摘要：Debt-for-nature swaps are a major source of global funding for nature conservation and havebeen touted as a win-win solution to the problem of how to finance conservation. This paper examines howthe United States' debt-for-nature-swap program, the Tropical Forest Conservation Act, works in the field.We provide an introduction to the technical aspects of the debt-for-nature swap mechanism, then describehow the program operates on the ground, using the United States–Peru swap as an example. We focus ontwo case studies that are largely representative of the Tropical Forest Conservation Act's work in Peru: 1)ProNaturaleza's project in the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, and 2) five distinct projects centeredaround reducing illegal logging in and around Alto Purús National Park. We explore the range of programsfinanced through swaps, as well as whether debt-for-nature swap projects meet their goals of strengtheningcivil society and increasing local capacity. We also discuss the efficacy of debt-for-nature swap monitoring,which tends to privilege fiscal evaluations of area protected over direct conservation outcomes. AlthoughTropical Forest Conservation Act projects may well have conservation effects, the current methods ofmeasuring success do not reflect the types of conservation impacts of Tropical Forest Conservation Actprojects
关键词：Amazonia; civil society; debt-for-nature swaps; local capacity; nature conservation; nature;conservation funding; Peru; program evaluation; resource management; Tropical Forest Conservation Act
