Peer-reviewed publications:
Qin, S., He, Y.*, Golden Kroner, R. E., Shrestha, S., Coutinho, B. H., Karmann, M., Ledezma, J.C., Martinez, C., Morón-Zambrano, V., Ulloa, R., Yerena, E., Bernard, C., Bull, J.W., Mendoza, E., de Pracontal, N., Reytar, K., Veit, P., Matallana‐Tobón, C.L., Wiley, L.A., Mascia, M. (2024) Recognize diverse governance systems for area-based conservation of nature. One Earth. (forthcoming) (*lead corresponding author and co-first author)
Jagadish, A., Freni-Sterrantino, A., He, Y., O’ Garra, T., Gecchele, L., Mangubhai, S., Govan, H., Tawake, A., Tabunakawai Vakalalabure, M., Mascia, M. B., & Mills, M. (2024). Scaling Indigenous-led natural resource management. Global Environmental Change, 84, 102799. (Full Text)
Mack, E. A., Sauls, L. A., Jokisch, B. D., Nolte, K., Schmook, B., He, Y., Radel, C., Allington, G. R. H., Kelley, L. C., Scott, C. K., Leisz, S., Chi, G., Sagynbekova, L., Cuba, N., & Henebry, G. M. (2023). Remittances and land change: A systematic review. World Development, 168, 106251. (Full Text)
He, Y., Baldiviezo, J-P., Agrawal, A., Candaguira, V., & Perfecto. I. (2019). How should an indigenous community in eastern Bolivia defend their land and forests? – A sustainability case study. Case Studies in the Environment. (Full Text)
Golden Kroner, R.E., Qin, S., Cook, C.N., Krithivasan, R., Pack, S.M., Bonilla, O.D., Cort-Kansinally, K.A., Continho, B., Feng, M., Martínez Garcia, M.I., He, Y., Kennedy, C., Lebreton, C., Ledezma, J.C., Lovejoy, T.E., Luther, D.A., Parmanand, Y., Ruíz-Agudelo, E.Y., Zambran, V.M., & Mascia, M.B. (2019). The uncertain future of protected lands and waters. Science, 364(6443), 881-886. (Full Text)
Li, K.*, He, Y.*, Campbell, S. K., Colborn, A. S., Jackson, E. L., Martin, A., Monagan, I.V., Ong, T.W.Y., & Perfecto, I. (2017). From endogenous to exogenous pattern formation: Invasive plant species changes the spatial distribution of a native ant. Global Change Biology, 23(6), 2250-2261. (*denotes shared first-authorship) (Full Text)
Manuscripts under review:
O’Neill, H.M.K, Beeken, J., Bingham, H.C., Golden Kroner, R., He, Y… Davies, Z.G., & Smith, R.J. Global conserved area coverage substantially exceeds current estimates. In review: Nature.
Works-in-Progress:
How patronage drives deforestation in Bolivia
Tropical deforestation, responsible for 12-20% of global carbon emissions and accelerating biodiversity loss, remains a critical global challenge. Previous research on the political economy of deforestation has examined how competitive election, rent-seeking by politicians, and bureaucratic capacity explain deforestation (Burgess et al. 2012; Greenstein 2023; Sanford 2021; Xu 2020). Yet, a fundamental question remains unanswered: How do patronage processes lead to deforestation? I address this question by proposing and testing a theory of deforestation as a patronage tool in Bolivia, a country with one of the highest deforestation rates globally and often overlooked in the scholarly literature. Building on the literature on distributive politics and the political economy of crime and enforcement (Becker 1974; Golden and Min 2013; Holland 2015, 2016), I argue that deforestation is distributed as a patronage good by the government through two mechanisms: legalization, and forbearance. These processes, in turn, lead to differential forest law enforcement by the forest agency, which then affects the deforestation behavior of interest groups with different lobbying powers. I employ a mixed-method approach combining formal modeling, causal inference, and qualitative interviews. Leveraging a unique and rich geospatial database of the forest agency in Bolivia, I use two-way fixed effect panel regression models to estimate how the identity of the landowner affects legal and illegal deforestation, whether the probability of sanction of illegal deforestation is dependent on interest group type, and whether these effects are stronger in election years. In addition, I use interview data with various stakeholders to generate qualitative evidence of distribution strategy by the government, and patronage relationships between interest groups and the forest agency.
