Exploring Values,Context and Perceptions in Contingent Valuation Studies: The CV Market Stall Technique and Willingness to Pay for Wildlife Conservation

Public preferences for conservation and environmental management may be identified in willingness to pay (WTP) studies. Normally part of a contingent valuation exercise, WTP studies elicit monetary estimates of non-market economic goods. This paper describes a new approach to WTP, the CV Market Stall, a technique that adds a discursive, qualitative dimension to contingent valuation. It is suggested that the CV Market Stall technique is a good method for exploring attitudes and responses to environmental project proposals. The flexible format, with an emphasis upon information provision, discussion and learning would also allow contingent valuation to be extended to much more complex and uncertain environmental issues.     

The Value of Countryside Access: A Contingent Valuation Survey of Visitors to the Ridgeway National Trail in the United Kingdom

A contingent valuation survey of users of the 140 km Ridgeway National Trail was undertaken to estimate the value that users place on access to the Trail. The survey found that users had a mean willingness to pay for access to the Ridgeway of £1.24 per visit (£1.13– £1.36 95% Confidence Limits). With around 150 000 visits to the Ridgeway each year, this gives an estimated annual aggregate benefit of £186 000 (£169 500– £204 000 95% Confidence Limits) plus the economic benefits to local economies of visitor spending of some £0.8 million. This compares with the costs of Trail maintenance of around £154 000 per year. The development of National Trails in England for recreation and tourism is also discussed.     

Mind the Costs: Rescaling and Multi-Level Environmental Governance in Venice Lagoon

Competences over environmental matters are distributed across agencies at different scales on a national-to-local continuum. This article adopts a transaction costs economics perspective in order to explore the question whether, in the light of a particular problem, the scale at which a certain competence is attributed can be reconsidered. Specifically, it tests whether a presumption of least-cost operation concerning an agency at a given scale can hold. By doing so, it investigates whether the rescaling of certain tasks, aiming at solving a scale-related problem, is likely to produce an increase in costs for day-to-day agency operations as compared to the status quo. The article explores such a perspective for the case of Venice Lagoon. The negative aspects of the present arrangement concerning fishery management and morphological remediation are directly linked to the scale of the agencies involved. The analysis suggests that scales have been chosen correctly, at least from the point of view of the costs incurred to the agencies involved. Consequently, a rescaling of those agencies does not represent a viable option.     

Willingness to Pay for Improving the Residential Waste Disposal System in Korea: A Choice Experiment Study

This study attempts to apply choice experiments with regard to the residential waste disposal system (RWDS) in Korea by considering various attributes that are related to RWDS. Using data from a survey conducted on 492 households, the empirical analysis yields estimates of the willingness to pay for a clean food-waste collection facility, the collection of small items (such as obsolete mobile phones and add-ons for personal computers), and a more convenient large waste disposal system. The estimation results of multinomial logit models are quite similar to those of nested logit models. The results reveal that residents have preferences for the cleanliness of facilities and the collection of small items. In Korea, residents are required to purchase and attach stickers for the disposal of large items; they want to be able to obtain stickers at not only village offices but also supermarkets. On the other hand, the frequency of waste collection is not a significant factor in the choice of the improved waste management program.

Estimating the Benefits of Agri-environmental Policy: Econometric Issues in Open-ended Contingent Valuation Studies

This paper reports on an open-ended Contingent Valuation Method study of the conservation benefits of Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESAs) in Scotland. The ESA scheme is a central component of agri-environmental policy in the UK, and an interesting policy question concerns the extent of non-market benefits generated by such ESAs. The econometric issues we raise in this paper revolve around bid curves. Bid curves are estimated in open-ended Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) studies for three reasons. These are: (1) as a test of theoretical validity; (2) as a test of discriminant validity; and (3) as a means of benefits transfer. Within the first and last of these aims, the partial relationship between willingness to pay (WTP) and independent variables such as income is of interest. There are several econometric issues involved in estimating such relationships, First, the selection process implicit in obtaining positive WTP bids should be explicitly modelled. Second, many CVM surveys suffer from item non-response with respect to 'sensitive' questions such as the respondent's income; these non-responses may be non-random in nature. Finally, it is possible to dis-aggregate the effect of marginal changes in, say, income on WTP into two elements, namely: an effect on the probability that the individual will be willing to pay something; and secondly, an effect on how much they are willing to pay.     

