Economic Development and Environmental Conservation: Evidence From Eco-Tourism

66 Pages Posted: 9 Dec 2022

See all articles by Santiago Saavedra

Santiago Saavedra

Universidad del Rosario - Faculty of Economics

Date Written: November 10, 2022

Abstract

Economic growth and environmental protection are key development challenges. Theoretically, eco-tourism could increase workers' income and increase the incentive to preserve forests. However, higher income is generally associated with larger environmental degradation. I study empirically the effect of eco-tourism on income and deforestation, with a randomized control trial in Colombia. Municipalities were randomly assigned to either a control group, or a treatment group that received eco-tourism promotion. I find an increase in the number of tourists and workers in surveyed businesses of treated municipalities. At the same time, I find a large reduction in deforestation around eco-tourism sites in treated municipalities. These results illustrate the importance of economic opportunities for local communities to preserve forests.

Keywords: Eco-tourism; Poverty; Deforestation; Colombia

JEL Classification: Q56, Z32

Suggested Citation

Saavedra, Santiago, Economic Development and Environmental Conservation: Evidence From Eco-Tourism (November 10, 2022). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4291532 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4291532

Santiago Saavedra (Contact Author)

Universidad del Rosario - Faculty of Economics ( email )

Casa Pedro Fermín
Calle 12C # 4-69
Bogota
Colombia

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