Working Paper: NBER ID: w24861
Authors: Robin Burgess; Francisco JM Costa; Benjamin A. Olken
Abstract: Preserving wilderness ecosystems in developing countries is challenging because their remote location places them far from state control. We investigate this using 30x30 meter satellite data to determine how Amazonian deforestation changes discretely at the Brazilian international border. In 2000, Brazilian pixels were 30 percent more likely to be deforested, and between 2001 and 2005 annual Brazilian deforestation was more than 3 times the rate observed across the border. In 2006, just after Brazil introduces policies to reduce illegal deforestation, these differences disappear. These results demonstrate the power of the state to affect whether wilderness ecosystems are conserved or exploited.
Keywords: Wilderness Conservation; Deforestation; Brazil; Amazon; National Policies
JEL Codes: O13; Q23
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Brazilian national policies (F68) | deforestation rates (Q23) |
| lack of enforcement of environmental regulations (F64) | increased deforestation (Q23) |
| stricter policies in 2006 (J18) | disappearance of discontinuity in deforestation rates at the border (F55) |
| protected areas in Brazil (Q57) | lower deforestation rates than unprotected lands (Q23) |
| Brazilian state enforcement actions (K21) | decline in deforestation rates post-2006 (Q23) |