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Farmers' perceptions towards forests: A case study from Haiti

2007, Forest Policy and Economics

Integrated conservation and development projects in the recent years view local people's support for protected areas management as an important element of biodiversity conservation. Increased knowledge about the interaction between conservation of natural resources and the development needs of local people is an essential part of understanding sustainable protected areas management in Haiti. This paper investigates farmers' perceptions on the impact of the Forêt des Pins Reserve on the economic, social, and environmental status of local people using factor analysis and linear structural models. Data from 243 farmers inside the Reserve are used in the empirical analysis. The results suggest that farmers most value economic and environmental objectives, such as tourism and tree planting activities, in promoting forestry programs inside the Reserve. Respondents who believe that their farming activities would benefit from forestry programs through soil protection tended to be more positive.

Forest Policy and Economics 9 (2007) 704 – 712 www.elsevier.com/locate/forpol Farmers' perceptions towards forests: A case study from Haiti Frito Dolisca ⁎, Josh M. McDaniel, Lawrence D. Teeter School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, United States Received 23 January 2006; received in revised form 14 June 2006; accepted 6 July 2006 Abstract Integrated conservation and development projects in the recent years view local people's support for protected areas management as an important element of biodiversity conservation. Increased knowledge about the interaction between conservation of natural resources and the development needs of local people is an essential part of understanding sustainable protected areas management in Haiti. This paper investigates farmers' perceptions on the impact of the Forêt des Pins Reserve on the economic, social, and environmental status of local people using factor analysis and linear structural models. Data from 243 farmers inside the Reserve are used in the empirical analysis. The results suggest that farmers most value economic and environmental objectives, such as tourism and tree planting activities, in promoting forestry programs inside the Reserve. Respondents who believe that their farming activities would benefit from forestry programs through soil protection tended to be more positive. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Farmers' perceptions; Forest conservation; Linear structural modeling; Forêt des Pins Reserve 1. Introduction Local communities traditionally exploit natural systems for their everyday needs (fuelwood, timber for shelter, non-timber forest products) (Kramer et al., 1992; Dixon and Sherman, 1990) as well as resources that are used for more abstract and psychological reasons (wilderness areas for spiritual purposes and for stress relief) (Stein et al., 1999). Until recently, conservationists have ignored traditional exploitation as a way to conserve biological diversity, preferring instead to pro⁎ Corresponding author. E-mail address: fdolisca@hotmail.com (F. Dolisca). 1389-9341/$ - see front matter © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.forpol.2006.07.001 tect natural systems by excluding people from parks and reserves and, in doing so, denying them access to vital natural resources. The key feature of this strategy is that local community resource use is assumed to conflict with conservation (Weeks and Packard, 1997). Although useful as a way of protecting many natural areas, the protectionist approach had failed to take into account the interest of rural communities and did not involve them in making resource-related decisions (Gbadegesin and Ayileka, 2000). More recently, many conservationists have suggested a different approach, arguing that integrating local people is the most effective means of conserving protected areas. Proponents argue that by increasing F. Dolisca et al. / Forest Policy and Economics 9 (2007) 704–712 local people's involvement into protected areas, conservation objectives are easier to achieve (Nepal and Weber, 1995). Although this approach may provide greater justification for promoting sustainable management practices, rarely does it provide positive economic incentives for adopting more costly practices nor does it provide a mechanism of revenue generation for farm households (Gillis, 1992). In Haiti, the rate of deforestation and the extent of environmental degradation have required new approaches towards protected area management and conservation problems. As land placed under cultivation has increased in many protected areas of rural Haiti, conflict over natural resource use has become an increasingly important issue for protected area managers, conservationists, and local populations (Paryski, 1996). A number