Who bears the cost of forest conservation?
Mahesh PoudyalJulia Patricia Gordon JonesO Sarobidy RakotonarivoNeal HockleyJames M GibbonsRina MandimbiniainaAlexandra RasoamananaNilsen S AndrianantenainaBruno Salomon RamamonjisoaPublished in: PeerJ (2018)
By analyzing in unprecedented depth both the local costs of conservation, and the compensation distributed under donor policies, we demonstrate that despite well-intentioned policies, some of the poorest people on the planet are still bearing the cost of forest conservation. Unless significant extra funding is provided by the global beneficiaries of conservation, donors' social safeguarding requirements will not be met, and forest conservation in developing countries will jeopardize, rather than contribute to, sustainable development goals.