Canadian Forest Service Publications
Is China in a later stage of a U-shaped forest resource curve? A re-examination of empirical evidence. 2007. Wang, S.; Liu, C.; Wilson, B.A. Forest Policy and Economics 10: 1-6.
Year: 2007
Issued by: Pacific Forestry Centre
Catalog ID: 28058
Language: English
Availability: Not available through the CFS (click for more information).
Available from the Journal's Web site. †
DOI: 10.1016/j.forpol.2006.12.003
† This site may require a fee
Abstract
Amidst surging interest in the policy implications of a hypothetical environmental Kuznets curve, a claim has emerged recently arguing that China has entered a later stage of a U-shaped forest resource curve. Using published data for the past two decades, we show that there is a lack of empirical evidence supporting that claim. At the level of provinces in China, forest cover and per capita GDP appear to have a nonlinear, positive relationship, but regression results do not lend support to the existence of a nicely-behaved U-shaped curve. The findings suggest that policy makers need to be cautious about the statement that a particular jurisdiction is in an advanced stage of forest resources management.