Local initiative and conservation effectiveness: evidence from mixed-use protected areas in Brazil

There are strong normative arguments for prioritizing conservation and development interventions that have been developed in response to local initiative, rather than imposed in a top-down manner. However, it is difficult to provide reliable empirical evidence on the implications of this practice for policy outcomes (e.g., achieving conservation goals), given the many potentially confounding differences between bottom-up and top-down interventions. In this study, I identify a sample of mixed use protected areas in Brazil that appear similar, except that some were created in a top-down manner while others were created in response to articulated community demands. I consider several approaches to providing associational evidence on the link between top down protection and forest fire risk. Such analyses illuminate the nuanced relationship between local initiative and conservation effectiveness. These findings underline a need for more rigorous, design-based interventions in this area. I conclude with a discussion of how that might be accomplished within reasonable equity guidelines.