BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION - AT WHAT COST - A STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS IN THE VICINITY OF MADAGASCAR MANTADIA NATIONAL-PARK

An important subset of the vast number of issues associated with the c onservation of tropical forests are the costs and benefits incurred by local peoples. This paper presents the results of a study of the cost s borne by households living near the Mantadia National Park, a protec ted area in eastern Madagascar. The villages in this region are subsis tence economies that are based on swidden agriculture and forest produ ct collection. Village communities have lost access to more than 800 h a of agricultural lands and to a significant amount of forest products as a result of the park. The net present value of costs to the averag e household because of protection is USD 419. The analysis undertaken also provides useful information about geographic variations in the co sts borne.