根據(jù)一項(xiàng)新的研究,，把對(duì)全國(guó)森林的管理從國(guó)家轉(zhuǎn)交給地方政府可以降低成本而不會(huì)減少森林密度。Eswaran Somanathan及其同事測(cè)量了隨著發(fā)展中國(guó)家的森林管理從國(guó)家逐漸轉(zhuǎn)向村鎮(zhèn)級(jí)別的過(guò)程中的森林管理成本效率,。這組作者計(jì)算了印度北方北阿坎德邦的每公頃森林管理成本，結(jié)果發(fā)現(xiàn)國(guó)家管理森林的成本是地方管理森林成本的7到10倍,。他們?nèi)缓蟊容^了類(lèi)似情況的國(guó)家和地方森林,，提出按照樹(shù)冠覆蓋的林地計(jì)算，成本更低的地方管理的森林表現(xiàn)出的保護(hù)水平與國(guó)家的相同,。
這組科學(xué)家指出,，國(guó)家管理的森林通常比地方管理的森林距離居住地更遠(yuǎn)，因此在轉(zhuǎn)交地方管理的時(shí)候必須包含額外的成本,，諸如森林的守衛(wèi)必須走得更遠(yuǎn),。然而，這組作者指出,，由于人類(lèi)干涉的減少，偏遠(yuǎn)可能節(jié)省一些成本,。這組作者說(shuō),，由于地方森林管理具有高度節(jié)省成本的潛力，這些成本問(wèn)題不應(yīng)該阻止分散化,，尤其是對(duì)于資金短缺的發(fā)展中國(guó)家的生物多樣性高的森林,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
PNAS March 2, 2009, doi: 10.1073/pnas.0810049106
Decentralization for cost-effective conservation
E. Somanathana,1, R. Prabhakarb and Bhupendra Singh Mehtac
aPlanning Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, 7 SJS Sansanwal Marg, New Delhi 110016, India;
bAshoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment, Number 659, 5th ‘A’ Main, Hebbal, Bangalore 560024, India; and
cFoundation for Ecological Security, PB Number 29, Village-Jehangirpura, Hadgud, PO-Gopalpura, Anand, Gujarat-388 370, India
Abstract
Since 1930, areas of state-managed forest in the central Himalayas of India have increasingly been devolved to management by local communities. This article studies the long-run effects of the devolution on the cost of forest management and on forest conservation. Village council-management costs an order of magnitude less per unit area and does no worse, and possibly better, at conservation than state management. Geographic proximity and historical and ecological information are used to separate the effects of management from those of possible confounding factors.
