Resource information
This paper investigates the
effectiveness of protected areas in slowing tropical forest
clearing in 64 countries in Asia/Pacific, Africa, and Latin
America for the period 2001-2012. The investigation compares
deforestation rates inside and within 10 kilometers outside
the boundary of protected areas. Annual time series of these
deforestation rates were constructed from recently published
high-resolution data on forest clearing. For 4,028 parks,
panel estimation based on a variety of park characteristics
was conducted to test if deforestation is lower in protected
areas because of their protected status, or if other factors
explain the difference. For a sample of 726 parks
established since 2002, a test also was conducted to
investigate the effect of park establishment on protection.
The findings suggest park size, national park status, and
management by indigenous people all have significant
association with effective protection across regions. For
the Asia/Pacific region, the test offers compelling evidence
that park establishment has a near-immediate and powerful effect.
