Forest Policy and Economics最新文献

{"title":"Farmer perceptions of REDD+ livelihood interventions as incentive mechanism for reducing deforestation in the Juabuso-Bia cocoa forest landscape","authors":"Frank Akowuge Dugasseh,&nbsp;Marianne Zandersen","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103494","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103494","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cocoa production in Ghana remains a vital source of rural livelihoods but is also a major driver of tropical deforestation. This study explored cocoa farmers' perceptions of how livelihood interventions under the Ghana Cocoa Forest REDD+<span><span>¹</span></span> Program (GCFRP) affect their incomes, with a focus on the Juabuso-Bia Hotspot Intervention Area (HIA). Despite GCFRP's stated goals, gaps remain in understanding the equitable distribution of REDD+ benefits and their implications for farmer livelihoods. Using Q-methodology, semi-structured interviews, and focus group discussions, we examined farmers' experiences with GCFRP interventions. Key findings include i) livelihood interventions in the HIA appear inadequate for achieving living incomes; ii) current livelihood-enhancing mechanisms have limited coverage and poorly defined theories of change; iii) a disconnect exists between these livelihood interventions and national policies, leading to irregular and insufficient input supplies for climate-smart cocoa practices vi) farmers are more likely to reach living income status through fair producer price for current yields, rather than through increased production. We conclude that GCFRP interventions currently lack the necessary incentives to deter unsustainable practices contributing to deforestation. These findings highlight the need to revise the program's theory of change and policy alignment to better link emission reduction goals with improved farmer incomes and livelihoods. Further research across other HIAs is recommended to strengthen REDD+ implementation outcomes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 103494"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143899843","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrating cultural perspectives in pro-sustainable-forest-management behavior: Evidence from Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal groups in Ontario, Canada","authors":"Zhang Yiwen ,&nbsp;Shashi Kant ,&nbsp;Ilan Vertinsky","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103497","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103497","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Incorporating stakeholders' forest values, a key to Sustainable Forest Management (SFM), requires an understanding of stakeholders' beliefs and values and their relationships to pro-SFM behavior. In a cross-cultural context, it is essential to understand cultural differences in these attributes and relationships, and use culture-sensitive data elicitation and interpretation methods. We proposed a pro-SFM behavior model, that integrates the key elements of selected models pro-environmental behavior proposed in the environmental psychology and resource economics literature, to examine the role of assigned forest values (AFVs) and beliefs in pro-SFM behavior. We tested the model in the context of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal forest stakeholders in Ontario, Canada, using the data collected through surveys and field experiments in three Aboriginal and three non-Aboriginal communities. Our key findings are: (i) the rankings of different domains of AFVs are different among Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal groups; (ii) for Aboriginal people, their AFVs assigned from the community perspective have significantly higher mean scores than their AFVs assigned from their individual/household's perspective; (iii) the community AFVs and the individual/household AFVs were the better predictors of pro-SFM behaviors for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal groups, respectively; and (iv) AFVs have significant mediation effects between environmental worldviews and pro-SFM behavior for non-Aboriginal people, while environmental worldviews directly influence pro-SFM behavior of Aboriginal people with no mediation through AFVs. The paper concludes with the implications of these results to SFM theories and practices and calls for incorporating cultural differences in designing SFM policies and practices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 103497"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143881652","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The development of Forest Management Cooperatives from Self-Helping Facilities to Professional Service Providers – A Case Study in Bavaria","authors":"Anton Wadenspanner ,&nbsp;Anika Gaggermeier ,&nbsp;Michael Suda","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103495","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103495","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Thirty years ago, the state of Bavaria initiated a discussion on the reform of private forestry advice, which was influenced by privatization tendencies and the discourse on timber mobilization. This discourse led to the 2005 forestry reform, which established and financially strengthened forestry management cooperatives (FMCs) with the aim of mobilizing timber from private forests and establishing independent and efficient FMCs. Given the paucity of research on the professionalization of FMCs, this study employs qualitative research methods with an exploratory approach. The primary goal of this study is to examine how Bavarian FMCs have developed since