of development projects have recently been initiated to address the complex issues of environmental degradation and protected areas management. Their success depends not only on the understanding of biophysical conditions, but also on the socioeconomic and cultural contexts within which they operate (Urgessa, 2003). A key component of this attention to the cultural context of deforestation has been increased efforts at environmental education. Environmental education is described as “a learning process of developing a world population that is aware of and concerned about the total environment and its associated problems, and which has the knowledge, skills, perceptions, attitudes, motivation and commitment to work individually and collectively toward solutions of current problems and the prevention of new ones” (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization [UNESCO], 1978). Perceptions are then an important component of environmental education according to this definition; and understanding rural farmers' perceptions about the environment may provide a framework for forest conservation, and inform future efforts in forest education. Consequently, several studies have been conducted to investigate environmental perceptions worldwide (Napier and Napier, 1991; Hartup, 1994; Colchester, 1996; Jacobson and Marynowski, 1997; Furman, 1998; Hill, 1999). A common finding following from these studies is that conservation attitudes reflect resource-use benefits. Because farmers in many regions of Haiti are landowners, tenant farmers, or sharecroppers, and influence depredation-related management decisions, understand- 705 ing their perceptions and how they vary may be critical to managing forests and protected areas. Likewise, some fractions of the population may firmly oppose externally-imposed forest management decisions, so their perceptions are equally important. A better understanding of rural people's knowledge of the forest, their awareness of deforestation and its perceived impact on their socioeconomic and environmental welfare is fundamental to the development and implementation of management strategies that are both sustainable in the long term and sensitive to existing local needs. Specific perceptions about the natural environment among farmers in many communities may also differ according to local cultural, economic, and environmental contexts. Identifying the differences between local people may reinforce conservation efforts by providing information from which to create specific conservation programs that emphasize issues of local concern. The purpose of this paper is to investigate farmers' perceptions on the impact of the Forêt des Pins Reserve on the economic, social, and environmental status of local people. Specifically, this study has two objectives: (1) to describe farmers' perceptions about protected areas; and (2) to determine if gender, age, education level, place of birth, group membership, land tenure, and income level in the community influence farmers' perceptions of forests. Qualitative information collected during focus group meetings and data gathered through a survey of the Forest Unit 1 of Forêt des Pins Reserve farmers are used to enhance and build empirical models of farmer perceptions. Factor analysis and linear structural models are used to examine the link between farmers' age, gender, and group membership, education level, born inside the forest, land tenure, income level; and the perceived importance of forest benefits. 2. Study methods 2.1. Theoretical framework The conceptual framework for this study is based on the social exchange theory (Ekeh, 1974; Turner, 1974). The central idea of social exchange theory is that the exchange of social and material resources is a fundamental form of human interaction (Ingoldsby and Smith, 1995). This theoretical perspective basically asserts that people develop attitudes toward other people and things 706 F. Dolisca et al. / Forest Policy and Economics 9 (2007) 704–712 in the context of anticipated personal beliefs and costs to be derived from contact with them. Things that generate net benefits will tend to be perceived positively, while those things that generate net losses will tend to be perceived negatively (Napier and Napier, 1991). Contemporary exchange theory stresses that farmers seek the “best value” they can get in participating in a reforestation, forest protection, or management program (Napier et al., 1986). Consistent with exchange theory, Napier and Napier (1991) argue that rural farmers tend to contribute to an activity program that has a positive net benefit. As each individual seeks the best value in an activity, rural farmers will tend to choose forestry activities that offer at least as much, in terms of socioeconomic and environmental benefits as they get from alternate activities. Perceptions of rural farmers with regards to protected areas, and particularly to forests may