What works in tropical forest conservation, and what does not : Effectiveness of four strategies in terms of environmental, social, and economic outcomes

Summary

Tropical forests and their biodiversity are disappearing, despite decades of conservation efforts. Are we now in a position to understand whether some conservation strategies work better while others consistently fail in protecting tropical forests? The paper provides a systematic search of literature and review of results to evaluate four mainstream strategies (forest certification and reduced impact logging, payments for ecosystem services, protected areas, community forest management) in terms of 35 environmental, social, and economic metrics.