Private Management of African Protected Areas Improves Wildlife and Tourism Outcomes but With Security Concerns in Conflict Regions
Protected areas can conserve wildlife and benefit people when managed effectively. African governments increasingly delegate the management of protected areas to private, non-governmental organizations, hoping that private organizations’ significant resources and technical capacities actualize protected areas’ potential. Does private management improve outcomes compared to a counterfactual of government management This paper leverages the transfer of management authority from governments to African Parks (AP)—the largest private manager of protected areas in Africa—to show that private management significantly improves wildlife outcomes via reduced elephant poaching and increased bird abundances. The results also suggest that AP’s management augments tourism, while the effect on rural wealth is inconclusive. However, AP’s management increases the risk of armed groups targeting civilians, which could be an unintended outcome of AP’s improved monitoring and enforcement systems. These findings reveal an intricate interplay between conservation, economic development, and security under privately-managed protected areas in Africa.
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Working Paper biblioteca |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
Washington, DC: World Bank
2024-08-22
|
| Subjects: | PROTECTED AREAS, PRIVATE SECTOR MANAGEMENT, WILDLIFE CONSERVATION, TOURISM, ARMED CONFLICT, DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH, SDG 8, LIFE ON LAND, SDG 15, PEACE, JUSTICE AND STRONG INSTITUTIONS, SDG 16, |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099220208202440890/IDU14de7c03b1d58414bb51b9e119fc34eb5e08e https://hdl.handle.net/10986/42074 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | Protected areas can conserve wildlife
and benefit people when managed effectively. African
governments increasingly delegate the management of
protected areas to private, non-governmental organizations,
hoping that private organizations’ significant resources and
technical capacities actualize protected areas’ potential.
Does private management improve outcomes compared to a
counterfactual of government management This paper leverages
the transfer of management authority from governments to
African Parks (AP)—the largest private manager of protected
areas in Africa—to show that private management
significantly improves wildlife outcomes via reduced
elephant poaching and increased bird abundances. The results
also suggest that AP’s management augments tourism, while
the effect on rural wealth is inconclusive. However, AP’s
management increases the risk of armed groups targeting
civilians, which could be an unintended outcome of AP’s
improved monitoring and enforcement systems. These findings
reveal an intricate interplay between conservation, economic
development, and security under privately-managed protected
areas in Africa. |
|---|