differ among farmers according to their socioeconomic and demographic situations (Portes, 1971). For instance, some group members might be concerned about the degree of deforestation of the Reserve and prefer government and NGO intervention in putting in place environmental policies for management of the Reserve. Others may be more concerned about the economic benefits of the Reserve. Still other farmers or rural residents may be more concerned about the social benefits of the Reserve and prefer that the state pursue forestry programs that will stabilize and strengthen local communities. Thus, perceptions toward forests are a combination of characteristics of individual farmers, as well as subjective evaluations of groups, that are functions of organizational characteristics. Because farmers' perceptions are measured multidimensionally, this model integrates several family components that potentially influence each dimension of farmers' perceptions. An empirical model, which takes into account heterogeneous perceptions for protected areas, is specified as a system of linear structural equations (Jöreskog and Goldberger, 1975; Jöreskog, 1976; Jöreskog and Sörbom, 1986). Service of the Ministry of Agriculture. The Reserve covers 30,000ha and has 3150 households distributed in 51 villages (Centre de Formation et d'Encadrement Technique [CFET], 1999). Forêt des Pins Reserve has enormous opportunities for ecotourism because of its microclimate, its biological and cultural richness and represents a huge water source for different villages within the Reserve and in the lowlands below (Dolisca, 2005). For administrative purposes, the Reserve has been divided into two Forest Units. “Forest Unit 1” contains 1900 households distributed in 21 villages and “Forest Unit 2” with 30 villages (CFET, 1999). This study was based on different samples of farmers in 15 villages of the Forest Unit 1 of Forêt des Pins Reserve. We collected data from 243 heads of households in the summer of 2003 through formal and informal survey techniques with the heads of the farm household living in the different villages. The interviewees were selected randomly from the list of the households provided by the Forest Resource Service of the Ministry of Agriculture. The purpose of this survey was to collect all information regarding the socio-economic aspects of the household in the area such as demography, education, income, land tenure, and attitudes to the environment. Detailed crop input–output data were collected for the households. Income from farm households was computed by adding incomes from crops, livestock, and off-farm wages. The income from crops is calculated by multiplying the crop yields with respective prices. The questionnaire was pre-tested with three research assistants, in a randomly selected village. As a result, some questions were deleted and some modified to improve their clarity. All the interviews were conducted in Creole in order to ensure locally relevant answers to the questionnaire. Local words were often used wherever possible to avoid technical terminology. Picture cards were used for perception questions; respondents selecting from a pre-determined list of response categories. We often provoked informal follow-up discussions and made use of our observations to assure the validity of our findings. 2.2. Sampling selection 2.3. Measuring farmers' perceptions toward forests Forêt des Pins Reserve was created in 1937 in response to the continuous pressures from farmers, squatters and international agencies (Dolisca, 2001). The Reserve is administrated by the Forest Resources For measuring farmers' perceptions of the Forêt des Pins Reserve, the respondents were asked a set of questions, which addressed farmers' perceptions toward F. Dolisca et al. / Forest Policy and Economics 9 (2007) 704–712 the Reserve. Perception statements were derived from a two-phase approach to gather data (Creswell, 1994). The first phase consisted of focus group interviews with Forêt des Pins Reserve farmers (Dolisca, 2001). Two focus group meetings were conducted throughout the Reserve. Each meeting consisted of 20 participants who were selected from two different villages inside the Reserve using purposive sampling. They were asked about their perceptions and the benefits received from the Reserve. The qualitative nature of focus groups allowed for a good understanding of farmers' perceptions of the Reserve. The results of the meetings allowed us to identify lists of benefits which were used to build the questionnaire. The second phase expanded the first phase and took a quantitative approach to understanding the values Forêt des Pins Reserve farmers have for the “nature ecosystem”. Respondents in 15 villages of the Forest Unit 1 of the Forêt des Pins Reserve were presented a list of benefits from the Reserve. Using a six-point scale with “0” indicating I do not know and “5” indicating very important, participants indicated how important each statement should be in the process of preserving this Reserve. 