Even-Aged and Uneven-Aged Forest Management in Boreal Fennoscandia: A Review

Since WWII, forest management in Fennoscandia has primarily been based on even-aged stand management, clear cut harvesting and thinning from below. As an alternative, uneven-aged management, based on selection cutting of individual trees or small groups of trees, has been proposed. In this review we discuss the theoretical aspects of ecology and economics of the two management approaches. We also review peer-reviewed studies from boreal Fennoscandia, which have aimed at comparing the outcomes of uneven-aged and the conventional even-aged forest management. According to a common view the main obstacle of practicing uneven-aged forestry is its low economic performance. However, the reviewed studies did not offer any straightforward support for this view and several studies have found uneven-aged management to be fully competitive with existing even-aged management. Studies on the ecological aspects indicated that selection cuttings maintain mature or late-successional forest characteristics and species assemblages better than even-aged management, at least at the stand scale and in the short term. We conclude that although the number of relevant studies has increased in recent years, the ecological and economic performance of alternative management methods still remains poorly examined, especially for those stands with multiple tree species and also at wider spatial and temporal scales. For future research we advocate a strategy that fully takes into consideration the interdisciplinary nature of forest management and is better connected to social goals and latest theoretical and methodological developments in ecology and economics.     

环境经济学在中国的最新进展与展望

本文从环境经济学领域的研究角度出发，介绍了环境经济学在中国最新的研究进展，并对环境经济学在中国未来的一段时间内的发展研究做了展望，随着中国全面建设小康社会和公众环境质量需求的提高，环境经济学所关注的内容会更加全面并逐步深化，环境经济学在中国环境管理中的作用也日益显著。     

Incorporating natural capital into economy-wide impact analysis: a case study from Alberta

Traditionally, decision-makers have relied on economic impactestimates derived from conventional economy-wide models. Conventional models lack the environmental linkages necessary for examining environmental stewardship and economic sustainability, and in particular the ability to assess the impact of policies on natural capital. This study investigatesenvironmentally extended economic impact estimation on a regionalscale using a case study region in the province of Alberta knownas the Foothills Model Forest (FMF). Conventional economic impactmodels are environmentally extended in pursuit of enhancingpolicy analysis and local decision-making. It is found that theflexibility of the computable general equilibrium (CGE) modelingapproach offers potential for environmental extension, with a solid grounding in economic theory. The CGE approach may be the tool of the future for more complete integrated environment andeconomic impact assessment.     

Land Cover Changes as a Result of Environmental Restrictions on Nitrate Leaching in Dairy Farming

Nitrate leaching forms an important environmental problem because it causes pollution of groundwater and surface water, and adds to already problematic eutrophication. This study analyses the impact of reductions in nitrate leaching on land cover decisions of dairy farms, of which the activities make an important contribution to nitrate leaching. As the level of nitrate leaching depends on groundwater depth as well as on the supply of nitrogen, spatial variation in groundwater levels will cause a spatial variation in land cover under restrictions on nitrate leaching. A non-linear partial optimisation model for the economic and ecological aspects of the problem were used to show how land cover and dairy farms' financial balances change when nitrate losses are reduced. The model is spatially explicit, and describes nitrate leakage and yields of maize and grass as a function of groundwater depth, including the effects of various grazing systems. The model analyses the decisions of a risk neutral agent who minimises costs under the following constraints: (i) production, feed requirements and mass balances for fodder; (ii) constraints for nitrate leaching. Economic costs are attributed to increased costs of fodder and processing of manure when nitrate restrictions are tightened. An important result of the study is the variation in compliance costs and land cover for maize and grass production brought about by spatial variation in groundwater depth. While the effects are negligible for some shallow groundwater classes, it is extremely difficult in other classes – if not impossible – to obtain the EU standard of maximum admissible losses of 34 kg N ha^–1 at low costs. The study shows an important reduction in land cover by maize.     

Economic development and environmental protection: an ecological economics perspective

This paper argues on both theoretical and empirical grounds that, beyond a certain point, there is an unavoidable conflictbetween economic development (generally taken to mean 'materialeconomic growth') and environmental protection. Think for a moment of natural forests, grasslands, marine estuaries, salt marshes, and coral reefs; and of arable soils, aquifers, mineraldeposits, petroleum, and coal. These are all forms of 'natural capital' that represent highly-ordered self-producing ecosystemsor rich accumulations of energy/matter with high use potential (low entropy). Now contemplate despoiled landscapes, eroding farmlands, depleted fisheries, anthropogenic greenhouse gases,acid rain, poisonous mine tailings and toxic synthetic compounds.These all represent disordered systems or degraded forms of energy and matter with little use potential (high entropy). The main thing connecting these two states is human economic activity. Ecological economics interprets the environment-economyrelationship in terms of the second law of thermodynamics. The second law sees economic activity as a dissipative process. Fromthis perspective, the production of economic goods andservices invariably requires the consumption of available energy and matter. To grow and develop, the economynecessarily 'feeds' on sources of high-quality energy/matter first produced by nature. This tends to disorder and homogenizethe ecosphere, The ascendance of humankind has consistently been accompanied by an accelerating rate of ecological degradation, particularly biodiversity loss, the simplificationof natural systems and pollution. In short, contemporary political rhetoric to the contrary, the prevailing growth-oriented global development paradigm is fundamentally incompatible with long-term ecological and social sustainability. Unsustainability is not a technical nor economic problem as usually conceived, but rather a state of systemic incompatibilitybetween a economy that is a fully-contained, growing, dependent sub-system of a non-growing ecosphere. Potential solutions fly inthe face of contemporary development trends and cultural values.     

