Fellow Story
Heilmayr publishes in PNAS on market-driven schemes cutting deforestation in Chile
Eco-certification schemes are many and varied, but just how effective are they? Now one of the first rigorous evaluations finds that certification schemes in Chile, along with a voluntary agreement between timber companies and NGOs, have reduced deforestation by 14%.
"In addition, these policies were effective in targeting regions that were at a higher risk of forest clearing," Robert Heilmayr of Stanford University told environmentalresearchweb. "Whereas traditional government conservation efforts often target regions that are ill-suited for development, or far away from people (think of remote American national parks), these new policies were able to reduce deforestation on properties owned by the largest timber companies in Chile."
