| 讲座简介： | We conduct a comprehensive analysis of the effect of China’s Poverty Alleviation Resettlement (PAR) program on deforestation using rigorous econometric techniques for causality identification. Combined with high-resolution satellite imagery data of forest loss, we adopt national longitudinal datasets of PAR participation at both the county and individual levels, with multiple cross-sections before and after the launch of the program. Our sample includes 1263 participating counties covering 95% of the entire population relocated by PAR, together with 484 uninvolved neighboring counties for comparison. We find that the PAR program significantly reduces deforestation in the participating counties. Furthermore, the migrated individuals mitigate their forest clearing behavior after resettlement, even for those whose move-in places are still in rural villages. This study provides fresh evidence that China’s resettlement program aiming at poverty alleviation also contributes to forest conservation. It highlights the effectiveness of resettlement as an alternative strategy to combat deforestation along with poverty, by not only physically moving the poor away from the forest but also changing their livelihood strategies and life styles. |
