Pressures,trends, and impacts in coastal zones: Interactions between socioeconomic and natural systems

This paper assesses the status of coastal zones in the context of expected climate change and its related impacts, as well as current and future socioeconomic pressures and impacts. It is argued that external stresses and shocks relating to sea-level rise and other changes will tend to exacerbate existing environmental pressures and damage in coastal zones. Coastal zones are under increasing stress because of an interrelated set of planning failures including information, economic market, and policy intervention failures. Moves towards integrated coastal zone management are urgently required to guide the coevolution of natural and human systems. Overtly technocentric claims that assessments of vulnerability undertaken to date are overestimates of likely future damages from global warming are premature. While it is the case that forecasts of sea-level rise have been scaled down, much uncertainty remains over, for example, combined storm, sea surge, and other events. In any case, within the socioeconomic analyses of the problem, resource valuations have been at best only partial and have failed to incorporate sensitivity analysis in terms of the discount rates utilized. This would indicate an underestimation of potential damage costs. Overall, a precautionary approach is justified based on the need to act ahead of adequate information acquisition, economically efficient resource pricing and proactive coastal planning.     

条件价值评估法本土化改进及其验证——来自武汉的实证研究

运用条件价值评估法(CVM)评估资源环境等非市场物品价值是近年来国外研究的热点问题。20世纪90年代后期,国内开始陆续出现以CVM评估非市场价值的研究案例,多数文献集中在该方法的应用层面。论文以武汉市耕地非市场价值评估为研究目标,紧密结合现实国情和武汉市的具体情况,针对耕地非市场价值内涵界定、WTP与WTA选择、价值评估影响人群界定、WTP累加、支付方式选择等多个技术环节展开探索性研究,结合实际对传统CVM理论模型进行了修正。CVM问卷调查分析表明,在论文所定义的耕地价值内涵下,具有武汉户籍农村居民的平均WTP为22d,耕地非市场价值为1523.83元/hm₂。     

基于不同利益相关方认知的水源地生态补偿探讨——以上海市水源地和用水区居民问卷调查为例

采用实地问卷调查和条件价值法评估上海市饮用水源保护的利益相关方认知,探讨黄浦江上游水源地生态补偿机制。研究结果表明,当前水源保护相关政策认知比例普遍较低,水源地部分居民福利受到一定影响,对政府补偿政策的期望较为一致,用水区多数居民愿意分担部分水源保护的责任和义务;水源地WTA和用水区WTP分别为1526元/(月•户)和306元/(月•户),相应未来5年的总受偿意愿和总支付意愿为759.48×10⁸元和465.08×10⁸元;生态补偿方案的合理设计以及不同利益相关方的良好沟通是解决水源地环境冲突的关键。     

典型海岛生态系统服务及价值评估

海洋生态系统服务评估相关研究主要集中在特殊海洋生态系统的评估方面.海岛生态系统兼有陆地和海洋的生态系统特征,生态系统组成、结构复杂,很多的服务表现为岛陆互相交错,难以分别计量.选择庙岛群岛南五岛作为研究区域,研究了其生态系统服务,并进行了价值评估.结果表明:2003年庙岛群岛南五岛生态系统服务总价值为3.08×108元.其中,市场价值占到总服务价值的50.99%,与非市场价值基本持平.对于非市场生态系统服务,如气候调节、废弃物处理等,我们仅计算了目前人们已经认识到和容易计算的生态系统服务部分.因此,该研究仅为对庙岛群岛南五岛生态系统服务价值的保守估算.     

