2024-09-01-世界银行-非洲保护区的私人管理改善了野生动物和旅游业的成果_但在冲突地区存在安全问题（英）_68页_2mb

Summary

The paper examines the effects of private sector management on African Protected Areas (APs), using the case of African Parks (AP), a non-profit organization managing large-scale protected areas in Africa. The study employs a quasi-experimental approach with a dynamic difference-in-differences estimator to compare outcomes in protected areas transferred to AP management versus control protected areas managed by governments.

Key findings include:

1. Wildlife Outcomes: AP management reduced elephant poaching by 15.3 percentage points (a 35% reduction relative to controls) and increased bird abundances by approximately 37%, suggesting improved conservation outcomes due to enhanced monitoring and enforcement.
2. Tourism: AP management significantly increased tourism proxies (e.g., iNaturalist and eBird visits) by 21.5 and 19 percentage points, respectively, indicating economic benefits.
3. Economic Development: The effect on asset wealth is inconclusive due to pre-existing trends, but it may benefit from improved monitoring and enforcement.
4. Security Concerns: AP management increased the probability of civilian targeting by about 7.7 percentage points, potentially because stricter enforcement displaces illegal resource extraction efforts by armed groups into civilian attacks. It did not significantly affect battles or protests/riots.
5. Management Practices: AP improved monitoring and enforcement systems by about 0.926 standard deviations but reduced decision-making inclusiveness, indicating centralized governance may limit community involvement.

The study highlights trade-offs between conservation gains (e.g., reduced poaching, increased tourism) and heightened local insecurity in conflict regions. The findings stress the need for increased community participation in protected area management to address these trade-offs. The rigorous quasi-experimental design strengthens the causal inference of the effects.