Date of Award

Summer 8-1-2025

Level of Access Assigned by Author

Open-Access Thesis

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Forest Resources

First Committee Advisor

Jessica Leahy

Second Committee Member

Adam Daigneault

Third Committee Member

Jonathan Malacarne

Additional Committee Members

Stephen Coghlan

Jesse Abrams

Abstract

Tropical rainforests are critical for planetary climate regulation, biodiversity preservation, and the cultural and economic livelihoods of millions of people. Yet, in many regions of the Global South, particularly the Amazon, forest conservation initiatives are implemented in territories shaped by state fragility, socio-cultural heterogeneity, and histories of armed conflict. This dissertation examines the legitimacy, effectiveness, and limitations of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) programs in La Macarena, Meta, a conflict-affected region of the Colombian Amazon targeted by international conservation finance under the REDD+ framework.

Through a mixed-methods research design that combines ethnographic fieldwork, household surveys, semi-structured interviews, and a discrete choice experiment, the study explores how socio-cultural values, governance structures, and contract design mediate landowner participation in PES initiatives.

Findings reveal that PES programs often misalign with local realities. Cattle ranching, widely practiced in La Macarena, is not only an economic activity but also a deeply embedded cultural institution and mechanism of territorial control. Distrust in government-led conservation—rooted in militarized interventions, weak institutions, and unresolved land tenure issues—undermines the

credibility and uptake of PES initiatives. The study argues that PES programs must be co-designed with communities, align with local cultural values, and address structural inequalities. It contributes to critical debates in political ecology, ecological economics, and environmental governance by showing how conservation initiatives intersect with broader processes of state-building, territorial recognition, and social justice.

Ultimately, the dissertation advances a rethinking of PES design and implementation. Conservation outcomes depend not on financial compensation alone, but on participatory governance, institutional trust, and context-sensitive, adaptive contracts that reflect local priorities and foster cooperative behavior.

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