Start Date

22-4-2024 3:45 PM

End Date

22-4-2024 5:00 PM

Access Type

Open Access

Abstract

According to the World Bank, 1.1 million square miles of tree cover were cleared from 2001 to 2020. Approximately 90% of forests were cleared in low- and middle-income nations. This loss is equivalent to a 7% reduction in tree cover and corresponds with 107 trillion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions being released into the atmosphere. To limit forest loss, low and middle-income nations often implement payment for ecosystem service programs. By 2020, over 550 programs were active globally, accounting for an estimated $36–42 billion in annual transactions between users and providers. However, we not aware of any cross-national research that examines their impact on forests in low- and middle-income nations. We address this gap in the cross-national literature with our study.

Biography

John M. Shandra is a Professor of Sociology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. John's areas of expertise include environmental sociology, global sociology, and statistics. He publishes extensively with undergraduate students, graduate students, and colleagues.

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Apr 22nd, 3:45 PM Apr 22nd, 5:00 PM

Cash for Conservation: Payments for Ecosystem Service Programs and Forest Loss

According to the World Bank, 1.1 million square miles of tree cover were cleared from 2001 to 2020. Approximately 90% of forests were cleared in low- and middle-income nations. This loss is equivalent to a 7% reduction in tree cover and corresponds with 107 trillion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions being released into the atmosphere. To limit forest loss, low and middle-income nations often implement payment for ecosystem service programs. By 2020, over 550 programs were active globally, accounting for an estimated $36–42 billion in annual transactions between users and providers. However, we not aware of any cross-national research that examines their impact on forests in low- and middle-income nations. We address this gap in the cross-national literature with our study.