The value of the environment – Is it a matter of approach?

This paper discusses why estimates of the benefits of reduced air pollution differ in accordance with the approach used. Estimates based on bottom-up studies of the damage costs related to air pollution usually turn out much lower than estimates based on assessments of the utility of reduced air pollution, obtained for instance by willingness to pay assessments. This is usually explained by the fact that the willingness to pay approach includes the utility aspect of non-market values, and for this reason, it is often preferred to the damage cost approach. This is, however, not the whole story. The paper shows why alternative approaches should not be considered as being in conflict, but rather as means to get supplementary information necessary to put a value on environmental quality. Information from bottom-up assessments of damage costs and from studies of the willingness to pay is used in a macroeconomic model to carry out an evaluation of the social costs of energy saving measures in Hungary.     

生态足迹的实证分析--中国经济增长中的生态制约

本文通过中国生态足迹的实证分析，讨论了生态系统资源供给方面对经济增长的制约，资源生态足迹是生态足迹的主要部分，反映了经济系统的资源消费，计算发现，1961-1999年中国资源生态足迹持续增长，从1961年的3.3亿hm^2年递增到1999年的16.8亿hm^2年平均增长率为4.4%，资源生态足迹的增长支持了同期的经济增长，但是，实证比较发展资源生态承载力大大低于资源生态足迹，这些实证结果表晨；一方面，中国经济持续增长造成了资源消费持续增加，而另一方面，中国生态系统资源供给能力有限，不能支持当前的资源消费及其增长，由于自然资源是经济系统进行生产的特质基础，其供给不足必然成为经济增长的制约因素。     

可持续发展下的生态经济学理论透视

生态经济学是一门正在蓬勃发展的新兴交叉学科,可持续发展是生态经济学研究的中心问题。人类对可持续发展问题的极大关注推动了生态经济学的发展。本文从宏观角度分析了可持续发展问题的凸显和生态经济学的兴起,着重指出生态经济学是关于可持续发展的科学的认识;阐述了可持续发展条件与状态的生态经济学理论内涵;论述了生态经济系统的本质特征及其可持续发展评估的核心内容;概括了可持续发展评估与绿色国民经济核算的框架及其目标和衡量方法。     

基于水质的水资源模型与水质经济学初探

在对传统的以水量为核心的水资源模型理论与实践矛盾的分析基础上,阐述了水资源社会及自然循环规律,提出城市-流域系统中水资源利用的水质自然与人工再生过程和自然、人工修复的双要素.提出水质再生和水量循环的水资源模型及其假设和约束条件,确定了模型适用的边际条件和范围,据此进一步辨析了城市污水回用与再生水的异同,将再生水置于流域尺度的城市群上下游用户层面,提出污水回用(包括中水利用)是降低需求,再生水是增加总量的基本结论.在以水质为核心的水资源模型基础上,对现有水资源经济学定义进行了修正和补充,提出了水质经济学的基础概念,并讨论了水质经济学指导下的供水服务和价格模型结构,重新定位了再生水的战略并提出以流域水体的净化成本和人工水质改善成本共同形成的全成本高低来表征流域水资源短缺程度的缺水等级划分新思路.     

可持续转型与延伸生产者责任制度

本文采用多层次转型理论的分析框架,回顾了国内外延伸生产者责任(EPR)制度的理论和实践进展,对比了EPR制度倡导者最初提出的创新导向的制度设计,与当前各国实践中基于成本—效益平衡所开展的政策评估研究,指出两者在是否应该将激进的可持续转型作为EPR基本政策目标上观点不同,其原因在于政策的技术创新激励效果难以通过可测量的政策评估方法进行有效考察,由此造成两者在EPR政策调整方向上的分歧:前者坚持EPR制度设计应该进一步完善个体责任原则,以激励生产者创新和采纳绿色技术,推进生产消费模式的系统转型;而后者则强调在现有管制框架下简化制度设计,重点完善循环处理基础设施及其管理效率。这种分歧不仅影响到发达国家EPR制度的演化,也深刻影响了发展中国家EPR制度的移植和建构。结论以中国电子废物管理实践为例,提出构建包含三个层次的演化经济学分析框架,考察EPR制度建构过程中,微观层次的企业技术选择,中观层次的供应链治理结构变动,和宏观层次的再生资源产业转型,以系统考察制度发展对技术创新的激励效果。