Forests, Agriculture and Conservation / ForĂȘts, agriculture et conservation
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Item Are forests always a "Good Thing"? : understanding the linkages among forests, watersheds and agriculture in the Western Ghats of India(SANDEE, Kathmandu, NP, 2008) Lele, Sharadchandra; Bellamy, RufusThe study underlines the complex relationship between habitat conservation and agriculture, and highlights the need for environmental policy that takes into account social and economic impacts of decisions. The research examined water availability and its affect on crop choice and productivity, which in turn affects the economic welfare of local people. The study site areas of natural forests have been transformed into monoculture tree plantations, grasslands, and coffee, tea and rubber plantations. For a certain type of irrigation system, an increase in forest cover can reduce the amount of water available for agriculture.Item Assessing different approaches to forest management in Viet Nam(IDRC, Ottawa, ON, CA, 2000) Bellamy, R.Item Can tourism be a vehicle for conservation? : an investigation from the mangrove forests of the Indian Sundarbans(SANDEE, Kathmandu, NP, 2007) Guha, lndrila; Ghosh, Santadas; Bellamy, RufusThe Sundarban National Park is among five Natural World Heritage Sites in India and part of the world's largest mangrove eco-system. The remote island communities that surround the Park are dependent on it for fishing, honey and prawn fry collection, timber and fuelwood and have few alternate livelihood options. In recent years, eco-tourism has gained momentum. In 2006-07, the Park saw 75,000 visitors, an 28% increase over the previous year. Thus, it is important to understand whether tourism is augmenting local people's livelihood and reducing their forest dependence. A SANDEE study asks these questions and also assesses the potential of eco-tourism to contribute to conservation.Item Capturing the 'market' for recreation : estimating entry charges for the Margalla Hills National Park in Pakistan(SANDEE, Kathmandu, NP, 2004) Khan, HimayatullahThe study reveals that the benefits from the park to consumers or consumer surplus, amounts to a significant Rs. 23 million per year. Based on simulated demand for park services, the study recommends an entrance fee of Rs. 20 per visitor. Implementing such a fee would generate annual revenues to the extent of approximately Rs. 11 million to the Government of Pakistan. This is a sizable sum, since it equals 4 percent of Pakistanâs budget allocated to the environment sector. For natural systems and Government managers perpetually strapped for funds, this valuation exercise provides important lessons that go beyond the MHNP itself.Item Capturing the benefits of preserving cultural heritage(Elsevier Masson SAS, Paris, FR, 2008) Tuan, Tran Huu; Navrud, StaleThere is an increasing body of contingent valuation (CV) studies applied to cultural heritage sites. These CV studies assess the social benefits of cultural resources, but few provide advice on the policy use of the results and the ways these benefits could be captured and used to improve the condition of the sites. This study attempts to do exactly this by conducting a CV survey of a preservation program for a World Heritage site, and using the estimated benefits for visitors to assess optimal entrance fees that maximize revenues for the site. We also perform a cost-benefit analysis of the preservation project, and show how the outcome can be used to justify investments in cultural heritage preservation.Item CaracterizaciĂłn de la pesca recreativa en la Patagonia Chilena : una encuesta a turistas de larga distancia en la regiĂłn de AysĂ©n(Latin American and Caribbean Environmental Economics Program (LACEEP), Turrialba, CR, 2009) NĂșñez Parrado, Daisy; Niklitschek HuaquĂn, MarioLa pesca recreativa es una de las actividades de turismo de intereses especiales mĂĄs relevantes en la regiĂłn de AysĂ©n. Para la toma de decisiones vinculadas al uso, manejo y conservaciĂłn de los ambientes naturales donde se pueden desarrollar actividades de turismo, es importante disponer de informaciĂłn que permita entender cuĂĄles son los factores que determinan la elecciĂłn de los visitantes por un cierto destino y tiempo que deciden permanecer en Ă©l. La escasa informaciĂłn que hay sobre la pesca recreativa en Chile y en la regiĂłn de AysĂ©n, no da cuenta de su importancia econĂłmica. Por ello el objetivo general de este estudio fue caracterizar el comportamiento de los pescadores