2.4. Data analysis A combination of descriptive and inferential statistics was used to address stated research objectives. Descriptive statistics were used to describe farmers' perceptions about protected areas. Factor analysis was used to identify latent dimensions underlying the different variables that measured farmers' perceptions. Linear structural equation modeling was used to analyze the differences in perceived importance of forests among farmers in Forêt des Pins Reserve based on gender, age, educational level, born inside or outside the forest, group membership, land tenure, and income level. 3. Results and discussions About two hundred men (82%) and forty-two women (18%) were interviewed during the survey. The number of female-headed households, which was 6.7%, was lower than the 11% that the Centre de Formation et d'Encadrement Technique [CFET] found in 1999. The gender of head of household seems to be affected by changes in marital status, death of the husband, and male 707 migration. The practice of ‘polygamy’ may also affect women since they might be de facto heads of household (Latortue, 1998). The age of respondents ranged from 24 to 75 years; the respondents were relatively middle age with an average age being 49 years. The largest proportion of respondents was in the (41–50) year-old category (35.4%). The years of education range from 0 to 12, with an average of 2.1. About fifty-four percent of the respondents were illiterate and twenty percent had completed primary school. Women had less education than men and female-headed households tended to have less education than wives. Forty-three percent of the males had attended school, compared to 3.3% of the wives and 1.2% of the female household heads. Only 1.6% of the females had completed primary school, compared to with 18% of the male head of households. About half of the respondents (50.6%) are local group members (group of people who regularly come together to discuss issues in their community). Land for agricultural purposes was acquired through landownership (purchase, inheritance, gift, and illegal forest clearing), tenant farming, or by sharecropping. Tenant farming and landownership were the main sources for the different farmers in the Reserve. About fifty-seven percent of the respondents acquired land through tenant farming, 5.3% got land illegally. The size of land holdings in the Reserve ranges from 0.7 to 16.1 ha. The average monthly family income of the 243 respondents was US dollars 64, with 24 of them (10.2%) earning a monthly family income in the range of US dollars 533 and 1546. 3.1. Farmers' perceptions toward forests Results indicated that Forêt des Pins Reserve residents have good knowledge of the Reserve (overall mean score = 3.65). Their preferences for management center on economic and environmental benefits. Twenty perception statements were used to describe farmers' perceptions toward the Reserve (Table 1). The overall mean scores of importance range from a high mean of 4.15 to a low mean of 3.01. Farmers strongly believe that promoting tourism activities (mean = 4.15) should be the most important concern in protecting this Reserve, followed by road maintenance inside forest creates jobs (mean = 4.09), and forest increases income from silvicultural operations (mean = 4.09). 708 F. Dolisca et al. / Forest Policy and Economics 9 (2007) 704–712 Table 1 Descriptive statistical summary of the perceptions of farmers Statements Mean rating of importance Forest attracts tourists (Forat) Road maintenance inside forest creates jobs (Road) Forest increases income from silvicultural operations (Forin) Forest increases availability in drinking water (Forinc) Forest controls flood (Forcof ) Forest improves soil quality (Forim) Forest reduces soil erosion (Fored) Tree planting increases property values (Trinc) Forest increases productivity of agricultural lands (Forac) Tree planting develops a sense of ownership (Trplde) Tree planting promotes environmental responsibility (Trplco) Trees supply lumber (Trsup) Tree planting increases the number of children sent to school (Nchill) Tree planting strengthens rural community (Trplst) Trees enhance recreation (Trenhr) Forest improves air quality (Foria) Forest is a good place to observe nature (Forpl) Participation of adults influences the effectiveness of forest activities (Parad) Forest provides habitat for plants and animals (Forha) Non-timber forest products increase income (NTFPi) 4.15 4.09 4.09 4.03 4.01 3.85 3.78 3.74 3.70 3.65 3.65 3.61 3.60 3.47 3.40 3.39 3.39 3.33 3.09 3.01 Statements that specifically addressed the natural environment received three of the seven highest mean scores. These results imply that farmers placed a high priority on the environmental attributes of the Reserve. This is not surprising; farmers are acutely aware of the fatal consequences