Fanny Moffette - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Fanny Moffette
Wetlands Ecology and Management, 2015
Nature Climate Change - Policy Brief, 2021
We estimate the impact of free, transparent, and near-real-time spatial information about forest ... more We estimate the impact of free, transparent, and near-real-time spatial information about forest change (GLAD) on deforestation trends. With a random sample of 1 km 2 forested grid-cells in 22 tropical countries, we uncover the impacts of the availability of this information via an alert system and the presence of users who have shown interest in these data for a particular area. Though the availability of alerts does not significantly change deforestation outcomes, we find that subscriptions to GLAD decrease the probability of deforestation by 18% relative to pre-2016 levels in Africa, with no effects on other continents. The largest decrease in deforestation occurred in protected areas and concessions, which suggests that GLAD was used to reduce illegal logging. Calculated using the social cost of carbon for the avoided deforestation impact in Africa, we estimate a value of the alert system between USD 149 million and 696 million.
We examine how agricultural subsidies may induce deforestation and undermine conservation program... more We examine how agricultural subsidies may induce deforestation and undermine conservation programs by analyzing two large-scale national programs in Mexico that have interacted for more than a decade: an agricultural subsidy for livestock (PROGAN) and a program of payments for ecosystem services (PES). Looking across the entire Mexican landscape, we exploit the exogenous years of enrollment in PROGAN’s waves, fluctuations in program payments, and the change in the value of the subsidy induced by inflation and currency fluctuations to identify the impacts of the livestock subsidy on environmental outcomes. We find that PROGAN increased deforestation by 7 percent, partly because the program incentivized extensive livestock production. While the willingness to enroll in PES was not affected, the efficacy of PES was reduced by PROGAN. The deforestation effects of PROGAN were reduced where there were higher concentrations of PES recipients. On applicant parcels treated with a greater int...
Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 2021
We examine two potential economic benefits of environmental policy, increased agricultural invest... more We examine two potential economic benefits of environmental policy, increased agricultural investment and productivity. This is important because if these benefits are realized, environmental policy could optimize land use for food production while minimizing the negative environmental impacts. We employ multiple empirical techniques to analyze a market-led and a public-led anti-deforestation policy that influence the vast cattle ranching sector in the Brazilian Amazon. We show that both policies increased cattle productivity, while the market-led policy also increased investment. We find no evidence that the two policies were substitutes or complements. Results indicate that the policies were each effective in different market- and land-use-contexts, so that enforcement of both policies increased productivity for a larger set of properties. Our research reveals both indirect and unintended benefits of environmental regulation, which have implications for the design of policies that...
Global Environmental Change
Nature Climate Change
Reducing deforestation to mitigate climate change necessitates monitoring of deforestation activi... more Reducing deforestation to mitigate climate change necessitates monitoring of deforestation activity. However, while freely available deforestation alerts on forest loss are available, the effect of these alerts and the presence of subscribers in a particular area is unclear. Here, we show that subscriptions to alerts in 22 tropical countries decrease the probability of deforestation in Africa by 18% relative to the average 2011–2016 levels. There is no effect on other continents, and the availability of alerts does not significantly change deforestation outcomes. This decrease in Africa is higher in protected areas and concessions, suggesting that alerts either increased capacity to enforce existing deforestation policy or induced the development of more effective anti-deforestation policies. Calculated using the social cost of carbon for avoided deforestation in Africa, we estimate the alert system’s value to be between US$149 million and US$696 million. Avoided deforestation is an important part of many climate mitigation strategies, yet monitoring is needed for enforcement. Subscriptions to deforestation alerts lowered the probability of deforestation in Africa by 18%, generating a value of US$149–696 million based on the social cost of carbon.
