Forest cover effects of payments for ecosystem services: Evidence from an impact evaluation in Brazil

We evaluate the effects of “Water and Forest Producers” (PAF), a payment for ecosystem services project, on forest cover outcomes in a watershed serving the Rio de Janeiro region of Brazil. We apply propensity score matching and regression to 81 beneficiary properties on 8848 ha and 398 control properties on 33,748 ha. We estimate the average treatment effect on the treated for changes in rates of reforestation and deforestation, and the...