Distributional Impacts of Conservation on Land Prices: Evidence from Natura 2000

Abstract

This article studies the costs and distributional impacts of the Natura 2000 network. We estimate how land use restrictions are capitalized into property prices in Finland by combining data on property transactions with the rollout of the network. Our results indicate sizable negative effects on forests and agricultural land and moderate negative effects on unbuilt lots, especially in socioeconomically deprived areas. In contrast, we find positive effects on built properties both inside and near protected areas. Although the costs of Natura 2000 were moderate, the network had a clear distributional impact, reallocating rents from landowners to house and cabin owners.