Developing policies and legal frameworks to incentivize forest protection - Spring

In collaboration with the World Resources Institute’s Governance of Forests Initiative, this project analyzed global forest incentive programs to identify governance conditions associated with successful forest conservation. The team constructed a global database of forest protection schemes and conducted three in-depth case studies in Indonesia, Madagascar, and Mexico. The analysis focused on four core governance dimensions: land tenure security, stakeholder participation, program design and implementation, and monitoring capacity. The research examined how institutional strength, community engagement, and financing structures influence environmental outcomes.

Based on cross-case analysis, the team developed 20 policy recommendations targeted toward governments, NGOs, and multilateral institutions designing or reforming forest incentive programs. Recommendations addressed clarifying land tenure rights, strengthening local participation mechanisms, enhancing transparency and monitoring systems, and aligning incentives with measurable performance outcomes. The findings emphasized that well-designed incentives alone are insufficient without strong governance structures to ensure accountability and equitable benefit distribution. The final report provided WRI with a practical framework for evaluating and improving forest incentive schemes worldwide, contributing to climate mitigation, biodiversity protection, and sustainable development objectives.

Learn more about the MPA-ESP Capstone Workshop.