Impact of Socio-demographic Factors on Willingness to Pay for the Reduction of a Future Health Risk

Knowledge of socio-demographic factors affecting attitudes to and perception of risk is an important instrument in enhancing efficiencies of interventions. The authors evaluated whether socio-demographic variables affected attitudes to an environmental issue (securing future drinking water). An important aspect was the delay between time of environmental pollution and time of human exposure and thereby potential health risk. Gender, education, place of residence and age all influenced the extent to which individuals were willing to allocate present resources to alleviate a future problem. Specifically, people above the age of 50 appeared more reluctant to pay for an intervention against a future potential health threat. The authors found a significant correlation between attitude and willingness to pay (WTP). In the authors' scenarios, the WTP variable worked more as a dichotomous variable than as a continuous variable, stressing the importance and relevance of the WTP=0 answers.     

Analyzing the Social Factors That Influence Willingness to Pay for Invasive Alien Species Management Under Two Different Strategies: Eradication and Prevention

Biological invasions occur worldwide, and have been the object of ecological and socio-economic research for decades. However, the manner in which different stakeholder groups identify the problems associated with invasive species and confront invasive species management under different policies remains poorly understood. In this study, we conducted an econometric analysis of the social factors influencing willingness to pay for invasive alien species management under two different regimes: eradication and prevention in the Doñana Natural Protected Area (SW Spain). Controlling for the participation of local residents, tourists and conservationists, email and face-to-face questionnaires were conducted. Results indicated that respondents were more willing to pay for eradication than prevention; and public support for invasive alien species management was influenced by an individual’s knowledge and perception of invasive alien species, active interest in nature, and socio-demographic attributes. We concluded that invasive alien species management research should confront the challenges to engage stakeholders and accept any tradeoffs necessary to modify different conservation policies to ensure effective management is implemented. Finally, our willingness to pay estimates suggest the Department of Environment of Andalusian Government has suitable social support to meet the budgetary expenditures required for invasive alien species plans and adequate resources to justify an increase in the invasive alien species management budget.     

成渝地区大气污染生命统计价值评价研究——基于单边界二分式的条件价值法

大气污染生命统计价值是进行大气污染造成的人体健康损失核算和大气污染防治政策成效评估的关键指标。本文运用条件价值方法的单边界二分式函数模型,对成渝地区降低大气污染健康风险的平均支付意愿和生命统计价值进行了计算。主要结论如下:①成渝地区大气污染的平均支付意愿是1974.2元,生命统计价值为394.8万元。其中,四川部分地区和重庆地区的生命统计价值分别为402万元和392.8万元。②性别、家庭年收入和自我认知的身体健康状况等指标对平均支付意愿影响较大。③在生命价值评估方法中,国内普遍使用人力资本法,而国外主要使用条件价值法。条件价值法计算的生命统计价值高于人力资本法计算的结果,但与发达国家相比,我国成渝地区的生命统计价值相对较低。     

Can Red Pay for Blue? Methods to Estimate the Added Value of Water in Residential Environments

As a result of climate changes, more land is now needed in the Netherlands for water retention in towns and the countryside. Recently, this perceived need has resulted in new forms of water management and spatial planning strategies. Multi-functional land use is an option such as housing in combination with retention lakes. Some argue that the market potential is high and that water has an added value in residential environments. This added value could be used to compensate for non-profitable investments such as the creation of lakes. The key question is how to value this amenity. It is argued that non-economists often assume that a valuation is just a technique. The authors challenge this by presenting an overview of economic perspectives as well as techniques. A literature review reveals the main valuation perspectives and suggests estimated added values of 10‐15% for the seashore, 5‐10% for river locations (streams), and 5% for lakes.     

Impact of Perceived Importance of Ecosystem Services and Stated Financial Constraints on Willingness to Pay for Riparian Meadow Restoration in Flanders (Belgium)

The strategic importance of ecosystem service valuation as an operational basis for policy decisions on natural restoration has been increasingly recognized in order to align the provision of ecosystem services with the expectation of human society. The contingent valuation method (CVM) is widely used to quantify various ecosystem services. However, two areas of concern arise: (1) whether people value specific functional ecosystem services and overlook some intrinsic aspects of natural restoration, and (2) whether people understand the temporal dimension of ecosystem services and payment schedules given in the contingent scenarios. Using a peri-urban riparian meadow restoration project in Flanders, Belgium as a case, we explored the impacts of residents’ perceived importance of various ecosystem services and stated financial constraints on their willingness-to-pay for the proposed restoration project employing the CVM. The results indicated that people tended to value all the benefits of riparian ecosystem restoration concurrently, although they accorded different importances to each individual category of ecosystem services. A longer payment scheme can help the respondents to think more about the flow of ecosystem services into future generations. A weak temporal embedding effect can be detected, which might be attributed to respondents’ concern about current financial constraints, rather than financial bindings associated with their income and perceived future financial constraints. This demonstrates the multidimensionality of respondents’ financial concerns in CV. This study sheds light on refining future CV studies, especially with regard to public expectation of ecosystem services and the temporal dimension of ecosystem services and payment schedules.     

