Are prevailing policy tools effective in conserving ecosystem services under individual private tenure? Challenges and policy gaps in a rapidly urbanizing region

Abstract

Forestlands worldwide provide vital ecosystem services (ES) essential for human well-being yet are facing rising threats from land-use/land-cover change. Land ownership patterns and property rights significantly influence land management practices and the protection of ES. Family forest owners (FFOs) are the targets of numerous conservation policies and programs, many of which are built around economic incentives and market-based instruments. This study combines a mail-administered survey with land use-land cover change modeling results to better understand whether FFOs plan to convert their properties, what motivates FFOs to adopt prevailing policies, and what other conservation policy models might be attractive. Our research focuses on FFOs whose parcels are identified as having high conservation values in a rapidly urbanizing watershed. Survey results show strong motivations among FFOs to protect biodiversity, wildlife habitat, and ES while expressing concerns about property taxes, regulations, and land-use threats. Our analysis indicates a relationship between anticipated land transfers or residential development and predicting factors including parcel size, government regulations, and tax concerns. Results reveal a gap between the design of existing conservation programs and FFOs’ interest in adoption. Limited interest in conservation easements and carbon markets underscores the need for more flexible conservation tools aligned with landowner preferences. Moreover, FFOs’ considerable awareness of existing conservation programs, alongside ongoing forest loss in the study region, underscores enrollment obstacles such as minimum-size eligibility requirements, thereby highlighting inadequacy of current frameworks in incentivizing long-term conservation outcomes. The findings from the studied watershed may have broader relevance for regions with similar land ownership patterns, land use dynamics, and political contexts worldwide.