China’s Natural Forest Protection Program may have a better effect on forests held by village households than state-owned forests

Key Messages

• Overall, the NFPP has a moderately positive effect on forest cover in the program areas.

• The NFPP has a greater positive effect on forests held by village households than state-owned forests.

• The NFPP might achieve enhanced performance by (re)directing larger proportions of the program’s funds and forest restoration activities toward village forest managers.

• Our findings support the (heavily debated) proposed reform to assign more substantial rights of China’s state forests to individual workers of SOFEs or even to village households who did not have formal rights to state forests.