Dr. Joy E. Hecht



Valuation of
Malawi's Forests


ESTIMATING THE ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION
OF MALAWI'S FORESTS

Study prepared for the

Malawi Department of Forestry and European Commission
Improved Forest Management for Sustainable Livelihoods Programme

through

CARDNO Emerging Markets (UK) Ltd.,
Framework Contract Benef. Lot 1 Specific Contract No. 2012/307827

Dr. Joy E. Hecht
Consultant on Environmental Economics and Climate Change, jhecht(at)alum.mit.edu
Dr. Victor Kasulo
Department of Forestry, Mzuzu University, kasulov(at)gmail.com

January through March, 2013


This analysis of the economic contribution of Malawi's forests was carried out for the Malawi Department of Forestry, in order to develop a more complete understanding of how much these resources contribute to the country's economy. The work focuses on three related but distinct economic values; the contribution of the forest sector to gross and net domestic product, the total economic value of the forests, and the contribution of forests to livelihoods.

The results of this work are presented in several documents:

Policy Brief. The policy brief provides an overview of the analyses carried out, the quantitative results, and their policy implications.

Spreadsheets. The spreadsheet provides all of the calculations undertaken in order to carry out the three components of the study, and much of the data underlying those calculations.

Technical report. This document provides complementary information which is essential for understanding some aspects of the spreadsheet. It does not replicate all of the data included in the spreadsheet; those interested in how this analysis was carried out should download and study both documents.

Powerpoint presentation. This overview of the study and its results was presented at a workshop at the Capitol Hotel in Lilongwe on March 12, 2013.

For any questions about the work, please contact the authors at the email addresses above.