Does Resource Commercialization Induce Local Conservation? A Cautionary Tale From Southwestern Morocco

Authors: Travis Lybbert1; Christopher Barrett1; Hamid Narjisse2

Source: Society and Natural Resources, Volume 17, Number 5, May–June 2004 , pp. 413-430(18)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

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Abstract:

Ecotourism, bioprospecting, and nontimber product marketing have been promoted recently as market-based instruments for environmental protection, but without sound understanding of the resulting net conservation effects. We present evidence on the local effects of recent argan oil commercialization in Morocco, a seemingly promising case of conservation through resource commercialization. We find that resource commercialization creates mixed net conservation incentives because assumptions implicit in the prevailing logic prove incorrect. The experience of southwestern Morocco provides a cautionary tale about conservation strategies founded on resource commercialization, emphasizing that local institutions and the biology of a resource can exert greater influence on conservation outcomes than do market forces.

Keywords: argan; bioprospecting; conservation; morocco; nontimber forest products; resource commercialization

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1080/08941920490430205

Affiliations: 1: Department of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA 2: Institut Agronomique et Veterinaire-Hassan II, Rabat, Morocco

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