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Forest ecosystem services derived by smallholder farmers in northwestern Madagascar: storm hazard mitigation and participation in forest management

Forest ecosystem services derived by smallholder farmers in northwestern Madagascar: storm hazard mitigation and participation in forest management
Forest ecosystem services derived by smallholder farmers in northwestern Madagascar: storm hazard mitigation and participation in forest management
Tropical dry deciduous forests provide numerous ecosystem services yet their contribution to agricultural production remains underexplored. We address this research gap by quantifying the broader suite of ecosystem services that support small holder farmers and identifying farmers' knowledge of storm hazard reduction benefits provided by forest fragments in Madagascar. We survey 240 households and interview eight key informants to identify household and community responses in two communities with contrasting forest cover trajectories. Using multivariate statistics, results show a heavy dependence on forests for food and raw materials and a majority of the respondents holding a positive view of hazard mitigation services provided by forest fragments. Education levels, earning an income from forest based tourism and honey production are the only predictors of participation in forest management. Positive view of the hazard reduction benefits derived from forests could be due to external influences or personal observations, and together with barriers to participation in forest management need to be further investigated to better link forest management to reduced hazards risks. These findings are significant for forest management policy, as local knowledge and rationale for decisions are instrumental in the success of decentralized forest management and maintenance of vital forest benefits to farmers.
1389-9341
1-11
Dave, Radhika
f201df6c-81f9-49bf-a915-9c82629ec9d4
Tompkins, Emma L.
a6116704-7140-4e37-bea1-2cbf39b138c3
Schreckenberg, Kate
d3fa344b-bf0d-4358-b12a-5547968f8a77
Dave, Radhika
f201df6c-81f9-49bf-a915-9c82629ec9d4
Tompkins, Emma L.
a6116704-7140-4e37-bea1-2cbf39b138c3
Schreckenberg, Kate
d3fa344b-bf0d-4358-b12a-5547968f8a77

Dave, Radhika, Tompkins, Emma L. and Schreckenberg, Kate (2016) Forest ecosystem services derived by smallholder farmers in northwestern Madagascar: storm hazard mitigation and participation in forest management. Forest Policy and Economics, 1-11. (doi:10.1016/j.forpol.2016.09.002).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Tropical dry deciduous forests provide numerous ecosystem services yet their contribution to agricultural production remains underexplored. We address this research gap by quantifying the broader suite of ecosystem services that support small holder farmers and identifying farmers' knowledge of storm hazard reduction benefits provided by forest fragments in Madagascar. We survey 240 households and interview eight key informants to identify household and community responses in two communities with contrasting forest cover trajectories. Using multivariate statistics, results show a heavy dependence on forests for food and raw materials and a majority of the respondents holding a positive view of hazard mitigation services provided by forest fragments. Education levels, earning an income from forest based tourism and honey production are the only predictors of participation in forest management. Positive view of the hazard reduction benefits derived from forests could be due to external influences or personal observations, and together with barriers to participation in forest management need to be further investigated to better link forest management to reduced hazards risks. These findings are significant for forest management policy, as local knowledge and rationale for decisions are instrumental in the success of decentralized forest management and maintenance of vital forest benefits to farmers.

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 2 September 2016
e-pub ahead of print date: 18 September 2016
Organisations: Geography & Environment

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 401804
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/401804
ISSN: 1389-9341
PURE UUID: 5fa8f642-dc59-41ae-8242-ae4eb4321dd6
ORCID for Emma L. Tompkins: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-4825-9797

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 19 Oct 2016 14:15
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:39

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Contributors

Author: Radhika Dave
Author: Kate Schreckenberg

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