Economic and environmental analysis of buffer zones as an instrument to reduce ammonia loads to nature areas

In this paper, we present a Danish case study of the effectiveness and costs of protecting nitrogen poor nature areas vulnerable to ammonia eutrophication by appointing buffer zones around them. Buffer zones are found to be an important step towards sustainable co-existence of intensive livestock production and nature conservation when local sources are important contributors to eutrophication. Depending on the deposition patterns, buffer zones may be cost-effective compared to re-establishment of eutrophicated locations, but a need for further model analysis is also identified.     

Determinants of spatial diversity in modern wheat: examples from Australia and China

The spatial distribution of modern varieties, and the genes they embody, has economic value because it affects crop productivity from year to year. Since farmers choose varieties based on observable traits rather than the genes they cannot see, a first step in understanding the spatial distribution of genes is to better understand the determinants of the spatial distribution of varieties. In this paper, we have constructed spatial diversity indices from area distributions of modern wheat varieties in Australia and China. We hypothesise that factors explaining variation in these indices are related to farmers' demand for traits and the supply of varieties, given physical features of the production environment. We test these hypotheses using reduced form equations for three concepts of spatial diversity, richness, abundance and evenness, using Zellner's seemingly unrelated regression (SUR). Spatial diversity indicators and analyses of this type, if more fully developed and targeted to address specific policy issues, may assist in monitoring crop genetic diversity or ‘refuge’ targets associated with the diffusion of some genetically modified crops.     

Contracts payments for ecosystem services: the case of bio-pospecting

We examine the economics of royalties in bioprospecting contracts between a pharmaceutical and genetic resource supplier (local), with an eye to understanding the relative advantages of indexing royalty payments to gross revenue or net revenue. We show a risk-averse firm facing only production or only cost risks will index royalties to net revenue. When facing both types of risk, the choice of royalty type depends on the relative magnitudes of the production and cost risk. In each case, the risk-averse firm chooses the royalty type that shifts as much risk as possible to the local. When the local is risk neutral, the pharmaceutical's and local's preferences are compatible. If the local is risk averse and there is only one type of risk, it will prefer a gross revenue royalty, and shift as much risk as possible to the firm: here the local and firm preferences are compatible only if the firm is risk-neutral, Lastly, we show if the firm sets the terms of the contract, and both agents are risk averse, the firm will not likely volunteer to implement the socially optimal royalty arrangement as it prefers to shift as much risk to the local, who now also prefers a more certain return. This last outcome is at the heart of the benefit sharing discussion and suggests if risk sharing and equity are a concern in benefit sharing, then the choice of royalty type can be an important part of negotiations between pharmaceuticals and locals for the phytochemical from nature for new drug discovery.     

Increased ecoefficiency and gross rebound effect: Evidence from USA and six European countries 1960-2002

Despite increased efficiency in the use of natural resources, the use of these resources continues to increase in most societies. This paper examines the discrepancy between the potential decrease of use of natural resources, as an effect of increased efficiency, and actual use. During the period 1960-2002, this difference was found to grow faster in the USA than the mean for six West European countries. Possible reasons for this difference between the two regions are analysed. To reduce the anthropogenic flows of energy and material, and the consequent deleterious effects on the biosphere, it will become necessary to adapt consumption to degree of efficiency in the use of natural resources. Based on the comparison between the two regions, some economic aspects of this issue are discussed.     

The biodiversity supergame

This paper considers the ability of developed countries to sustain a cooperative agreement to compensate developing countries for the incremental costs of biodiversity conservation. It is shown that, depending on certain parameter values and the model specification, such an agreement could only codify the non-cooperative outcome or achieve the full cooperative outcome where global net benefits are maximized. However, where the agreement can sustain the full cooperative outcome, net benefits will be only slightly larger than in the noncooperative outcome.     

The biodiversity problem in tea-production： the case of Fujian Province,China

Biodiversity is on important concept in ecology,ogriculture and also economics.This paper examines the biodiversity problem in tea-production of Fujian province,China,and tries to improve the biodiversity in Fujian tea industry by illustrating the problem and arousing the public concern about it ,which is the main contribution and the purpose of the problem in detail at first.In the next section it analyzes some factors which contribute to the problem,mainly including natural and historical reasons,economic reasons,institutional reasons and technological reasons.Then this paper tries to propose Some suggestions to solve or alleviate the biodiversity problem in Fujian tea-production from the point of government,academic field and the producers,as it needs the joint efforts of all those participants.Econometric analyses will be made when necessary with SPSS 11.0.     

保护生物多样性的生态经济学研究

生物多样性是近年来的环境热点问题之一。长期以来,对生物多样性的研究多局限于自然科学领域,然而,要有效的保护生物多样性必须了解其对人类和在国民经济系统中的重要性,以及生物多样性损失的原因,研究表明,经济上的原因是生物多样性的损失的主要原因,因此,本文从经济学角度来研究,评估生物多样性的经济价值,研究经济活动、经济政策与生物多样性状态之间的联系,并提出生物多样性可持续利用的经济政策。     

Conservation of biodiversity and economic development: The concept of transferable development rights

For ecological and economic reasons it is more cost effective to conserve habitats rather than species, and hence biodiversity conservation becomes a land use issue. Since in developing countries, land is the most important productive asset, the opportunity costs of conservation are forgone development, while the benefits from conservation are distant and largely external to the host country. The concept of transferable development rights (TDRs), which has been extensively applied to conservation of historical buildings in urban areas, is extended and adapted here to the conservation of biodiversity, both within a country and globally. Creation of a market for TDRs makes effective the latent demand for and supply of biodiversity conservation and generates benefits for both the supplier (developing countries) and the demander (developed countries). The paper explores the conditions and public interventions necessary for the creation of an active market for TDRs. It also proposes a number of mechanisms such as credits and offsets for purchase of TDRs against domestic regulations and conservation taxes in the developed countries.     

论生物多样性保护与社会经济持续发展的关系

本文在介绍生物多样性的概念及其丧失现状的基础上，重点分析了生物多样性保护与社会经济持续发展的关系，即生物多样性保护是社会经济持续发展的物质基础，社会经济持续发展为生物多样性保护提供了物质保障。虽然生物多样性丧失这一问题产生于经济发展过程中，但是也必然会随着社会经济的持续发展而得到解决。     

An empirical approach to ecosystem-based fishery management

Marine scientists and policymakers are encouraging ecosystem-based fishery management (EBFM), but there is limited guidance on how to operationalize the concept. We adapt financial portfolio theory as a method for EBFM that accounts for species interdependencies, uncertainty, and sustainability constraints. Illustrating our method with routinely collected data available from the Chesapeake Bay, we demonstrate the gains from taking into account variances and covariances of gross fishing revenues in setting species total allowable catches. We find over the period from 1962-2003 that managers could have increased the revenues from fishing and reduced the variance by employing EBFM frontiers in setting catch levels.