the 2005 forestry reform. Data on development and professionalization were collected using a pre-tested and standardized questionnaire sent to all FMCs in Bavaria (<em>N</em> = 136, response rate 63 %). The analysis reveals that the Bavarian approach has led to an economic and technically oriented production focus, as evidenced by the 70 criteria that define a professional FMC and the findings that FMCs have developed into service-oriented organizations that focus heavily on timber sales and traditional forestry tasks while continuously adapting to external circumstances. The findings reveal that external pressures, including funding directives and environmental imperatives, in conjunction with internal forces such as organizational restructuring and technological enhancements, have exerted a substantial influence on this evolution. This has culminated in an enhancement of service quality and operational efficiency, which has significant ramifications for future policy developments and cross-national benchmarking processes. The research's added value lies in the establishment of a comprehensive benchmark of professionalization criteria that not only deepens the understanding of FMC development in Bavaria but also offers practical insights and reference points for policymakers and practitioners in other European regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 103495"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143881651","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"How demand-side incentive policies drive the diffusion of forest wellness tourism products: An agent-based modeling analysis","authors":"Ying Li,&nbsp;Yuxin Liu,&nbsp;Wenlong Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103496","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103496","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The market share of forest wellness tourism is relatively low, and there is an urgent need to formulate effective promotion strategies. However, there is a lack of research on the effectiveness of diffusion incentive policies tailored to the characteristics of forest wellness tourism products. Moreover, the interdependent decision-making process among consumers adds complexity to policy evaluation. To this end, the study develops a micro-level diffusion model for forest wellness tourism products based on the infectious disease model. Using agent-based modeling (ABM), it simulates the diffusion processes of different tiers of forest wellness tourism products under various demand-side incentive policies and examines the relative effectiveness of different policy measures and their combinations. The simulation results show that: ① When the subsidy intensity exceeds 0.5, the diminishing effect on the promotion of the diffusion of comfort-oriented forest wellness tourism products becomes more apparent. ② Implementing wellness base certification policies in comfort-oriented forest wellness tourism products has a stronger effect on the final diffusion outcome. ③ Relying solely on information promotion policies to diffuse comfort-oriented forest wellness tourism products is a long-term process. ④ The priority of policy implementation varies depending on the different levels of products. ⑤ To enhance cost-effectiveness and sustainability, economic and non-economic incentive policies should be combined to promote forest wellness tourism products. The research results provide a scientific basis for relevant government departments to deeply understand the micro-logic of changes in the forest wellness tourism market and optimize relevant incentive policies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"174 ","pages":"Article 103496"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143869488","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhancing employment through log export ban: Insights from wood-processing firms in developing countries","authors":"Sébastien Marchand ,&nbsp;Mouhamed Zerbo","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103491","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103491","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study assesses the impact of the adoption of the log export ban (LEB) on the employment of 1739 wood processing firms surveyed between 2006 and 2018 and located in 74 developing countries. Using the entropy balancing approach, our results suggest that LEB policy adoption significantly increases total employment in firms located in adopter countries compared to those in non-adopter countries. In addition, we examine the heterogeneous effects of LEB policy on various categories of employment. Our findings indicate that the implementation of LEB significantly increases production employment, permanent employment, and unskilled labor, while it does not exhibit a statistically significant impact on non-production employment, temporary employment, and skilled labor. All of these results are robust to the use of an alternative impact analysis method, that is, the instrumental variables (IV) approach. All of these results can be attributed to the specific context of the wood processing industries in developing countries, characterized by labor-intensive operations and a predominant focus on low-complexity wood processing. The evidence suggests that the implementation of LEB policy should be complemented by additional industrial and employment policies. Such policies could, for example, facilitate the attraction of foreign direct investment (FDI), promote technology transfers, and foster the development of highly specialized training programs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"174 ","pages":"Article 