Unequal health impact of gold mining in the Brazilian Amazon (with Anna Pede, Jacqueline de Aguiar Barros, and Robert Heilmayr)
Small-scale and artisanal gold mining (ASGM) can degrade the environment and lead to a variety of negative health outcomes associated with mercury use and mosquito-borne diseases. Gold mining has been accelerating in the Brazilian Amazon in the past decade, raising concerns over its impact on population health, especially health of Indigenous peoples. Yet, no study has systematically documented the health impact of gold mining across the Brazilian Amazon, and causal evidence is lacking. In this study, we use an instrumental variable design with cluster LASSO variable selection to isolate the effect of gold mining on health. We find that gold mining increases malaria, dengue, and Zika prevalence among the general population. Gold mining negatively affect Indigenous populations in several indicators of newborn health, and the magnitude of impact increases with time. Mining has mixed impact on newborn health among the general population. Our results highlight the broad, long-lasting, and unequal health effects of gold mining in the Brazilian Amazon. We provide key evidence to guide policy interventions in regulating gold mining and addressing its health impacts.
Playing with Fire: The Environmental Consequences of an Electorally Motivated License to Burn (With Kathryn Baragwanath and Cesar B. Martinez-Alvarez)
Why do democratic governments enact policies that actively hurt the environment, despite the growing public concern about ecological issues? Political science research has analyzed the distributive impacts of policies that promote the energy transition. We know much less about the reverse—actions that actively degrade the environment. We argue that these impose both broad negative externalities and concentrated benefits, which explains their electoral strengths. To test our argument, we study the impacts of the Supreme Decree 3973 of July 2019 in Bolivia, which incentivized the expansion of the agricultural frontier in two departments (Beni and Santa Cruz) through agricultural fires. Using a quasi-experimental, difference-in-discontinuity design, novel micro-level land tenure records, and highly granular remote sensing data, we find that this policy led a large increase in the number and intensity of wildfires, the rate of deforestation, and the concentration of atmospheric carbon monoxide (CO) in the affected regions. Our findings suggest a small increase in Morales’ popularity in affected regions during the 2019 national election, although the President’s party (Movimiento al Socialismo) was already becoming electorally successful even before the decree’s implementation.
Other publications
He, Y.; Zhang, J., Yishen, L. (2020. January 12). 在跨国NGO做自然保护：工作概况和职业准备. Animal Dialogue 北美小象君 (link)
He, Y., Badiviezo, J-P., Agrawal, A., Candaguira, V., & Perfecto. I. (2019). Guardians of the Forests: How Should an Indigenous Community in Eastern Bolivia Defend Their Land and Forests? Michigan Sustainability Cases. (link)
He, Y., Baldiviezo, J-P., Agrawal, A., Candaguira, V., & Perfecto. I. (2019). Los guardianes de los bosques ¿Cómo debería una comunidad indígena en el este de Bolivia defender sus tierras y bosques? Michigan Sustainability Cases. (link)
He, Y. (2018, March 7). How Tibetan Buddhism and conservation efforts helped Eurasian otters thrive in a city of 200,000 people (commentary). Mongabay. (link)
He, Y. (2018, March 27). 在中国内地濒临消失的欧亚水獭 为何能在这里繁衍生息？. Shanshui Nature Conservation Center 山水自然保护中心 (link)
He, Y. (2018, April 10). 一个有人的荒野 | 三江源志愿者手记. Shanshui Nature Conservation Center 山水自然保护中心 (link)
Turner, S., Clayton, A., He, Y., Flickinger, J., & Carlson, C. (2017). Ecological Baseline and Management Plan for the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies (Master’s capstone project). University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. (link)
He, Y. (2015). Does nature exposure reduce aggression & why?(Unpublished undergraduate thesis). University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.