Policy Briefs / Dossiers de politique
Permanent URI for this collection
Browse
Recent Submissions
Item Sharing the cost of conservation : the Fanjingshan Nature Reserve in China(EEPSEA, IDRC Regional Office for Southeast and East Asia, Singapore, SG, 2004) IDRC Regional Office for Southeast and East Asia. EEPSEAA summary of EEPSEA Research Report 2004-RR3, Distribution of benefits and costs among stakeholders of a protected area : an empirical study from China by Yazhen Gong, Centre for Chinese Agricultural Policy, c/o Department of Forest Resource Management, Faculty of Forestry, 2424 Main Mall, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T l Z4, Canada.Item Responding to sea level rise : a study of options to combat coastal ersosion in the Philippines; summary(EEPSEA, IDRC Regional Office for Southeast and East Asia, Singapore, SG, 2009) IDRC Regional Office for Southeast and East Asia. EEPSEAThis policy brief introduces the problem of coastal erosion in the Philippines and how best to address it in terms of economic and environmental factors. It draws from a study of the San Fernando coastline in the La Union region, where the value of resources, properties, structures and economic activities were assessed. It concludes that the most rational approach to adopt in defense of coastal areas is planned protection. Government officials largely agree with this strategy option. Sea-level rise due to climate change dynamics is a major concern across the archipelago.Item Is coal king? : an environmental and economic assessment from South Kalimantan; summary(EEPSEA, IDRC Regional Office for Southeast and East Asia, Singapore, SG, 2007) IDRC Regional Office for Southeast and East Asia. EEPSEAThis paper summarizes a report on the environmental and economic effects of coal production in South Kalimantan province, Indonesia. It finds that the mining sector is a significant part of provincial economic output that disproportionately benefits the well-off, and has unacceptable environmental impacts. Strip mining is the most common method used in the industry. The paper reviews the effects that better policies and strategies of regulation could have on coal mining.Item Searching for a solution to solid waste in the Philippines : summary(EEPSEA, IDRC Regional Office for Southeast and East Asia, Singapore, SG, 2005) IDRC Regional Office for Southeast and East Asia. EEPSEAItem 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 Pakistan’s 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 Financial and economic feasibility of sugar cane production in northern La Paz(Latin American and Caribbean Environmental Economics Program (LACEEP), Turrialba, CR, 2009) Malky H., Alfonso; Ledezma C., Juan CarlosThis sugar cane investment could yield a positive net present value of US$ 12.1 million. However, the sum is a valid projection only if the following conditions are met: i) the agricultural production system is community based; ii) substitution of traditional crops occurs; iii) no additional sugar mills are installed after the first one; iv) land tenure rights are respected; v) the project does not attract new settlers to the region; and vi) the Bolivian government maintains its position against bio-fuels. If the conditions do not hold, the sugar cane project will increase deforestation and generate losses of at least $U.S. 13.6 million to the Bolivian economyItem Pesticides and productivity : a study of vegetable farming in Nepal(SANDEE, Kathmandu, NP, 2009) Kumar Jha, Ratna; Regmi, Adhrit; Bellamy, RufusIn Nepal, agriculture is commercializing day by day and levels of agro-chemical use are growing. This is beginning to raise concerns about the health and environmental impacts of farm chemicals such as pesticides. Thus, a useful question to ask is how and to what extent pesticides help Nepali farmers increase their yields and profitability.Item Shrimp, salinity and sustainability : an assessment from Southern India(SANDEE, Kathmandu, NP, 2009) Umamaheshwori, L.; Bellamy, RufusThe study finds that soil salinity caused by shrimp farms has a significant negative effect on rice paddy yields. It assesses two villages in the district of Karaikal (India), one that is affected by shrimp farms and the other that is not, and estimates the economic impact that shrimp farming has on farmers' livelihoods. The paper recommends that a regulatory framework be developed to help farmers affected by salinity. This study concludes that farms with highly saline soils would gain significant economic benefits if soil salinity is reduced to safe levels. The gains could range from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 per hectare.Item Valuing the land of tigers : what Indian visitors are willing to pay(SANDEE, Kathmandu, NP, 2009) Guha, Indrila; Ghosh, Santadas; Bellamy, RufusThe Sundarban in India is one of the country's most important nature conservation areas. It is famous for being home to the Royal Bengal tiger and is designated as a world heritage site. The conservation of the Sundarban is therefore a key environmental priority, but, as population and development pressures rise, the challenge of protecting the area will get harder. Now a new SANDEE study has looked at the value of the region to tourists - to help justify its conservation and to assess what level of entrance fees would provide the most income to fund its protection.Item Fuel for the clean energy debate : a study of fuelwood collection and purchase in rural India(SANDEE, Kathmandu, NP, 2008) Mishra, Arabinda; Bellamy, RufusIn many parts of rural India the use of wood for fuel is the cause of significant environmental and health problems. Efforts to help people switch to cleaner fuels have not been effective and fuelwood use remains high in the countryside. To help find a solution to this challenge, a new SANDEE study from the districts of Orissa