Scandinavian Working Papers in Economics
CLTS Working Papers,
Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Centre for Land Tenure Studies
No 6/21: Beyond Ostrom: Randomized Experiment of the Impact of Individualized Tree Rights on Forest Management in Ethiopia
Ryo Takahashi (), Keijiro Otsuka (), Mesfin Tilahun (), Emiru Birhane and Stein T. Holden ()
Additional contact information
Ryo Takahashi: Waseda University, Graduate School of Economics, Postal: 1-6-1 Nishi-Waseda, Shinjuku, Tokyo 169-0051 , Japan
Keijiro Otsuka: Kobe University, Institute of Developing Economies, Postal: 2-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe, Hyogo 657-8501, Japan
Mesfin Tilahun: Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Postal: Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, NO-1432 Aas, Norway
Emiru Birhane: Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Postal: Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, NO-1432 Aas, Norway
Stein T. Holden: Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Postal: Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, NO-1432 Aas, Norway
Abstract: In this study, we argue that while community forest management is effective in protecting forest resources as argued by Ostrom, it may fail to provide proper incentives to take care of such resources because of collective sharing of benefits of forest management. This study proposes a mixed private and community management system as a desirable arrangement for timber forest management in Ethiopia, which is characterized by communal protection of community-owned forest area and individual management of individually owned trees. By conducting a randomized experiment in Ethiopia, we found that the mixed management system significantly stimulated intensive forest management activities, including pruning, guarding, and watering. Furthermore, the treated members extracted more timber trees and forest products, which are byproducts of tree management (thinned trees and pruned branches). In contrast, the extracted volumes of nontimber forest products unrelated to tree management (fodder and honey) did not change by the intervention.
Keywords: property regimes; individual rights commons; community forest management; RCT
Language: English
36 pages, December 23, 2021
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