of deforestation of the Reserve. In the late 1990s, hurricanes Georges and Gordon destroyed hundreds of homes and killed at least two thousand people in Fonds-Verrettes, a town below the Reserve. Moreover, various sites where they used to grow cabbages and potatoes are no longer suitable for these crops. Along with tree planting strengthens rural community and trees enhancing recreation, farmers gave high score to trees supply lumber, tree planting promotes environmental responsibility, and tree planting increases the number of children sent to school. Table 2 Varimax rotation factor pattern of farmers' perceptions in Forêt des Pins Reserve Benefits Factor Economic Social Forest provides habitat for plants and animals (Forha) Forest is a good place to observe nature (Forpl ) Forest improves soil quality (Forim) Forest controls flood (Forcof ) Forest reduces soil erosion (Fored ) Forest increase availability in drinking water (Forinc) Forest improves air quality (Foria) Trees planting increase property values (Trinc) Forest attracts tourists (Forat) Forest increases productivity of agricultural lands (Forac) Non-timber forest products increase income (NTFPi) Forest increases income from silvicultural operations (Forin) Road maintenance inside forest creates jobs (Road) Tree planting increases the number of children sent to school (Nchill) Trees supply lumber (Trsup) Tree planting strengthens rural community (Trplst) Tree planting promotes environmental responsibility (Trplco) Trees enhance recreation (Trenhr) Participation of adults influences the effectiveness of forest activities (Parad) Environmental 0.04858 0.37410 0.55231 0.01861 0.42410 0.53743 0.23599 0.15940 0.58535 0.24482 0.18787 0.72990 0.31344 0.11506 0.71349 0.40979 − 0.07249 0.57612 0.34510 0.15509 0.54541 0.49439 0.05228 0.34659 0.74084 0.02661 0.30020 0.67385 0.09501 0.19893 0.49693 0.35138 0.11894 0.76243 0.15976 0.12125 0.80875 0.09547 0.18447 0.69741 0.12424 0.23514 0.54387 0.28198 0.13565 0.07316 0.72087 0.07191 0.15017 0.76546 0.10871 0.01301 0.69260 0.21168 0.30966 0.63149 0.15457 709 F. Dolisca et al. / Forest Policy and Economics 9 (2007) 704–712 Table 2 (continued ) Benefits Factor Economic Social Tree planting develops a sense of ownership (Trplde) Eigenvalue Percentage of variance 0.20155 4.18 20.9 Environmental 0.72055 2.70 13.5 0.16531 2.56 12.8 Numbers in bold indicate the factor loadings. 3.2. Factor analysis In this study, a 3-factor solution (termed environmental, social, and economic) was adopted and accounted for 47.2% of total variance as shown in Table 2. A criterion cut-off loading of 0.40 is used to determine which variables were included in a given factor (Sharma, 1996). Kaiser's overall measure of sampling adequacy (cited in Sharma, 1996) is 0.896 suggesting that the data are appropriate for factor analysis. Eight perception variables (Trinc, Forat, Forac, NTFPi, Forin, Road, Nchill and Trsup) concerning the importance of Forêt des Pins Reserve were loaded on factor 1 with the cross-correlation coefficients of 0.49439, 0.74084, 0.67385, 0.49693, 0.76243, 0.80875, 0.69741, and 0.54387. This factor accounted for 20.9% of the total variance and was termed economic benefits because these variables involve improvement of the welfare of local people. Higher scores and positive responses on this factor revealed a general agreement for promoting economic activities inside the Reserve. Factor 2 had cross-correlation coefficients of 0.72087, 0.76546, 0.69260, 0.63149, and 0.72055 with the variables Trplst, Trplco, Trenhr, Parad, and Trplde. Because these variables imply reinforcement of the organizational structure of rural communities, factor 2 was then labeled social benefits and accounted for 13.5% of the total variance. Seven attributes (Forha, Forpl, Forim, Forcof, Fored, Forinc, and Foria) were loaded on Factor 3 with cross-correlation coefficients of 0.55231, 0.53743, 0.58535, 0.72990, 0.71349, 0.57612, and 0.54541. Because these attributes focus on preservation and conservation of environmental quality, factor 3 was termed environmental benefits and accounted for 12.8% of the total variance. 3.3. Linear structural equation model Estimation of the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), using as input 243 observations, generated goodness of fit (GFI), adjusted goodness of fit (AGFI), and the standardized root mean-square error of approximation (RMSEA) values of 0.91, 0.86, and 0.072. According to Hu and Bentler's (1999) cutoff criteria, all fit indices are well above acceptable limits providing strong evidence of model fit. χ2 per degree of freedom is 1.92, also indicating good fit of the model. The t-values indicate that all the estimated loadings and the variance of the error term are significant at the 95% coefficient Table 3 Estimated LISREL coefficients of the latent variable equations for forest perceptions Explanatory variables Age Bornin Primary Middle Highsch Mlocalgr