has looked at the factors that influence fuelwood use amongst village people. It finds that people are more likely to switch from collecting to purchasing fuel wood as they become better off. However, it also finds that when households reach a certain level of affluence they may switch back to using local labour to collect fuelwood for them.Item Value of attributes for sports fishing in the Chilian Patagonia : implications for the resource management(Latin American and Caribbean Environmental Economics Program (LACEEP), Turrialba CR, 2008) Núñez Parrado, DaisyIn Chile, recreational fishing activities generate annual income between US$10 and US$15 millions. One of the main Chilean regions for recreational fishing is Chilean Patagonia (43º-55º S) due to its environmental quality and great diversity of extraordinary landscapes. Based on survey and study results, this two-page policy brief provides information for decision makers with regards to economic welfare measures relevant for recreational fisheries management.Item Private provision of public goods : applying matching methods to evaluate payments for ecosystem services in Costa Rica(Latin American and Caribbean Environmental Economics Program (LACEEP), Turrialba CR, 2008) Arriagada, RodrigoEcosystem Services (ES) are the benefits that people derive from the biophysical environment. Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) is a policy innovation attracting attention in both developed and developing countries. This policy brief examines PES developed over a decade in Costa Rica. In the Programa de Pagos por Servicios Ambientales (PSA) landowners agree to conserve their forests and establish reforestation, afforestation, or agroforestry areas. In return, they receive a per-hectare annual payment from a State-run national forest fund. The paper presents an analysis of the causal effect of PSA contracts with results indicating significant and positive outcomes in the establishment of new forests.Item Evaluation of management strategies of recreational use of mangrove forest in Mexico(Latin American and Caribbean Environmental Economics Program (LACEEP), Turrialba CR, 2008) Sanjurjo Rivera, EnriqueThe project looked at the case of a tourist boat ride on the coast of Nayarit (Mexico), which involves mangrove forests where crocodile watching is an important feature. The policy brief analyzes the case in terms of environmental economics, management strategies, market access and regulation, and policy outcomes.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 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 Pesticide exposure : a growing problem for Nepal's farmers(SANDEE, Kathmandu, NP, 2008) Atreya, Kishor; Bellamy, RufusVegetable farming is an important income generating activity in parts of rural Nepal. However, vegetable farming is pesticide intensive and pesticide exposure is beginning to emerge as a problem. A SANDEE study examines the impacts of pesticide use on vegetable farmers in the mid-hills area of Nepal, some 40km east of Kathmandu. The study finds that farmers and their families face medical bills and other costs as they attempt to deal with the problem of pesticide exposure. Farmers spray their vegetables approximately two times per month. The resulting pesticide exposure costs NPR 1,105,782 (US $ 15,797) per year.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 From slash-and-burn to sustainability : a study from the Chittagong Hill tracts of Bangladesh(SANDEE, Kathmandu, NP, 2007) Monayem, M.A.; Fakhrul Islam, S.M.; Bellamy, RufusIn Bangladesh many rural hill communities are in trouble because their traditional ‘slash and burn’ agriculture is becoming increasingly unsustainable. Farmers in these communities have to farm more intensively and this is causing a whole host of environmental and social problems. This challenge is not limited to this region, but is being experienced by traditional farmers across the developing world. To help find a solution to this crucial problem, a new SANDEE study looks at the economic and social feasibility of replacing shifting cultivation in the hill district of Khagrachari with settled agriculture and new soil conservation techniques based around orchard growing.Item Industrial pollution : can the news media influence change?(SANDEE, Kathmandu, NP, 2005)India has some of the best environmental regulations in the world. Yet, pollution abounds and environmental degradation has almost become the norm. Formal regulatory institutions in India, as in many developing countries, are plagued with inefficiencies that make implementation of regulatory policies very difficult. In such a situation, it is small wonder that NGOs, the press and other civil society organizations have taken on the role of pollution vigilantes. However, does such nongovernmental informal pressure work? Can the media, particularly the vernacular press, act as a means of informal regulation in pollution control? A recent SANDEE study in India examines the impact of press coverage on pollution and concludes that informal regulations can have an impact on pollution.Item Saving the soil : erosion in the upland farming systems of Vietnam(EEPSEA, Singapore, SG, 2001) IDRC. Regional Office for Southeast and East Asia, Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia; Bui Dung TheOn-site costs of erosion can be calculated for a variety of land use systems, providing vital information to farmers and policymakers about the best farming techniques. The 3-page report covers a study of four land use/farming practices systems in Phu Loc district (Vietnam). Using an erosion-productivity model, the researcher can calculate soil losses in terms of each land use system. Findings show that losses are enormous, and that helping farmers understand soil erosion is necessary, along with subsidies for conservation techniques.