Integration of ecological–biological thresholds in conservation decision making

In the Anthropocene, coupled human and natural systems dominate and only a few natural systems remain relatively unaffected by human influence. On the one hand, conservation criteria based on areas of minimal human impact are not relevant to much of the biosphere. On the other hand, conservation criteria based on economic factors are problematic with respect to their ability to arrive at operational indicators of well‐being that can be applied in practice over multiple generations. Coupled human and natural systems are subject to economic development which, under current management structures, tends to affect natural systems and cross planetary boundaries. Hence, designing and applying conservation criteria applicable in real‐world systems where human and natural systems need to interact and sustainably coexist is essential. By recognizing the criticality of satisfying basic needs as well as the great uncertainty over the needs and preferences of future generations, we sought to incorporate conservation criteria based on minimal human impact into economic evaluation. These criteria require the conservation of environmental conditions such that the opportunity for intergenerational welfare optimization is maintained. Toward this end, we propose the integration of ecological–biological thresholds into decision making and use as an example the planetary‐boundaries approach. Both conservation scientists and economists must be involved in defining operational ecological–biological thresholds that can be incorporated into economic thinking and reflect the objectives of conservation, sustainability, and intergenerational welfare optimization.     

Comparison of preservation values between Internet and interview survey modes: the case of Dokdo,South Korea

With the increase in employment of Internet surveys, there is a need to address how this survey mode affects inferences. Internet and interview modes are compared in estimating the preservation value of Dokdo, South Korea. Estimates of willingness to pay in the Internet survey are smaller than those in the interview survey. This may be attributable to the interview respondents being conscious of the presence of the interviewers, given the social importance of Dokdo to Koreans. Internet surveys may be effective in reducing overestimation of the willingness to pay in situations where potential social desirability is present.     

Income and distance-decay effects on willingness to pay estimated by the contingent valuation method

This study suggests a methodology for enhancing accuracy in evaluating amenity by the contingent valuation method when household's willingness to pay (WTP) is dependent to its income and the distance between a respondent's residence and the location of a target facility. Using a linear city model, this study demonstrates the influences of income and distance-decay effects on WTP. Simulations are performed to check the validity of the model, as well as to predict consequences when income and distance-decay effects are not properly treated. Finally, the suggested methodology is applied to two real cases. The estimation results from a structural model show that the calculated total benefit varies largely when income and distance-decay effects exist and are ignored. Also, an ad hoc model generates significantly different estimates from the utility difference model this study adopted. The difference in estimates suggests that the total benefit has to be estimated by a structural model.     

基于不同价值构成的耕地资源价值评估——以湖南省为例

正确认识和科学评估耕地资源的完全价值,对缓解征地补偿标准过低、土地收益分配不合理以及粮食安全和生态环境等问题具有一定指导意义。基于耕地的不同价值构成,选用相应的评估方法对湖南省不同等级耕地的总价值进行了评估,评估结果为：1~5等耕地资源单位面积的总价值分别为547 24813、481 61077、430 74534、385 86049和336 19093元/hm2;不同等级耕地上3种耕地价值的构成不一样,社会保障价值在所有不同等级耕地总价值中所占比重最大。这一研究结论对于显化耕地资源的完全价值以及抑制耕地资源的过度流失具有积极的作用     

Accepting market failure: Cultural worldviews and the opposition to corrective environmental policies

To explore whether and why people sometimes reject environmental policies that improve individual and collective outcomes, we create an experimental market in which transactions generate a negative externality. Market participants endogenously determine whether to implement corrective policies. We consider three policy instruments (Pigouvian taxes and subsidies, and quantity regulation) and two levels of policy efficiency (full and half). We then explore how individual cultural worldviews might contribute to the rejection of policies that correct the market failure. Our results indicate that people often oppose policies that improve their material outcomes, and we find that such opposition is significantly explained by cultural worldviews. Interesting connections emerge between individual worldviews and specific policy instruments.     

Thoughts concerning the economic valuation of landscapes

The incorporation of economic thinking into the valuation of landscapes is still relatively new. It is an approach that yields valuable new insights and can help with prioritizing the use of scarce resources to improve and/or preserve landscapes. This paper explores and discusses the uses and limitations of economic valuation of landscapes from market failure, policy process, and theoretical and philosophical perspectives.