Introduction: Natural Capital, Poverty and Development

Can development occur without running down natural resources in an unsustainable way? The concept of natural capital offers a way for those with divergent views (ecologists and economists for example) to discuss this difficult question. Four aspects are examined in detail. First, the role of institutions in facilitating sustainable development is discussed, with examples from forestry. Then examples from (eco)tourism illustrate the potential – and limits – of applicability of the concept. Measurement issues for natural capital are then considered in detail. Finally, the concept is applied to agricultural strategy in fragile lands, where the tradeoff between the environment and development is likely to be most severe. Some implications for future research and policy are developed.     

Institutions, Forest Management, and Sustainable Human Development – Experiences from India

New institutional economists have argued that there are many categories of institutions, including market and non-market institutions, which may prove economically efficient, specifically for public goods and common pool goods. The Government of India introduced a non-market community-based institution, known as Joint Forest Management (JFM), for forest management and protection in 1990. JFM is a sharing mechanism for forest planning and management based on sharing of rights and duties, control and decision-making authority over forestlands, between forest departments and local user groups. By 2001, 42 000 Village Forest Committees established under JFM were managing over 11.5 million ha forestland. These institutions have proved very useful, and have contributed to forest management as well as four aspects of sustainable human development (SHD) – ecological output, income generation, village infrastructure development, and community empowerment. In the long-term, community-based institutions will prove to be a foundation of SHD and participatory democracy.     

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。     

中国经济增长对碳排放的影响分析

通过相关分析探讨了中国国内生产总值(GDP)的增长与碳排放量的关系.结果表明,二者有明显的相关性(R2＝0.958 1).进一步研究认为,由于中国投资率在35%～40%以上,且工业增加值占GDP的比重超过50%,因此中国过分依赖投资的经济增长方式和以第二产业(工业)为主的经济结构在很大程度上是导致温室气体排放量增加的主要原因.未来在全球化背景下,经济增长可转变为更多地依靠科技创新、技术进步和制度的改进,因此,调整经济增长方式和产业结构,可以在保持发展经济的同时,使碳排放强度呈逐渐下降的趋势.     

Identification of policies for a sustainable legal trade in rhinoceros horn based on population projection and socioeconomic models

Between 1990 and 2007, 15 southern white (Ceratotherium simum simum) and black (Diceros bicornis) rhinoceroses on average were killed illegally every year in South Africa. Since 2007 illegal killing of southern white rhinoceros for their horn has escalated to >950 individuals/year in 2013. We conducted an ecological–economic analysis to determine whether a legal trade in southern white rhinoceros horn could facilitate rhinoceros protection. Generalized linear models were used to examine the socioeconomic drivers of poaching, based on data collected from 1990 to 2013, and to project the total number of rhinoceroses likely to be illegally killed from 2014 to 2023. Rhinoceros population dynamics were then modeled under 8 different policy scenarios that could be implemented to control poaching. We also estimated the economic costs and benefits of each scenario under enhanced enforcement only and a legal trade in rhinoceros horn and used a decision support framework to rank the scenarios with the objective of maintaining the rhinoceros population above its current size while generating profit for local stakeholders. The southern white rhinoceros population was predicted to go extinct in the wild <20 years under present management. The optimal scenario to maintain the rhinoceros population above its current size was to provide a medium increase in antipoaching effort and to increase the monetary fine on conviction. Without legalizing the trade, implementing such a scenario would require covering costs equal to approximately $147,000,000/year. With a legal trade in rhinoceros horn, the conservation enterprise could potentially make a profit of $717,000,000/year. We believe the 35‐year‐old ban on rhinoceros horn products should not be lifted unless the money generated from trade is reinvested in improved protection of the rhinoceros population. Because current protection efforts seem to be failing, it is time to evaluate, discuss, and test alternatives to the present policy.     