de larga distancia durante su estadĂa en la regiĂłn de AysĂ©n, ademĂĄs de describir los atributos que Ă©stos percibieron en los sitios de pesca, estimar la cantidad total de pescadores de larga distancia que practicaron pesca recreativa y determinar el gasto total que realizaron. El levantamiento de datos se efectuĂł en la temporada 2006-2007, mediante entrevistas en el aeropuerto de Balmaceda a turistas de larga distancia que practicaron pesca en dicha regiĂłn, estrategia que presenta varias ventajas al compararla con la opciĂłn de tomar encuestas en los sitios de pesca. Los resultados muestran que la regiĂłn fue visitada mayoritariamente por turistas extranjeros, que dedicaron un promedio de 7,3 dĂas a practicar pesca, durante los cuales visitaron principalmente rĂos. Para menos de un 10% de los dĂas de pesca los encuestados indicaron haber tenido algĂșn tipo de problema en los sitios visitados. PrĂĄcticamente no tuvieron problemas de congestiĂłn con otros pescadores y lograron un promedio diario de 12,9 capturas y 0,8 capturas de mĂĄs de 30 centĂmetros por pescador. Finalmente, AysĂ©n fue visitada por un rango de entre 979 y 1.441 pescadores, generando un gasto total de entre USD 3,9 y USD 5,8 millones. Mayor precisiĂłn en la estimaciĂłn de gasto requiere extender el perĂodo de encuesta para cubrir un mayor nĂșmero de dĂas del inicio y tĂ©rmino de la temporada de pesca.Item Comparing cultural heritage values in South East Asia : possibilities and difficulties in cross-country transfers of economic values(Elsevier Masson SAS, Paris, FR, 2009) Tran Huu Tuan; Udomsak Seenprachawong; Stale NavrudBenefit transfer refers to the transfer of economic values from a primary valuation study (study site) to a site where we need to conduct policy analysis (policy site). Due to the considerable costs and time required to conduct primary valuation studies, using benefit transfers to estimate the values for sites not yet valued is likely to attract policy interest. While benefit transfer is being increasingly applied in studies on environmental goods, its application in the field of cultural heritage resources is rare. The unique nature of these public goods, and differences in the size and demographic characteristics of the affected populations lead to a significant risk of benefit transfer providing irrelevant estimates for cultural heritage. In this study, we compared the results of two contingent valuation (CV) studies involving historic temples in Thailand and Vietnam, tested the validity and reliability of benefit transfers between the two sites, and explored the possibilities and difficulties in such transfers. We found that the error in transferring unadjusted mean willingness-to-pay (WTP) ranged from 46% to 129%. Adjustments for differences in purchasing power parity (PPP), income level and income elasticity between the sites substantially increased rather than decreased transfer errors in many instances. Function transfers did not perform better than unadjusted unit transfers. These results suggest that there are other important factors - possibly physical, cultural and institutional variables - that need to be taken into account in explaining the differences in WTP for cultural heritage aside from the usual income and socio-economic variables captured in CV studies. Until we are able to identify these other factors and measure their impacts, the potential policy use of benefit transfer in the case of cultural heritage goods remains limited.Item Costs and benefits of flue gas desulfurization for pollution control at the Mae Moh Power Plant, Thailand(Faculty of Economics, Maejo University, Chiang Mai, TH, 2006) Punyawadee, Varaporn; Phothisuwan, Ratana; Winichaikule, Numpet; Satienperakul, KanittaItem Demand for eco-tourism : estimating recreational benefits from the Margalla Hills National Park in Northern Pakistan(SANDEE, Kathmandu, NP, 2004) Khan, Himayatullah; Gunatilake, Herath; Shyamsundar, PriyaThis study, which is among the first in Pakistan to value recreational benefits, estimates the benefits of establishing and managing the Margalla Hills National Park near Islamabad. The study examines how much park visitors are willing to pay to visit and enjoy the park. Annual benefits from the Park are considerable-the total annual consumer surplus or economic benefit obtained from recreation in the Park is approximately Rs. 23 million (US$ 0.4 million). Various factors influence the value visitors obtain from the park - these include travel cost, household income, and the quality of the