Female Iltenant Sharecrop Landowner Renting Lowinc: bGdes 20,000 Midinc: Gdes 20,000–40,000 Latent variables Environmental Social Economic 0.01 (0.76) 0.05 (0.17) −0.34 (− 2.98)⁎⁎ 0.16 (1.62) −0.01 (− 1.74)⁎ 0.23 (0.21) −0.13 (− 4.08)⁎⁎ 0.01 (1.92)⁎ −0.02 (− 1.52) 0.04 (0.15) −0.26 (− 0.78) 0.21 (1.76)⁎ 0.18 (1.25) − 0.01 (− 0.62) 0.21 (2.67)⁎⁎ − 0.43 (− 2.18)⁎⁎ 0.06 (0.72) 0.02 (1.13) 0.24 (2.65)⁎⁎ − 0.19 (− 4.64)⁎⁎ 0.04 (1.13) − 0.05 (− 1.34) 0.18 (2.35)⁎⁎ − 0.17 (− 1.97)⁎ 0.19 (1.92)⁎ 0.05 (0.79) − 0.31 (− 2.35)⁎⁎ 0.01 (0.53) − 0.41 (− 3.45)⁎⁎ 0.24 (2.66)⁎⁎ − 0.04 (− 0.50) − 0.02 (− 2.21)⁎⁎ − 0.19 (− 2.56)⁎⁎ − 0.08 (− 0.29) − 0.07 (− 0.40) 0.01 (0.46) − 0.08 (− 2.40)⁎⁎ 0.19 (1.81)⁎ 0.09 (2.41)⁎⁎ t-values are given in parentheses, ⁎ and ⁎⁎ denote significance at 10 and 5% respectively. 710 F. Dolisca et al. / Forest Policy and Economics 9 (2007) 704–712 level. “Non-timber forest products increase income” has the lowest t-value (t-value = 2.93). Thus, all indicators are significantly related to their specified constructs verifying the posited relationships among indicators and constructs (latent variables). Estimation of the structural parameters is the second step in the linear structural model (Anderson and Gerbing, 1988). The results of coefficient estimates are presented in Table 3. The overall fit of the model is good and indicates that the model's parameters differ significantly across farmers, with χ2 = 104.78. The statistical significance of explanatory variable coefficients estimated by the latent variable equations revealed differences in farmers' perceptions about forests across respondent characteristics. Results of the linear structural model revealed that respondents with a primary degree tend to prefer all three benefits less than do respondents who do not have a primary degree, with the greatest difference being the preference for economic benefits. Respondents with a high-school degree favor environmental benefits less than do middle educated degree respondents. The coefficient for respondents' age is significant in the equation describing perceptions for economic benefits, but non-significant in the environmental and social equations. This suggests that perceptions for environmental and social benefits are constant across respondents' age, but older respondents tend to prefer economic benefits less than younger respondents. Female-headed households find all three benefits less important than do male-headed households. The coefficient for respondents born inside the Reserve is significant in the equation describing preferences for social benefits, but insignificant in the environmental and economic benefits. This implies that social benefits are most favored by people who likely had the most social ties to Forêt des Pins Reserve. Respondents who were born inside the Reserve favor social benefits more than do respondents who were born outside the Reserve. Importance of forest benefits for the conservation of the Reserve also vary by whether or not respondents belong to local groups. Respondents who are members of a local group favor social benefits more and prefer economic benefits less relative to respondents who are not members of a local group. People who are not members of a local organization probably are most concerned with environmental benefits. An examination of responses by landowners, illegal tenants, renters, and sharecroppers revealed landowners were more positive than illegal tenants, renters, and sharecroppers towards promoting social benefits in forestry programs through different strategies such as tourism activities, tree planting, and silvicultural operations (Table 3). Renters who participated in this survey were less likely to promote economic benefits than landowners and illegal tenants. Sharecroppers were less likely to understand the economic, environmental, and social role of forestry activities. Data revealed that farmers' perceptions vary significantly across different income levels. Farmers with incomes less than US dollars 533 tend to favor environmental benefits more than farmers with incomes between US dollars 533 and 1066. Respondents with household incomes between US dollars 533 and 1066 were more likely to promote economic benefits than respondents in the other groups. 