Ecological-Economic Modeling for Biodiversity Management: Potential, Pitfalls, and Prospects

Abstract:  Ecologists and economists both use models to help develop strategies for biodiversity management. The practical use of disciplinary models, however, can be limited because ecological models tend not to address the socioeconomic dimension of biodiversity management, whereas economic models tend to neglect the ecological dimension. Given these shortcomings of disciplinary models, there is a necessity to combine ecological and economic knowledge into ecological-economic models. It is insufficient if scientists work separately in their own disciplines and combine their knowledge only when it comes to formulating management recommendations. Such an approach does not capture feedback loops between the ecological and the socioeconomic systems. Furthermore, each discipline poses the management problem in its own way and comes up with its own most appropriate solution. These disciplinary solutions, however, are likely to be so different that a combined solution considering aspects of both disciplines cannot be found. Preconditions for a successful model-based integration of ecology and economics include (1) an in-depth knowledge of the two disciplines, (2) the adequate identification and framing of the problem to be investigated, and (3) a common understanding between economists and ecologists of modeling and scale. To further advance ecological-economic modeling the development of common benchmarks, quality controls, and refereeing standards for ecological-economic models is desirable.     

ECONOMIC AND WATER QUALITY EFFECTS OF VARIABLE AND UNIFORM APPLICATION OF NITROGEN1

ABSTRACT: Nitrogen (N) fertilizer rates for achieving optimum crop yields often vary within a field due to spatial variability in soil moisture and nitrogen content and other crop growth factors. When there is substantial within-field variability in these factors, uniform application of N (UAN) may not be economically efficient in terms of maximizing net return because N is likely to be over-applied in some areas and under-applied in other areas of the field. In addition, over-application can adversely affect water quality. A sample of fields in a Midwestern agricultural watershed is used to test for statistically significant differences in N application rates, crop yields, surface and ground water quality and net returns between UAN and variable application of N (VAN) for four cropping systems. Profitability and water quality benefits of VAN are sensitive to the distribution of soil types within a field. Water quality effects and profitability of UAN and VAN vary with cropping systems. VAN is not uniformly superior to UAN in terms of increasing net returns and improving water quality for the farming systems and watershed evaluated in this study.     

排污总量控制的最优化原则探讨

从环境经济学的最优化原则出发，对上海市推行的排污总量控制，超量排污罚款和对允许排放量限度内的排污征收生态环境补偿费进行了论述。根据最优化原则，污染物排放总量应该设置在最佳污染物排放量点，并且不同的河段应该设置相应的允许排放量；单位超量排污罚款价格不可过低，并且应该随着超量排污的增长而增加，以一个合适的费率征收生态环境补偿费会促使企业不断改进它的污染物治理技术，从而减少对水体的污染。因此，这三才是将     

城市土地集约利用研究进展

城市土地集约利用是城市土地利用变化研究的重要内容之一。了解城市土地集约利用的机理、过程和效应,有助于优化城市土地利用空间结构,提高城市土地利用效率,缓解资源环境约束带给城市发展的压力以及促进城市可持续发展。文章从3个方面对国内外城市土地集约利用研究进行了梳理和总结:①研究尺度,包括空间尺度和时间尺度;②研究内容,包括城市土地集约利用的内涵和相关理论、集约利用评价、集约利用驱动机制、集约利用效应、集约利用途径;③研究方法,包括统计分析和计量分析方法、基于过程的动态模型方法、GIS空间分析方法和其他研究方法。最后对其未来的发展方向提出了一些建议,认为在研究尺度上,应加强多尺度、多层次、时间序列的研究;在研究内容上,应加强基础理论、机理、过程和效应的研究;在研究方法上,应加强计量分析、空间分析和动态模型应用。     

以经济学实验研究处罚机制对排污收费政策执行的影响

为研究处罚机制对排污收费政策执行效果的影响,建立了排污收费政策下风险中性企业的最优决策模型,设计了经济学实验.采用数据统计、线性随机效应模型、单因素不等重复实验方差分析等方法分析实验数据,验证了该模型得出的假设.结果表明,边际处罚期望对于企业的违法量和排放量决策均有显著负影响;企业边际减排成本对于企业的排放量决策有显著正影响,对于违法量决策没有显著影响;相同边际处罚期望下,监测频率越高,企业的服从率越高,且在边际处罚期望较高时,更为明显.因此,提高边际处罚期望可同时改善企业违法行为与促进企业减排.同时,为降低执行成本,在边际处罚期望较低时,可首先将线性罚款向梯级罚款转变.当边际处罚期望上升到较高水平时,则应注重监测频率的提高,并应重点监控那些排污量大而不是边际减排成本高的企业.