park. Improvements in the quality of the park are likely to increase recreational benefits by a significant 39%. The study recommends that a Park entrance fee of Rs. 20 per person be introduced, which could be utilized for park management. This would generate nearly Rs. 11 million in revenues annually, a sizable amount of money that represents about 4% of the annual budget allocated to the Environment Sector in Pakistan.Item Determinants of fuelwood use in rural Orissa : implications for energy transition(SANDEE, Kathmandu, NP, 2008) Mishra, Arabinda; Mukhopadhyay, PranabThis study examines household behaviour related to fuelwood collection and use. The focus is on identifying the behavioral transition of fuelwood-using households from collection to purchase. The study examines the theory linking householdsâ labour allocation decisions to choice of fuel and models household decision using a three-stage least squares probit specification. Household fuelwood choice (purchase/collection) is predicted based on an endogenously determined wage income that depends on the opportunity cost of fuelwood collection. Expectedly, economic ability and availability of fuel alternatives are found to have significant positive marginal effects on household choice for fuelwood purchases. There is also the possibility that at very high levels of income, and in the absence of alternatives to choose from, households may revert back to collecting fuelwood using either their own labour or hired workers. The policy implication of a possible reverse switch is that improvements in economic ability alone may not be sufficient to bring about the energy transition in rural areas; there may be a need to continue with price subsidies on kerosene and LPG and at the same time create effective institutions for conserving forest commons.Item Distribution of benefits and costs among stakeholders of a protected area : an empirical study from China(EEPSEA, Singapore, SG, 2004) Yazhen GongThis report provides information on the impact of a new conservation regime in the Fanjingshan National Reserve (FNNR) in Guizhou Province, China. It calculates the economic and social effects that this regime will have on the livelihoods of people living inside the reserve. It shows that, if local people are not compensated for lost incomes, the new plans will increase conflict between locals and the reserve management. To find a way to pay compensation, the study investigated whether people living in the province around the reserve would be willing to pay for conservation in the FNNR through an eco-tax. These people benefit from conservation in the reserve, but at present pay nothing towards it. The report finds that they would be willing to pay and that the amount that could be collected would more than cover of compensating those affected inside the protected area.Item Do community forestry funds target the poor? : a study from Nepal(SANDEE, Kathmandu, NP, 2008) Pokharel, Ridish K.; Bellamy, RufusFunds generated through community forestry offer crucial and significant resources for rural development. A new SANDEE study examines forestry funds in 100 communities in three districts in Nepal to assess how large they are, how they are utilized, and whether they target the poor.Item Does tourism contribute to local livelihoods? : a case study of tourism, poverty and conservation in the Indian Sundarbans(SANDEE, Kathmandu, NP, 2007) Guha, Indrila; Ghosh, SantadasThis study examines the contribution of tourism towards improving the livelihoods of local people in a remote island village of the Indian Sundarbans. The Sundarban Tiger Reserve is a major tourism destination and a small number of local people participate in the tourism sector as vendors, boatmen and guides. No village household subsists entirely on tourism-based income since such jobs are seasonal. A majority of the local service providers operate with very little or no capital investment. Yet households participating in tourism-related activity are better off than those who do not. Tourism participants spend 19% more on food and 38% more on non-food items relative to other villagers. Earnings from tourism appear to at least partially finance year-long consumption. Tourism may also have a conservation effect in that the proportion of forestdependent households is significantly lower among tourism dependent households. There is, however, little evidence of any percolation of tourism-related income to non-participating households through intra-village transactions. The study proposes a carefully