Papers by Priya Shyamsundar
We examine the role of subnational institutions in carbon sequestration and assess whether commun... more We examine the role of subnational institutions in carbon sequestration and assess whether community forest user groups can meet both existing forest needs and international carbon demand. By conducting a qualitative evaluation of a pilot program in Nepal that made carbon payments to forest user groups, we examine if community forestry institutions can be effective, efficient, and equitable in implementing Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD)+. Our evaluation relies on focus group discussions, meetings, and community and program documents of forestry user groups that participated in the REDD+ pilot and matched groups that did not. Compared to control groups, REDD+ user groups appear to be more effective in carbon sequestration, perhaps because of increased prevention of forest fires and grazing, nursery establishment, and other forest management. REDD+ user groups report a larger number of forest conservation, forest utilization, and community development activities relative to control groups. Participating communities bear transaction costs of US$4.5/hectare and implementation costs of US$2.5/hectare on average (or NPR 50,000 (US$600) per year). The mean REDD+ rent per ton of additional carbon sequestered was US$1.3. Targeting of benefits improves partly because some marginalized groups, particularly women, participate more in the planning and management. In terms of equity, microcredit and capacity development activities were skewed to the poorest households, whereas alternate fuel and carbon monitoring were more advantageous to middle or high income households. Overall, our analyses suggest that REDD+ activities can be successfully executed, if communities receive technical and capacity building support for institutional strengthening, in addition to carbon payments.
Essays in Honour of Sir Partha Dasgupta, 2014
Over the last two decades, community-based forest management has graduated from being an experime... more Over the last two decades, community-based forest management has graduated from being an experimental strategy to becoming a much more mainstream approach. In developing countries, an estimated 22 percent of forest estate is owned by or reserved for community and indigenous groups. Now a SANDEE review paper looks at the literature to assess whether community-based forest management in countries such
Contingent valuation is used to value tropical forest resources for a rural population in Africa.... more Contingent valuation is used to value tropical forest resources for a rural population in Africa. Welfare losses from land-use restrictions associated with a newly established national park in Madagascar are estimated with a willingness-to-accept format. Because of a limited local cash economy, the contingent valuation question is denominated in baskets of rice. The analysis indicates that contingent valuation can be successfully applied to rural households within the developing country context. The econometric analysis undertaken reveals a systematic association between various socioeconomic variables of interest and the expressed willingness-to-accept compensation for foregone land use. ᮊ
Policy Research Working Papers, 2004
Environmental Valuation in South Asia, 2009
Environment and Development Economics, 2004
This special issue focuses on environmental problems related to poverty and economic growth in So... more This special issue focuses on environmental problems related to poverty and economic growth in South Asia and seeks to illustrate the types of economic analyses that can be undertaken to address these problems. The idea for this issue emerged at the inauguration of the South Asian Network of Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE). The papers presented at SANDEE s inaugural
Environmental Valuation in South Asia, 2009
Essays in Honour of Sir Partha Dasgupta, 2014
Environmental Valuation in South Asia, 2009
Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 1996
Contingent valuation is used to value tropical forest resources for a rural population in Africa.... more Contingent valuation is used to value tropical forest resources for a rural population in Africa. Welfare losses from land-use restrictions associated with a newly established national park in Madagascar are estimated with a willingness-to-accept format. Because of a limited local cash economy, the contingent valuation question is denominated in baskets of rice. The analysis indicates that contingent valuation can be
Development Southern Africa, 2009
This article evaluates the benefits of community-based activities in wildlife conservancies in Na... more This article evaluates the benefits of community-based activities in wildlife conservancies in Namibia by asking three questions: Do community conservancies contribute to an increase in household welfare? Are such programmes pro-poor; that is, do they improve welfare more for poorer households than for the less poor? Does participation in conservancy increase household welfare more for participants than non-participants? This study
environmentportal.in
This paper seeks to understand whether decentralized management of forests can reduce forest loss... more This paper seeks to understand whether decentralized management of forests can reduce forest loss in developing countries. In South Asia, large-scale experiments in decentralization --Joint Forest Management in India and community forestry in Nepal, in particular -have changed the relationship between forests, the forest departments and rural households. However, have these institutional changes lead to a decline in forest degradation? Have they empowered households with stronger access rights and contributed to household well being? These are important questions to examine because rural households depend on forests to meet numerous subsistence needs. The emerging evidence suggests that community forest management may indeed be contributing to improved forest health. However, the impacts on household well-being are less carefully studied and seem to be far more varied. The paper suggests that clarity over rights, local monitoring and recognition of differences in intra-community needs are issues that require policy support if community forestry is to meet both livelihood and forest conservation expectations.
riesgoycambioclimatico.org
The failure of the Climate Summit in Copenhagen in December 2009 emphasized the limitations of gr... more The failure of the Climate Summit in Copenhagen in December 2009 emphasized the limitations of greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation as a singular policy response to climate change and highlighted the urgent need to design effective adaptation strategies. Current GHG mitigation efforts ...
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Papers by Priya Shyamsundar