Impact of property rights reform on household forest management investment: An empirical study of southern China

Since the early 1980s, China has initiated a series of property rights reforms in the collectively owned forest area to motivate farmers in forest management. Assessment of farmers' behaviors in response to the reforms would be useful when policy adjustments are considered. This paper investigated farmers' participation and investment using labor and money input in forest management as indicators. The data were collected in Tonggu County in southern China. Results indicate that positive attitudes toward the reforms and higher income from forest product sales encourage participation in forest management. In contrast, higher off-farm income would hold back their participation and investment. It was also found that farmers who owned more land and are more confident to get logging quota would manage their forests more intensively. Households having elder and more educated household heads appear less interested in investment in forest management. Some policy implications are presented in this paper.

► We analyze farmers’ response in forest management to a recent property right reform in China.
► Identify factors that influence participation in forest management and amount of investment respectively.
► Discuss policy implication and further research.