelle & Astrid B. Bos & Julie Subervie & Sven Wunder & Ida Aju Pradnja Resosudarmo, 2018. "'Forests and carbon: The impacts of local REDD+ initiatives," Post-Print hal-02097056, HAL.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Carrilho, Cauê D. & Demarchi, Gabriela & Duchelle, Amy E. & Wunder, Sven & Morsello, Carla, 2022. "Permanence of avoided deforestation in a Transamazon REDD+ project (Pará, Brazil)," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 201(C).
    2. Takasaki, Yoshito, 2011. "Do the Commons Help Augment Mutual Insurance Among the Poor?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(3), pages 429-438, March.
    3. Yoshito Takasaki & Bradford L. Barham & Oliver T. Coomes, 2010. "Smoothing Income against Crop Flood Losses in Amazonia: Rain Forest or Rivers as a Safety Net?," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(1), pages 48-63, February.
    4. Nantongo, Mary & Vatn, Arild & Vedeld, Paul, 2019. "All that glitters is not gold; Power and participation in processes and structures of implementing REDD+ in Kondoa, Tanzania," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 44-54.
    5. Ehara, Makoto & Matsuura, Toshiya & Gong, Hao & Sokh, Heng & Leng, Chivin & Choeung, Hong Narith & Sem, Rida & Nomura, Hisako & Tsuyama, Ikutaro & Matsui, Tetsuya & Hyakumura, Kimihiko, 2023. "Where do people vulnerable to deforestation live? Triaging forest conservation interventions for sustainable non-timber forest products," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    6. Philippe Delacote & Julia Girard & Antoine Leblois, 2019. "Agricultural households' adaptation to weather shocks in Sub-Saharan Africa: What implications for land-use change and deforestation," Working Papers 1902, Chaire Economie du climat.
    7. Lopez, Ramon E. & Pastén, Roberto & Gutiérrez Cubillos, Pablo, 2022. "Climate change in times of economic uncertainty: A perverse tragedy of the commons?," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 209-225.
    8. Razafindratsima, Onja H. & Kamoto, Judith F.M. & Sills, Erin O. & Mutta, Doris N. & Song, Conghe & Kabwe, Gillian & Castle, Sarah E. & Kristjanson, Patricia M. & Ryan, Casey M. & Brockhaus, Maria & Su, 2021. "Reviewing the evidence on the roles of forests and tree-based systems in poverty dynamics," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    9. Meyer, Jessica, 2023. "How do forests contribute to food security following a weather shock? Evidence from Malawi," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    10. Shyamsundar, Priya & Sauls, Laura Aileen & Cheek, Jennifer Zavaleta & Sullivan-Wiley, Kira & Erbaugh, J.T. & Krishnapriya, P.P., 2021. "Global forces of change: Implications for forest-poverty dynamics," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    11. Albers, H.J. & Robinson, E.J.Z., 2013. "A review of the spatial economics of non-timber forest product extraction: Implications for policy," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 87-95.
    12. Hajjar, Reem & Newton, Peter & Ihalainen, Markus & Agrawal, Arun & Alix-Garcia, Jennifer & Castle, Sarah E. & Erbaugh, James T. & Gabay, Monica & Hughes, Karl & Mawutor, Samuel & Pacheco, Pablo & Scho, 2021. "Levers for alleviating poverty in forests," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    13. Degnet, Abebaw & Mburu, John & Holm-Müller, Karin, 2009. "Responding to an Income Shock through Increasing Forest Extraction: Survey Evidence from Ethiopian Coffee Farmers," Ethiopian Journal of Economics, Ethiopian Economics Association, vol. 17(2), pages 107-107, August.
    14. Arts, Bas & de Koning, Jessica, 2017. "Community Forest Management: An Assessment and Explanation of its Performance Through QCA," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 315-325.
    15. Kahsay, Goytom Abraha & Medhin, Haileselassie, 2020. "Leader turnover and forest management outcomes: Micro-level evidence from Ethiopia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    16. Ostrom, Elinor (Ed.) & Schlüter, Achim (Ed.), 2007. "The challenge of self-governance in complex, globalizing economies: Collection of revised papers of a PhD seminar," Working Papers 47-2007, University of Freiburg, Chair of Forestry Economics and Planning.
    17. Alain‐Désiré Nimubona & Jean‐Christophe Pereau, 2022. "Negotiating over payments for wetland ecosystem services," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 55(3), pages 1507-1538, August.
    18. Antoine Leblois, 2021. "Mitigating the impact of bad rainy seasons in poor agricultural regions to tackle deforestation," Post-Print hal-03111007, HAL.
    19. Beyene, Abebe D. & Mekonnen, Alemu & Bluffstone, Randall & Tesfaye, Yemiru, 2022. "Does Participatory Forest Management Increase Forest Resource Use to Cope with Shocks? Empirical Evidence from Ethiopia," EfD Discussion Paper 22-12, Environment for Development, University of Gothenburg.
    20. Mudaca, Joao Daniel & Tsuchiya, Toshiyuki & Yamada, Masaaki & Onwona-Agyeman, Siaw, 2015. "Household participation in Payments for Ecosystem Services: A case study from Mozambique," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 21-27.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:173:y:2024:i:c:s0305750x23002504. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/worlddev .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.