Wren-Lewis L. auteur aut IRD Becerra-Valbuena L. auteur aut IRD Houngbedji Kenneth auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf reformatted digital access Many countries are formalizing customary land rights systems with the aim of improving agricultural productivity and facilitating community forest management. This paper evaluates the impact on tree cover loss of the first randomized control trial of such a program. Around 70,000 landholdings were demarcated and registered in randomly chosen villages in Benin, a country with a high rate of deforestation driven by demand for agricultural land. We estimate that the program reduced the area of forest loss in treated villages, with no evidence of anticipatory deforestation or negative spillovers to other areas. Surveys indicate that possible mechanisms include an increase in tenure security and an improvement in the effectiveness of community forest management. Overall, our results suggest that formalizing customary land rights in rural areas can be an effective way to reduce forest loss while improving agricultural investments. specialized BENIN 095 098 082 6 26 eabb6914 [8 ] 2020 2375-2548 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010079289 10.1126/sciadv.abb6914 2375-2548 [F B010079289] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010079289 https://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/2021-10/010079289.pdf IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2021-08-19 2025-02-24 fdi:010079289 fre