![People living near the Eastern Arc Mountains use poles collected from the forests to build their homes. [Credit: Marije Schaafsma]](/sites/default/files/styles/16_9_full_width_xl_2x_fit/public/5.wood_from_forests_used_to_build_houses.credit_marije_schaafsma.webp?itok=gkfcJvN8)
Local communities are not incentivised to protect tropical forests that are hugely valuable for global climate regulation, a new study has found. “International gains from the conservation of this biodiversity hotspot far outweigh the gains to local communities directly involved in their conservation,” said Andrew Balmford, Professor of Conservation Science at the University of Cambridge and senior author of the paper. International funding could help smallholder farmers to boost yields on their existing land to incentivise long-term forest protection.
Read the full article: https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/tropical-forest-protection
Read the paper: Platts, P.J. et al.: ‘Inequitable gains and losses from conservation in a global biodiversity hotspot.’ Environmental and Resource Economics, August 2023.
People living near the Eastern Arc Mountains use poles collected from the forests to build their homes. [Credit: Marije Schaafsma]