DESIGNING REDD+ SCHEMES WHEN FOREST USERS ARE NOT FOREST LANDOWNERS: EVIDENCE FROM A SURVEY-BASED EXPERIMENT IN KENYA

This study contributes to the debate on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) and the relationship between land tenure and forest conservation. We investigate policies that create alternative livelihood options for people around REDD+ forests who are forest users but not forest landowners by implementing a survey-based experiment in Kenya. We compare the effectiveness of different REDD+ payment schemes given rising opportunity costs of forest use. This study shows that policies that target the local drivers of deforestation, are conditional on environmental outcomes, and account for changing opportunity costs can significantly improve environmental outcomes compared to conventional policies.