Potential Forest Loss and Biodiversity Risks from Road Improvement in Lao PDR
This paper develops and applies a spatial econometric model that links road upgrading to forest clearing and biodiversity loss in the Lao People's Democratic Republic. The paper uses 500-meter cells to estimate the relationship between the ra...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2018
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/977051535391124388/Potential-Forest-Loss-and-Biodiversity-Risks-from-Road-Improvement-in-Lao-PDR http://hdl.handle.net/10986/30321 |
| Summary: | This paper develops and applies a
spatial econometric model that links road upgrading to
forest clearing and biodiversity loss in the Lao
People's Democratic Republic. The paper uses 500-meter
cells to estimate the relationship between the rate of
forest clearing in a cell and its distance to the closest
point on the nearest road link, the quality of that link,
the cell's legal protection status, transport cost to
the nearest urban center, the agricultural opportunity value
of the land, and terrain elevation. The parameter estimates
are all robust, with the expected signs and very high
statistical significance. The paper highlights the results
that measure the impact of improved road quality on forest
clearing through shorter transport times to market and lower
vehicle maintenance costs. The estimated response parameters
and a composite biodiversity indicator are used to compute
an index of expected biodiversity loss from road upgrading
in each 500meter cell. The results identify areas in the Lao
People’s Democratic Republic where high expected
biodiversity loss may warrant additional protection as road
upgrading continues. This analysis will help policy makers
in the country to weigh context-specific trade-offs between
development and conservation objectives associated with road improvement. |
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