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Effect of Land Property Rights on Forest Resources in Southern China

Author

Listed:
  • Yang Yang

    (School of Economics and Management, Xi’an University of Posts & Telecommunications, Xi’an 710061, China)

  • Hua Li

    (College of Economics and Management, Northwest Agriculture & Forestry University, Yangling 712100, China)

  • Long Cheng

    (School of Economics and Management, Xi’an University of Posts & Telecommunications, Xi’an 710061, China)

  • Youliang Ning

    (Research Institute of Forestry Policy and Information, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China)

Abstract

The land tenure reform is important for forest resource management worldwide. Since China initiated a new round of collective forestland tenure reform (CFTR) in 2003, improving forest output by clarifying property rights plays a crucial role in realizing sustainable forest resource management. Using survey data of 312 bamboo plantation households from Southern China, this paper empirically examines the impact path of land property rights on forest resources. The estimation results show that both the forestland use right and disposal right are able to significantly improve the forest output by encouraging households to invest and optimizing the allocation of forestry labor. Particularly, the results reveal that the use right has a positive impact on forest output through forestland investment. With regard to the disposal right, we find that it has a positive effect on forest output through forestland investment, but it has a negative impact on forest output through the forestry labor allocation. The findings of this study suggest that to promote the growth of forest resources, the government should endow households with a more complete set of rights, and further strengthen their understanding of property rights. In addition, our findings enhance the understanding of the collective forestland tenure reform in China; they also have implications for the decentralized management of forestry elsewhere in the world.

Suggested Citation

  • Yang Yang & Hua Li & Long Cheng & Youliang Ning, 2021. "Effect of Land Property Rights on Forest Resources in Southern China," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-15, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:10:y:2021:i:4:p:392-:d:532804
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Shuning Zhu & Jinlong Liu & Hao Xu & Lingchao Li & Wentao Yang, 2022. "Has China’s New Round of Collective Forest Reforms Reduced Forest Fragmentation? A Case Study of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-15, May.
    5. Yuanyuan Guo & Can Liu & Hao Liu & Ke Chen & Dan He, 2023. "Financial Literacy, Borrowing Behavior and Rural Households’ Income: Evidence from the Collective Forest Area, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-21, January.
    6. Dastan Bamwesigye & Raymond Chipfakacha & Evans Yeboah, 2022. "Forest and Land Rights at a Time of Deforestation and Climate Change: Land and Resource Use Crisis in Uganda," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-14, November.

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