The effect of a political crisis on performance of community forests and protected areas in Madagascar

This study investigates the impact of a political crisis in Madagascar on the effectiveness of community-managed forests (CFM) and protected areas (administered by Madagascar National Parks, MNP) in reducing deforestation. Using remote sensing data and statistical matching within an event study design, the researchers found that deforestation accelerated after the crisis, more so in CFM than MNP. While there was no difference in performance during the crisis, CFM performed significantly worse in post-crisis years. This suggests that community-based conservation may be less resilient than state protection when deforestation pressures intensify after a political crisis.

Rachel A. Neugarten, Ranaivo A. Rasolofoson, Christopher B. Barrett, Ghislain Vieilledent, Amanda D. Rodewald