Enhancing the Engagement of U.S. Private Foundations with Conservation Science

Abstract: Funding for conservation is limited, and its investment for maximum conservation gain can likely be enhanced through the application of relevant science. Many donor institutions support and use science to pursue conservation goals, but their activities remain relatively unfamiliar to the conservation‐science community. We examined the priorities and practices of U.S.‐based private foundations that support biodiversity conservation. We surveyed 50 donor members of the Consultative Group on Biological Diversity (CGBD) to address three questions: (1) What support do CGBD members provide for conservation science? (2) How do CGBD members use conservation science in their grant making and strategic thinking? (3) How do CGBD members obtain information about conservation science? The 38 donor institutions that responded to the survey made $340 million in grants for conservation in 2005, including $62 million for conservation science. Individual foundations varied substantially in the proportion of conservation funds allocated to science. Foundations also varied in the ways and degree to which they used conservation science to guide their grant making. Respondents found it “somewhat difficult” to stay informed about conservation science relevant to their work, reporting that they accessed conservation science information mainly through their grantees. Many funders reported concerns about the strategic utility of funding conservation science to achieve conservation gains. To increase investment by private foundations in conservation science, funders, researchers, and conservation practitioners need to jointly identify when and how new scientific knowledge will lower barriers to conservation gains. We envision an evolving relationship between funders and conservation scientists that emphasizes primary research and synthesis motivated by (1) applicability, (2) human‐ecosystem interactions, (3) active engagement among scientists and decision makers, and (4) broader communication of relevant scientific information.     

民航企业安全投入的经济贡献率研究

通过对民航安全投入定义、特点及安全投入效益的分析,结合生产函数的有关概念及分析方法,建立了民航企业安全投入的经济贡献率分析模型。参考两家主要航空公司的有关安全投入的经济数据,采用该模型分析两公司的安全投入对企业利润和运输周转量的贡献率,以事实和数据证明安全投入是有产出的,对企业经济增长是有贡献的。从分析数据也可以看出,民航企业整体安全投入的经济贡献率远高于全国平均水平,其原因在于民航行业的高科技特点以及近年来在安全方面的持续投入。通过安全经济贡献率模型,可以对不同行业、不同企业的安全投入状况作出合理的比较和评价。     

上海市环保产业科技投入政策、体系和制度研究

上海市环保产业科技投入位居全国前列.为了进一步提高投资绩效,需要配套完善相关制度.因此对上海市环保产业研发提出了加大投入、调整投入结构、综合运用财政工具的财政政策,以及深化环保税收政策建议;设计了上海市“政府投入积极导向、企业科研投入为主、金融信贷风险投资支撑,社会多方参与补充”的多元化环保产业科技投入体系.     

安徽沿江地带投资环境综合研究

改善投资环境吸引外资是经济发展的重要内容。安徽沿江地带是长江经济带重要的组成部分，对安徽沿江地带投资环境进行了分析与评价，并就进一步完善沿江地带宏观投资环境，推动经济联合发展提出了建议与措施。     

长江三角洲地区外商直接投资空间分布及其效应研究

文章利用1986-2005年的历年资料，分析了长江三角洲FDI的分布特点及其影响因素；并分两个时段就FDI对长江三角洲经济增长的短期效应和长期效应进行了实证分析。研究表明：长江三角洲FDI主要集中长江以南地区，现有的FDI规模、区域市场容量等是主要影响因素。FDI对长江三角洲经济增长无论短期还是长期都有显著的促进作用。     

长江流域投资环境层次分析

分析了长江流域投资环境宏观，中观，微观各方面的基本特征，进而提出了从实际出发，加强长江流域投资与建设的基本思路。     

论中国绿色投资管理

绿色投资是绿色经济发展的必然结果,绿色投资是绿色经济增长的第一推动力。绿色投资是最能体现以人为本和经济社会可持续发展的投资,是最能体现科学发展观的投资。从绿色投资的含义及与绿色经济的关联出发,在脱钩理论的基础上,分析了中国绿色投资的现状和问题,探讨了如何加大中国绿色投资,促进绿色经济发展,实现中国经济社会的可持续发展。     

民间资本促进循环经济发展路径研究

现阶段我国循环经济发展主要依靠政府推动。与此同时,我国民间资本已发展为具有相对集中等特点的庞大资金流,并积极寻找投资路径。循环经济发展需遵从"资金—技术—利润"公式,引导民间资本与循环经济相结合,可以使企业得到发展,民间资本得到利润,由于互惠,使其存在可行性。     

Motivations Influencing the Adoption of Conservation Easements

Abstract: The use of conservation easements as a conservation mechanism for private land has increased greatly in the past decade; conservation easements now protect over 15 million ha across the United States from residential and commercial development. We used a mailed survey and in‐depth telephone interviews to determine factors that motivate private landowners in Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin (U.S.A.) to place conservation easements on their properties. The mailed survey asked about characteristics of landowners, their properties, and their opinions on 9 factors related to the decision to place an easement. A follow‐up telephone interview was completed with 19 mail‐survey participants to gain an in‐depth understanding of the action and to triangulate the results with the questionnaire. Place attachment, which is a measure of personal connection to a location or property, was the greatest motivation for implementation of an easement. Results of a principal components analysis suggested contributing to the public good underlaid several of the strong motivational factors for participation. Financial reasons were the lowest ranked motivational factor; however, financial concerns may facilitate placement of an easement that would otherwise not be realized. We believe that our results may be transferable to places where land protected by easements is not dominated by traditional farming (row crops, pastures, and hay), timber harvesting, or nonextractive uses (e.g., habitat for wild animals, recreation, and protection of ecosystem services).     

What drives large South African corporations to invest in sub‐Saharan Africa? CEO's perspectives and implications for FDI policies

Foreign direct investment (FDI) flowing into Africa is highly diverse in terms of the origin of the investors, size of the firms, and the sectors of activity. The motivations and factors driving firms' decisions to invest in Africa are equally diverse. A direct survey of senior management in South African firms that are operating in sub-Saharan Africa reveals that the drivers of foreign investment as well as the risks and the strategies to overcome them differ markedly between sectors. A further finding is that there is a limited pool of FDI promotion policies and incentives that governments can institute that are effective in impacting South African corporations' investment decisions. As a consequence, broad-based FDI promotion policies aimed at attracting FDI across all investor groups are likely to have limited impact in attracting FDI from any particular investor group, or in attracting any FDI from multinational companies similar to the South African companies studied here. Such broad based policies probably need to be complemented with policies targeting those specific firms or sectors which countries hope to attract.