The Impact of Local versus National Framing on Willingness to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions: a case study from central Pennsylvania

This paper explores the impact of the frame in which people interpret global warming. In 1999, 637 respondents completed a mail survey in five counties in central Pennsylvania. Half of the sample received questionnaires that framed global warming in terms of the local impacts of mitigation policies, whereas the other half received questionnaires that framed global warming in terms of the national impacts of mitigation policies. The results show a statistically significant but small difference between the local and national frames in the respondents' willingness to support government policies, as well as to take voluntary actions to mitigate climate change.     

如何注意土工试验中存在的问题与试验成果的综合分析

随着我国社会的不断进步与发展,各种新技术不断运用于实践当中,土工试验也需要采用有新技术新方法。文章根据土和土体的基本特性,讲述土工试验成果在工程勘察中的重要性和其成果综合分析的必要性。分别对土的物理试验和力学试验成果进行了分析对比,提出在土工试验工作中,首先要严格按国家规定的标准,进行样品测试工作,消除一切外部因素和内部因素,将土的物理指标和力学指标紧密结合起来,对可疑数据进行综合分析,查找原因,采取补救措施,提交准确、可信的土工试验成果报告。     

The Value of Linking Mitigation and Adaptation: A Case Study of Bangladesh

There are two principal strategies for managing climate change risks: mitigation and adaptation. Until recently, mitigation and adaptation have been considered separately in both climate change science and policy. Mitigation has been treated as an issue for developed countries, which hold the greatest responsibility for climate change, while adaptation is seen as a priority for the South, where mitigative capacity is low and vulnerability is high. This conceptual divide has hindered progress against the achievement of the fundamental sustainable development challenges of climate change. Recent attention to exploring the synergies between mitigation and adaptation suggests that an integrated approach could go some way to bridging the gap between the development and adaptation priorities of the South and the need to achieve global engagement in mitigation. These issues are explored through a case study analysis of climate change policy and practice in Bangladesh. Using the example of waste-to-compost projects, a mitigation-adaptation-development nexus is demonstrated, as projects contribute to mitigation through reducing methane emissions; adaptation through soil improvement in drought-prone areas; and sustainable development, because poverty is exacerbated when climate change reduces the flows of ecosystem services. Further, linking adaptation to mitigation makes mitigation action more relevant to policymakers in Bangladesh, increasing engagement in the international climate change agenda in preparation for a post-Kyoto global strategy. This case study strengthens the argument that while combining mitigation and adaptation is not a magic bullet for climate policy, synergies, particularly at the project level, can contribute to the sustainable development goals of climate change and are worth exploring.     

重视地下水资源开发利用与保护

本文着重介绍了国内外地下水开发利用状况，以及造成水质严重污染，影响人类的生存，提出合理开发利用和保护地下水资源，已成为当今世界上的重要课题，提出了和措施，一，强调地下不和地表水是自然界水循环中两个密切相关的环境，必须统一管理，协调开发，二，应用计算机技术，建立管理模型。三，注意解决地表与地下水联合规划，海水入侵，地面沉降，工农业污染，人工回灌等，四，加强对水质和生态环境的保护。     

The Ethical Values in the U.S. Agricultural and Food System

Many segments of society have systems of values arising from collective beliefs and motivations. For agriculture, and our food system, increasing production to feed the growing human population clearly is a core value. However, a survey we conducted, together with a previously reported survey, showed that the curricula of most U.S. colleges of agriculture do not offer ethics courses that examine the basis of this core value or include discussion of agriculture’s ethical dilemmas such as misuse of pesticides, not progressing rapidly enough toward sustainability goals, relative lack of involvement in addressing diet-related health issues, and lack of commitment to reducing agriculture’s role as a contributor to global climate change. These surveys provide strong evidence that few students have an opportunity to learn ethical concepts and apply them to issues of importance to the agriculture/food system. We suggest that such issues are both growing societal concerns and serious ethical problems that demand attention if our agricultural/food system is not see its relationship with the public further imperiled. Further, we suggest that there is a need for, indeed an obligation of, the faculty of colleges of agriculture to embrace a thorough analysis and discussion of agriculture’s values and their ethical foundation. We offer our thoughts on why curricula of colleges of agriculture do not provide such opportunities and on the importance of agricultural faculties providing leadership in ethical analysis and discussion.     

