Biodiversity conservation - At what cost? A study of households in the vicinity of Madagascar's Mantadia National Park

An important subset of the vast number of issues associated with the conservation of tropical forests are the costs and benefits incurred by local peoples. This paper presents the results of a study of the costs borne by households living near the Mantadia National Park, a protected area in eastern Madagascar. The villages in this region are subsistence economies that are based on swidden agriculture and forest product collection. Village communities have lost access to more than 800 ha of agricultural lands and to a significant amount of forest products as a result of the park. The net present value of costs to the average household because of protection is USD 419. The analysis undertaken also provides useful information about geographic variations in the costs borne.

Duke Scholars

Author Randall Kramer Environmental Sciences and Policy