crafted policy for promoting nature-based tourism with more room for local participation.Item Econometric analysis of the causes of forest land use changes in Hainan, China(EEPSEA, Singapore, SG, 2001) Yaoqi Zhang; Uusivuori, Jussi; Kuuluvainen, JariItem Economic analysis of coral reefs in the Andaman Sea of Thailand(EEPSEA, Singapore, SG, 2001-06) Seenprachawong, UdomsakThe focus of this study is the valuation of coral reefs and how this information can be used to improve planning for coral reef management in Thailand. Phi Phi Islands is rich in reef systems and envisioned as an eco-tourism destination by government planners. The analysis indicates that both local and national levels of government can justify larger annual budget allocations for managing coastal resources. The Economy and Environment Program for SE Asia (EEPSEA) supports research and training in environmental and resource economics to enhance local capacity for analysis of environmental problems and policies.Item Economic impact of forest hydrological services on local communities : a case study from the Western Ghats of India(SANDEE, Kathmandu, NP, 2008) Lele, Sharachchandra; Patil, Iswar; Badiger, Shrinivas; Menon, Ajit; Kumar, Rajeev; Nepal, ManiThe conventional wisdom that âmore forest is always betterâ has dominated policy making in the management of forested watersheds. In the context of the supposed hydrological regulation service provided by forest ecosystems, however, hydrologists have debated this assumption for more than two decades. Unfortunately, detailed studies of the relationship between forest cover, hydrology and the economic use of water have been relatively scarce, especially in the tropical forests of South Asia. Building upon a larger research project at four sites in the Western Ghats of peninsular India, this study examines the link between stream flow, agricultural water use and economic returns to agriculture. The study attempts to simulate the likely impacts of regeneration of a degraded forest catchment on stream flow and the consequent impact on irrigation tankbased agriculture in a downstream village. The authors find that regeneration of forests would reduce the ratio of runoff to rainfall in the forested catchment thereby significantly reducing the probability of filling the well-used irrigation tank. This in turn reduces the probability of the command area farmers being able to cultivate an irrigated paddy crop, particularly in the summer season, thereby reducing expected farm income as well as wage income for landless and marginal landowning households. The study results seem counter intuitive to conventional wisdom. This result is, however, not because the hydrological relationships in this region are peculiar, but because the community immediately downstream of the forest is using water in a particular manner, viz., through irrigation tanks for growing water-intensive crops. The main implication is that policymakers must move away from simplistic notions of forests being good for everything and everybody under all circumstances, and facilitate context-specific, ecologically and economically informed forest governance.Item Economic valuation of mangroves and the roles of local communities in the conservation of natural resources : case study of Surat Thani, South of Thailand(EEPSEA, Singapore, SG, 1998) IDRC. Regional Office for Southeast and East Asia, Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia; Suthawan SathirathaiItem Economic vulnerability and possible adaptation to coastal erosion in San Fernando City, Philippines(EEPSEA, Singapore, SG, 2009) Bayani, Jaimie Kim E.; Dorado, Moises A.; Dorado, Rowena A.Findings show a strategy of planned protection is the best option for preservation of coastal areas. This study assesses the coastline of San Fernando Bay in the La Union region of the Philippines and includes a cost benefit analysis. Sea-level rise due to climate change dynamics is a major concern across the archipelago. Contributors to coastal zone erosion are: natural factors such as wind and waves, long shore currents and tectonic activities, as well as anthropogenic factors such as dam construction, sand mining, coral reef destruction, groundwater extraction, wetlands conversion, dredging of inlets for navigation, and boat traffic.Item Economics of soil erosion and the choice of land use systems by upland farmers in central Vietnam(EEPSEA, Singapore, SG, 2001-12) Bui Dung TheItem Economy and environment : case studies in Cambodia(EEPSEA, Singapore, SG, 2002) McKenney, B.