West African savannas undergo severe changes due to climate change and land use pressure, resulting in degradation and biodiversity loss. These changes directly impact local rural livelihoods, as many cash poor rural communities depend on the provisioning ecosystem services of their...

Since at least the time of von Thünen's contributions to the subject, economists have been interested in explaining land use in the hinterlands. This interest has grown with increasing societal demands on remaining forested areas and concern for the nonmarket resources generated by such...