103491"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143863466","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mapping actors' interests and protected area management outcomes in the Campo Ma’an landscape of Cameroon","authors":"Harry Wirngo Mairomi ,&nbsp;Jude Ndzifon Kimengsi","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103493","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103493","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The extensive literature highlights the link between protected area conservation and livelihoods. However, theoretical evidence on actor constellations and their interests in the pursuit of conservation and livelihood goals remains nuanced. Using the Actor Centered Power (ACP) lens, we contribute to provide clarity around the Campo Ma'an Landscape of Cameroon by: (1) exploring the interests of diverse actor typologies, and (2) determining the outcomes linked to actor engagement around the landscape. Data was collected through key informant interviews (<em>n</em> = 25) and focus group discussions (<em>n</em> = 10) in four sectors around the landscape. Based on directed content analysis and narratives, the following conclusions are drawn: Firstly, a constellation of state-civil society actors dominate the landscape, followed by enterprise-based actors (economic operators). Second, while the state-civil society actor constellation significantly manifest ecological interest (biodiversity conservation and habitat preservation), potentials exist for enterprise-based actors to switch their interest away from the expansion of plantations in favour of ecotourism enterprise development (e.g. gorilla habituation). Thirdly, ecological outcomes predominate the landscape; while bio-resource conservation is positive and less significant, poaching and forest conversion as negative ecological outcomes, are highly significant. The empirical evidence contributes to the furtherance of the ACP theoretical framework on two fronts; it emphasizes the role of enterprise-based actors' interests in defining protected area management outcomes. It further demonstrates the potentials for convergence between conservation and enterprise-based actors in the frame of ecotourism enterprise development. This represents a useful pathway to advance non-coercive power exercise in the pursuit of conservation and livelihoods.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"174 ","pages":"Article 103493"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143839413","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Wood-based textile innovations in the Finnish media: A critical discourse analysis","authors":"Venla Wallius ,&nbsp;Annukka Näyhä","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103492","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103492","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The transition to sustainable circular bioeconomy calls for new innovations to replace environmentally harmful fossil-based products and materials. This is especially true for the fast-growing textile industry. Novel wood-based textile innovations could play a key role in the sustainability transition of the sector; however, they need to be diffused effectively throughout society in order to achieve a meaningful market share. By sharing information and shaping the attitudes of potential consumers and other stakeholders, traditional media is an important contributor in this diffusion. In this study, 132 Finnish newspaper articles focusing on wood-based textiles, published in four widely distributed national newspapers from 2019 to 2021, were analyzed utilizing critical discourse analysis. The results show that the discourses around wood-based textile innovations are, in general, positive, and their potential is recognized by many actors. The environmental and economic benefits of wood-based textile alternatives, as well as the role of Finland as a prominent innovation ecosystem is highlighted in media discourses. Critical reflections are largely missing from the discussion, and degrowth discourses to challenge our current way of consuming textiles are very limited. The study draws from the theory of innovation diffusion and the transition framework of the multi-level perspective to discuss its findings and propose recommendations. In conclusion, support and actions from all actors in the socio-technological system are required to create tangible environmental, social, and economic benefits through wood-based textile innovations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"174 ","pages":"Article 103492"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143839411","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Modeling willingness to continue participation in payments for ecosystem services programs: A case of China's second phase of the grain for green program in indigenous communities","authors":"Lingling Qiu ,&nbsp;Shashi Kant ,&nbsp;Weizhong Zeng","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103489","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103489","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Literature on Payments for Ecosystem Services Programs in developing countries is focused on the underlying assumption of a rational economic agent, and useful concepts from social-psychological models are ignored. The existing literature also lacks studies on indigenous communities and the differences in poor and non-poor people's participation. We proposed a Random Utility Model that integrates some concepts of the Expectation Confirmation Theory to examine the factors influencing Yi (indigenous) people's willingness to maintain their reforested land after the end of financial