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Protected Areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo: An Effective and Equitable Tool for Forest Conservation?

Ladewig, Malte LU (2021) NEKP01 20211
Department of Economics
Abstract
Tropical rainforests cover large parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In light of recent surges in deforestation in the country, protected areas are a decisive component of the national conservation strategy. Intended to preserve ecosystems, the way in which these areas are organized can have vital implications for people who reside within them through the changes they cause to environmental and socio-economic conditions. This thesis uses protected area boundaries in a geographic regression discontinuity design to investigate how protected areas affect both deforestation rates and the livelihoods of local communities. The findings suggest that protected areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo are not efficiently avoiding forest... (More)
Tropical rainforests cover large parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In light of recent surges in deforestation in the country, protected areas are a decisive component of the national conservation strategy. Intended to preserve ecosystems, the way in which these areas are organized can have vital implications for people who reside within them through the changes they cause to environmental and socio-economic conditions. This thesis uses protected area boundaries in a geographic regression discontinuity design to investigate how protected areas affect both deforestation rates and the livelihoods of local communities. The findings suggest that protected areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo are not efficiently avoiding forest loss, but nevertheless have positive effects on education and health. In the current state, the protected areas of the country therefore seem unable to reconcile conservation and poverty alleviation ambitions. (Less)
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author
Ladewig, Malte LU
supervisor
organization
course
NEKP01 20211
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Deforestation, poverty alleviation, geographic regression discontinuity
language
English
id
9059126
date added to LUP
2021-07-05 13:22:11
date last changed
2021-07-05 13:22:11
@misc{9059126,
  abstract     = {{Tropical rainforests cover large parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In light of recent surges in deforestation in the country, protected areas are a decisive component of the national conservation strategy. Intended to preserve ecosystems, the way in which these areas are organized can have vital implications for people who reside within them through the changes they cause to environmental and socio-economic conditions. This thesis uses protected area boundaries in a geographic regression discontinuity design to investigate how protected areas affect both deforestation rates and the livelihoods of local communities. The findings suggest that protected areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo are not efficiently avoiding forest loss, but nevertheless have positive effects on education and health. In the current state, the protected areas of the country therefore seem unable to reconcile conservation and poverty alleviation ambitions.}},
  author       = {{Ladewig, Malte}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Protected Areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo: An Effective and Equitable Tool for Forest Conservation?}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}