The economic effects of stratospheric ozone depletion on U.S. agriculture: a preliminary assessment

The adverse effects of stratospheric ozone depletion on human health and welfare is a major environmental concern. One potential welfare effect is reduction in plant productivity, including agricultural crops, due to increased UV-B radiation and tropospheric ozone formation. This paper evaluates the economic effects of potential changes in crop yields due to hypothetical depletions in stratospheric ozone over regions of the U.S.A. Results suggest that increases in tropospheric ozone due to a 15 per cent stratospheric ozone depletion may cause economic losses of around 0·9 billion dollars. Combined effects of both tropospheric ozone and UV-B radiation range from 1·3 to 2·5 billion dollars. These estimates are preliminary, given the high degree of uncertainty in key plant science and aerometric data.     

Risk Tradeoffs in Adaptive Ecosystem Management: The Case of the U.S. Forest Service

Natural resource planning processes on public lands in the United States are driven in large part by the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which dictates general processes for analyzing and disclosing the likely impacts of proposed actions. The outcomes of these processes are the result of multiple factors, many related to the manifold smaller incremental decisions made by agency personnel directing the processes. Through interviews with decision makers, team leaders, and team members on five NEPA processes within the U.S. Forest Service, this study examines those incremental decisions. Risk, in particular external relationship risk, emerged as a dominant lens through which agency personnel weigh and make process-related decisions. We discuss the tradeoffs associated with agency actors’ emphasis on this form of risk and their potential implications for adaptive ecosystem management and organizational performance.     

An Ecoregional Approach to the Economic Valuation of Land- and Water-Based Recreation in the United States

/ This paper describes a framework for estimating the economic value of outdoor recreation across different ecoregions. Ten ecoregions in the continental United States were defined based on similarly functioning ecosystem characters. The individual travel cost method was employed to estimate recreation demand functions for activities such as motor boating and waterskiing, developed and primitive camping, coldwater fishing, sightseeing and pleasure driving, and big game hunting for each ecoregion. While our ecoregional approach differs conceptually from previous work, our results appear consistent with the previous travel cost method valuation studies.KEY WORDS: Recreation; Ecoregion; Travel cost method; Truncated Poisson model     

Serving the Common Interest in U.S. Forest Policy: A Case Study of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act

In the United States, the common interest often is conceived as a by-product of the pluralist, interest-group-driven democratic process. Special interests dominate in many political arenas. Consequently, we have lost the language, vocabulary, and ability to talk about the common interest. The way to reverse this trend is to develop and practice with new tools that allow us to articulate what we mean by the common interest in specific contexts. In this article, we leveraged the literature on procedural, substantive, and pragmatic decision making to illustrate how they work together to demonstrate whether and how the common interest was served in three case studies of Healthy Forests Restoration Act implementation on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest in Arizona. In two of the cases we found that the common interest was mostly served, while in the third case it was not. Our results raise questions about the ability of procedural criteria or substantive criteria alone to determine effectiveness in decision making. When evaluated together they provide a more complete understanding of how the common interest is or is not served.

黄河流域近十五年生态系统服务价值变化特征及影响因素研究

黄河流域生态系统服务变化的定量评估有利于考核流域生态综合治理效果。本研究构建了基于能值的生态系统服务价值核算方法体系,核算了黄河流域2000—2015年省级及地市级尺度生态系统服务价值变化及导致变化的原因。结果表明:(1)近15年,黄河流域生态状况有明显好转,除河南和山东外,增幅主要集中在黄河流域的中上游(7%～27%),增幅最大的为甘肃;(2)黄河流域的117个地级市(地区、自治州、盟)中,有77个地级市(地区、自治州、盟)生态系统服务价值有不同增幅(0.46%～210%);(3)黄河流域"源""过程""汇"区位不同保护重点不同,要根据其所提供生态服务的能力及改善情况动态制定分区分类保护策略;(4)近15年的林地面积增加对所提供的服务提升效果明显,湿地(湖泊、沼泽地)的减少变成黄河流域上、中、下游省份服务下降的最大驱动因素。本研究能够为黄河流域生态治理及城市绿色发展提供基础性依据。