4. Conclusions Findings from this study show farmers value the Reserve in ways consistent with the social exchange theory. Respondents who believe that their farming activities would benefit from forestry programs through soil protection tended to be more positive. Past research shows people's values of protected areas vary according to their needs (Bengston, 1994) and the way they believe the environment should be managed is also evolving (Vining, 1993). Mean preference ratings suggest that tourism activities, tree planting, and road maintenance are viewed by farmer residents of Forêt des Pins Reserve as a major issue to promote forestry programs. Focus group participants often saw local tourism activities as an income generating asset and a powerful incentive for conservation, by making traditional resource management more sustainable, and by substituting degrading activities. This finding supports past studies regarding people perceptions of land use which found that creating opportunities for local people to utilize and benefit from forests is the main incentive to stimulate local communities to become involved in forest management (Dolisca, 2001; Wunder, 2000; Adebisi, 1996; Pearce, 1989). However, mean ratings of importance suggest that promoting non-timber forest products is not a major issue in forest protection activities. Through factor analysis we demonstrated that economic benefits such as road maintenance inside the F. Dolisca et al. / Forest Policy and Economics 9 (2007) 704–712 forest, increased income from cleaning operations, and tourism activities should be the most important benefits of a forestry conservation program. Farmers' perceptions of economic benefits differ from perceptions of social benefits, such as strengthening rural community, participation of adults in forest activities, and promoting environmental responsibility. In particular, people believe that increases in non-timber forest products income should be the least important benefits goal in promoting forestry programs. Farmers believe that environmental benefits such as improving air quality and habitat for plants and animals should not be viewed as the most important objective of forestry programs. We found evidence of farmers' perception differences with respect to the relationship between the socioeconomic variables and perceived importance of forest benefits. Socio-demographic characteristics such as middle and low income and age groups correlated with economic objectives in promoting forestry programs. Kellert (1980) found these groups generally hold more negative views toward the environment. Femaleheaded households had an effect on all three identified factors. Female-headed households reported less positive perceptions toward environmental objectives of forestry activities than did males. This finding was consistent with previous studies that found that males are more likely to express positive attitudes towards conservation (Britt and Shrestha, 1998). Respondents who indicated that they were members of local forest management groups were more favorable toward the social and economic objectives in promoting forestry activities inside the Reserve. More informed individuals apparently were better able to assess the potential impacts of forestry programs on their farming operations (Portes, 1971; Gregersen et al., 1989). Farmers who are not members of a local forest management group and not well informed about forestry programs may overvalue the costs and underestimate the benefits. Better understanding of the capability of forest activities in increasing incomes, strengthening local communities, and reducing soil erosion may increase favorability toward forestry programs (Dixon and Sherman, 1990; Wunder, 2000). Respondents who were more aware of environmental degradation associated with deforestation apparently perceived benefits resulting from reduced off-site damage as potentially benefiting them. The results suggest that farmers most value economic and environmental objectives in promoting forestry 711 programs inside the Reserve. In addition to jobs and money from the forest activities, farmers do care about the natural environment to help them get complete lifestyle benefits. Much of the literature regarding protected areas management argues for a focus on both economic and non-economic values (Vining, 1993). This is very encouraging because 45% of the forestlands are in agriculture and highly erodible (Rousseau, 2000). Forest managers should work through a process of participation, information, and education about the potential benefits to be derived by local farmers. Specific methods to engage and incorporate local communities into management planning require specific management to be defined by forest managers and by future research. This study provides evidence that people grant considerable importance to economic and environmental objectives such as tourism and tree planting activities, contrasting the official government point of view stipulating that farmers are in opposition to forest conservation (Dolisca, 2001). Future research should be conducted that examines local economic alternatives for the Reserve that will have both a development impact and serve as incentives to conservation. Moreover, the Forest Resource Service of the Ministry of Agriculture should continue to provide information about and demonstrate the potential benefits to be derived by local farmers from forestry activities. Particular attention on the impacts of forestry programs on farm household income is recommended. 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