Overview
Jeffrey R. Vincent is an economist who works mainly on forest policy issues in low- and middle-income countries. Over his career, he has blended academic research, teaching, and administration; leadership of large, donor-funded policy-advising projects; and capacity-building and mid-career training. Prior to joining Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment in 2007, he held positions at the University of California, San Diego (School of International Relations & Pacific Studies), Harvard University (Institute for International Development), and Michigan State University (Department of Forestry). His current research focuses on the economics of forest restoration, with a primary emphasis on countries in Asia. His past research has addressed various topics, including the tropical timber trade, forest concession policies, biodiversity conservation, the effects of air pollution and climate change on agriculture, green accounting, and valuation of forest ecosystem services. He received the McKinsey Award for the most significant article published in the Harvard Business Review in 2003 and the Cozzarelli Prize for the best article in applied biological, agricultural, and environmental sciences published in PNAS in 2006. He is a Fellow at the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics in Stockholm, Sweden and the South Asian Network of Development and Environmental Economists in Kathmandu, Nepal and Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Cambridge University Press journal, Environment and Development Economics.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Recent Publications
The importance of distinguishing between natural and managed tree cover gains in the moist tropics.
Journal Article Nature communications · July 2025 Naturally regenerated forests and managed tree systems provide different levels of carbon, biodiversity, and livelihood benefits. Here, we show that tree cover gains in the moist tropics during 1982-2015 were 56% ± 3% naturally regenerated forests and 27% ... Full text CiteA mix of reforestation methods offers more cost-effective climate mitigation
Journal Article Nature Climate Change · September 2024 Full text Open Access CiteCost-effectiveness of natural forest regeneration and plantations for climate mitigation
Journal Article Nature Climate Change · September 1, 2024 Mitigating climate change cost-effectively requires identifying least-cost-per-ton GHG abatement methods. Here, we estimate and map GHG abatement cost (US$ per tCO2) for two common reforestation methods: natural regeneration and plantations. We ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
Economics of Afforestation in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by World Bank · 2025 - 2027Research and Development of Global Applications of Forest Restoration Potential Using SEPAL
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations · 2023 - 2024Consequences of Changing Mangrove Forests in South Asia on the Provision of Global Ecosystem Goods and Services
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Aeronautics and Space Administration · 2017 - 2021View All Grants