Private forest owners motivations for adopting biodiversity-related protection programs

Abstract

Since economic incentives are typically fairly low for many non-industrial private forest owners, it is of interest for public policy to examine whether other motives might play a role on adoption of Biodiversity-related Protection Programs. In a survey of non-industrial private forest owners, a number of current programs, that include biodiversity protection to some degree, are investigated: Prosilva, environmental associations, other programs of forest management. Across the survey, adoption amounts to 22% for all the programs jointly, and is shown to depend on economic, social and intrinsic motives, with significant crowding-out only between the economic and intrinsic motives, that is, intrinsic motives likely lessen the effectiveness of economic incentives. That does not occur with social motives; these results constitute a test of the "reputational crowding-out" theory of Bénabou and Tirole, (2006). Adoption of any program is strongly negatively correlated to the others. Nearly no respondent adopted the Natura 2000 program.

Keywords: Adoption decision; Biodiversity program; Motivation crowding-out; Non-industrial private forest owner.