Additionality and design of forest conservation programs: Insights from Ecuador's Socio Bosque Program

Ecuador has experienced one of the highest rates of deforestation in South America over the turn of the century with consequent threats to the provision of essential life-supporting environmental services. The Ecuadorian government instituted the 'Socio Bosque Program' (PSB) in 2008 in an effort to incentivize the conservation of privately-owned native forests. This study is the first to examine the PSB additionality in prevented deforestation through use of a geographic information system. Moreover, face-to-face surveys were conducted and analyzed to create a typology of forest owners based on their estimated likelihood to engage in forest land changes and elicit corresponding preferences for PSB-like forest conservation program participation. The survey data were collected from individual Ecuadorian forest owners in the Western region of the province of Pichincha. We estimate that less than 1% of forestland enrolled in the PSB would have been deforested were it not enrolled in the program. Landowners more likely to engage in deforestation practices denoted greater interest in participating in a conservation program when contracts allowed for the sustainable harvesting of timber. Landowners likely to conserve, showed greater interest in participating in a conservation program contingent on the amount of financial incentive provided. A design strategy, counter to the traditional focus, points to the allowance of sustainable forest harvesting, as a means of more effectively preventing deforestation in the Tropics.