Wetlands Ecology and Management, 2015
Climate change will cause major changes in ecosystems. Therefore, it is crucial that climate chan... more Climate change will cause major changes in ecosystems. Therefore, it is crucial that climate change policy consider the value of all services that are provided by watershed ecosystems. For this purpose, geospatial data and economic analysis are combined to determine a monetary value for wetland ecosystem goods and services (EGSs) in the watersheds of the Yamaska and Bécancour Rivers (Quebec, Canada). From published studies of wetland economic evaluations, we selected 51 relevant studies from 21 countries and performed a benefit transfer using metaanalysis. Our research emphasises the importance of considering multiple wetland characteristics when conducting a benefit transfer because of their complementary effects. We propose an approach that integrates spatial variables that have not been previously used, including type of wetland (complex or isolated) and land use (% of agricultural, urban, forest and water land cover), at a much finer geographical scale of 50 km 2. Simultaneous use of detailed spatial and economic characteristics in each wetland area allowed us to assign heterogeneous EGS values and map these values in sub-watersheds (50 km 2) of the two rivers. Our results demonstrate that location and scale can affect wetland value. When wetland valuation was conducted based on mean values for geospatial characteristics, the EGS [2014 purchasing power parity
In 2005, a wage subsidy program was established in Québec to encourage low-income individuals, pa... more In 2005, a wage subsidy program was established in Québec to encourage low-income individuals, particularly recipients of social assistance, to work, by offering them fiscal relief. We analyse the effect of this program (the Prime au travail) with a microsimulation model which determines the impact on the labour supply. We estimate the variation in the labour supply at the extensive and intensive margins which allows us to grasp both the income effect and the substitution effect of the Prime au travail on individuals' willingness to work. On the other hand, our labour supply model has the necessary characteristics to link it to a general equilibrium model and offer an integrated macro-microsimulation analysis. Nonetheless, unlike the usual microsimulation models employed in integrated macromicrosimulation analysis, we provide a number of innovations, notably the analysis at the intensive margin so that it captures both the substitution effect and the income effect. Our results show that a number of individuals entered the labour market in response to the Prime au travail, while others decided to work fewer hours, due to increased income linked to the program. Ultimately, the variation in labour supply was less in the intensive margin than in the extensive margin and it is positive for all types of households, with the exception of female single parents.
Wetlands Ecology and Management, 2015
Nature Climate Change - Policy Brief, 2021
We estimate the impact of free, transparent, and near-real-time spatial information about forest ... more We estimate the impact of free, transparent, and near-real-time spatial information about forest change (GLAD) on deforestation trends. With a random sample of 1 km 2 forested grid-cells in 22 tropical countries, we uncover the impacts of the availability of this information via an alert system and the presence of users who have shown interest in these data for a particular area. Though the availability of alerts does not significantly change deforestation outcomes, we find that subscriptions to GLAD decrease the probability of deforestation by 18% relative to pre-2016 levels in Africa, with no effects on other continents. The largest decrease in deforestation occurred in protected areas and concessions, which suggests that GLAD was used to reduce illegal logging. Calculated using the social cost of carbon for the avoided deforestation impact in Africa, we estimate a value of the alert system between USD 149 million and 696 million.
We examine how agricultural subsidies may induce deforestation and undermine conservation program... more We examine how agricultural subsidies may induce deforestation and undermine conservation programs by analyzing two large-scale national programs in Mexico that have interacted for more than a decade: an agricultural subsidy for livestock (PROGAN) and a program of payments for ecosystem services (PES). Looking across the entire Mexican landscape, we exploit the exogenous years of enrollment in PROGAN’s waves, fluctuations in program payments, and the change in the value of the subsidy induced by inflation and currency fluctuations to identify the impacts of the livestock subsidy on environmental outcomes. We find that PROGAN increased deforestation by 7 percent, partly because the program incentivized extensive livestock production. While the willingness to enroll in PES was not affected, the efficacy of PES was reduced by PROGAN. The deforestation effects of PROGAN were reduced where there were higher concentrations of PES recipients. On applicant parcels treated with a greater int...
Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 2021
We examine two potential economic benefits of environmental policy, increased agricultural invest... more We examine two potential economic benefits of environmental policy, increased agricultural investment and productivity. This is important because if these benefits are realized, environmental policy could optimize land use for food production while minimizing the negative environmental impacts. We employ multiple empirical techniques to analyze a market-led and a public-led anti-deforestation policy that influence the vast cattle ranching sector in the Brazilian Amazon. We show that both policies increased cattle productivity, while the market-led policy also increased investment. We find no evidence that the two policies were substitutes or complements. Results indicate that the policies were each effective in different market- and land-use-contexts, so that enforcement of both policies increased productivity for a larger set of properties. Our research reveals both indirect and unintended benefits of environmental regulation, which have implications for the design of policies that...
Global Environmental Change
Nature Climate Change
Reducing deforestation to mitigate climate change necessitates monitoring of deforestation activi... more Reducing deforestation to mitigate climate change necessitates monitoring of deforestation activity. However, while freely available deforestation alerts on forest loss are available, the effect of these alerts and the presence of subscribers in a particular area is unclear. Here, we show that subscriptions to alerts in 22 tropical countries decrease the probability of deforestation in Africa by 18% relative to the average 2011–2016 levels. There is no effect on other continents, and the availability of alerts does not significantly change deforestation outcomes. This decrease in Africa is higher in protected areas and concessions, suggesting that alerts either increased capacity to enforce existing deforestation policy or induced the development of more effective anti-deforestation policies. Calculated using the social cost of carbon for avoided deforestation in Africa, we estimate the alert system’s value to be between US$149 million and US$696 million. Avoided deforestation is an important part of many climate mitigation strategies, yet monitoring is needed for enforcement. Subscriptions to deforestation alerts lowered the probability of deforestation in Africa by 18%, generating a value of US$149–696 million based on the social cost of carbon.
Wetlands Ecology and Management, 2015
Climate change will cause major changes in ecosystems. Therefore, it is crucial that climate chan... more Climate change will cause major changes in ecosystems. Therefore, it is crucial that climate change policy consider the value of all services that are provided by watershed ecosystems. For this purpose, geospatial data and economic analysis are combined to determine a monetary value for wetland ecosystem goods and services (EGSs) in the watersheds of the Yamaska and Bécancour Rivers (Quebec, Canada). From published studies of wetland economic evaluations, we selected 51 relevant studies from 21 countries and performed a benefit transfer using metaanalysis. Our research emphasises the importance of considering multiple wetland characteristics when conducting a benefit transfer because of their complementary effects. We propose an approach that integrates spatial variables that have not been previously used, including type of wetland (complex or isolated) and land use (% of agricultural, urban, forest and water land cover), at a much finer geographical scale of 50 km 2. Simultaneous use of detailed spatial and economic characteristics in each wetland area allowed us to assign heterogeneous EGS values and map these values in sub-watersheds (50 km 2) of the two rivers. Our results demonstrate that location and scale can affect wetland value. When wetland valuation was conducted based on mean values for geospatial characteristics, the EGS [2014 purchasing power parity
In 2005, a wage subsidy program was established in Québec to encourage low-income individuals, pa... more In 2005, a wage subsidy program was established in Québec to encourage low-income individuals, particularly recipients of social assistance, to work, by offering them fiscal relief. We analyse the effect of this program (the Prime au travail) with a microsimulation model which determines the impact on the labour supply. We estimate the variation in the labour supply at the extensive and intensive margins which allows us to grasp both the income effect and the substitution effect of the Prime au travail on individuals' willingness to work. On the other hand, our labour supply model has the necessary characteristics to link it to a general equilibrium model and offer an integrated macro-microsimulation analysis. Nonetheless, unlike the usual microsimulation models employed in integrated macromicrosimulation analysis, we provide a number of innovations, notably the analysis at the intensive margin so that it captures both the substitution effect and the income effect. Our results show that a number of individuals entered the labour market in response to the Prime au travail, while others decided to work fewer hours, due to increased income linked to the program. Ultimately, the variation in labour supply was less in the intensive margin than in the extensive margin and it is positive for all types of households, with the exception of female single parents.