This study analyses seven factors used to explain the conversion of forest to pasture in Central America between 1979 and 1994: 1) favorable markets for livestock products, 2) subsidized credit and road construction, 3) land tenure policies, 4) limited technological change in livestock, 5)...

In the debate over the forest, policy research organizations have concentrated on uncovering the causes of deforestation and recommending measures to develop them sustainably. This article examines the conditions under which those prescriptions find their way into public policy, specifically,...

Este documento (ENV-104) analiza las políticas que orientan la investigación sobre el manejo de recursos naturales (MRN) ligados a la agricultura en América Latina, el marco institucional en que esa investigación se realiza y las metodologías que utiliza. Primero, describe los desafíos...

Forests are ubiquitous in the Democratic Republic of Congo; they touch the cultural and economic life of most of the population and have enormous global environmental significance. After years of conflicts and mismanagement, reconstruction is key to improving living conditions and consolidating...

This article analyzes geo-referenced data to elucidate the relations between deforestation and access to roads andmarkets, attributes of the physical environment, land tenure, andzoningpolicies in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. It presents separate models for Santa Cruz as a whole and for seven different...

This article, which synthesizes the results of more than 140 economic models analyzing the causes of tropical deforestation, raises significant doubts about many conventional hypotheses in the debate about deforestation. More roads, higher agricultural prices, lower wages, and a shortage of...