incentives of China's Second Phase of the Grain for Green Program. We compared the willingness and the impacts of influencing factors for poor and non-poor participants. We also analyzed preferences for financial incentive options of participants unwilling to maintain their reforested land. Findings of this study revealed that: (i) similar proportions, about 60 %, of poor as well as non-poor participants are willing to maintain their reforested land; (ii) inertia to change land use and ecological awareness are top two influencing factors for both groups and expectation is the next key factor for poor people; (iii) the signs and magnitudes of influences vary between poor and non-poor groups; (iv) 61 % of unwilling households prefer short-term and 31 % prefer long-term financial incentive options; and (v) participants who have inertia to change land use and have planted ecologically important species are more likely to choose the long-term payment option. Policy recommendations to enhance ecological awareness and inertia to change land use and reduce dependence on farm income were made.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"174 ","pages":"Article 103489"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143825992","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Feasibility of woodland expansion for carbon offsetting in Scotland revisited","authors":"Paola Ovando ,&nbsp;Marie Castellazzi ,&nbsp;Andrea Baggio-Compagnucci ,&nbsp;Richard J. Hewitt ,&nbsp;Alessandro Gimona","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103481","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103481","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper develops an economic decision model to identify areas of economic opportunity for woodland expansion on land currently used for livestock farming in Scotland, assessing its potential contribution to achieving net-zero targets. Using high-resolution data, the model accounts for spatial variability in soil carbon stocks, timber yield classes, livestock stocking rates, and the projected impact of climate change on tree growth. The findings indicate that up to 19.6 % of Scottish land would be suitable for woodland expansion if strict environmental and financial criteria, aimed to demonstrate additionality in voluntary carbon markets, are applied. Woodland expansion could become an economically efficient land-use decision on 8.4 % to 16.4 % of Scottish land, for carbon prices ranging from £ 10 to £ 100 per CO₂ tonne. Over a 100-year average, this potential expansion could yield carbon offsets equivalent to 14 % to 23 % of Scotland's current greenhouse gas emissions. However, improving the quality of carbon offsets through a more nuanced understanding of the dynamics of carbon balance and permanence over time significantly reduces both the area where woodland expansion is an additional and efficient land-use change and its potential contribution to Scotland's net-zero targets.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"174 ","pages":"Article 103481"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143807294","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Equity in unilateral value chain policies: A monitoring framework for the EUDR and beyond","authors":"Constance L. McDermott ,&nbsp;Thomas Addoah ,&nbsp;Tawiah Agyarko-Kwarteng ,&nbsp;Rebecca Asare ,&nbsp;Alex Assanvo ,&nbsp;Mairon Bastos Lima ,&nbsp;Helen Bellfield ,&nbsp;Amanda Berlan ,&nbsp;Sophia Carodenuto ,&nbsp;Toby Gardner ,&nbsp;Rachael D. Garrett ,&nbsp;Caitlin Hafferty ,&nbsp;Mark Hirons ,&nbsp;Verina Ingram ,&nbsp;Eric Mensah Kumeh ,&nbsp;Joss Lyons-White ,&nbsp;John Mason ,&nbsp;Patrick Meyfroidt ,&nbsp;Jasper Montana ,&nbsp;Gustavo L.T. de Oliveira ,&nbsp;Georg Winkel","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103469","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103469","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Unilateral value chain policies have recently emerged as a key strategy of international land use governance. They're part of a broader trend towards trade-based environmental policies, from corporate due diligence to sustainability certification and trade moratoria, that has been critiqued for reinforcing inequities in global trade. Such critique has been heightened by the current rise of unilateralism, whereby states impose environmental rules on imported commodities. Debates have ensued over the political legitimacy of unilateralism, the unequal distribution of its socio-economic impacts, and the need to safeguard local producers and communities.</div><div>This paper informs these debates by developing and applying a framework for monitoring equity across scales and phases of the policy process. The framework is applied to the 2023 EU Deforestation-free Regulation (EUDR), which aims to stop EU imports of commodities linked to deforestation. We find that EUDR policy references equity as a desired outcome, but excludes affected actors from the design process. Drawing on the case of cocoa in Ghana, we identify diverse potential impacts on smallholder farmers and economies. Opportunities for the EUDR to improve equity include embedding non-EU stakeholders in international decision-making processes, enhanced and equitable partnerships with producing countries and major investments in farmer support. The paper concludes by providing an equity checklist and agenda for monitoring progress, adaptable to a wide range of unilateral and trade-based policies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"174 ","pages":"Article 103469"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143807295","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}