Opportunity Cost Estimation of Ecosystem Services

Land-use changes rank among the most significant drivers of change in ecosystem services worldwide. The enhancement of important services such as biodiversity and carbon sequestration requires modifications in land-use that can lead to the decline in other ecosystems services. Targeting the most suitable areas for particular land-uses based on comparative advantages requires opportunity cost information across large regions. This is a demanding task because the input–output relations are ill-defined and determined by spatially heterogeneous operational and environmental conditions. To address this methodological challenge, this paper presents a two-stage semiparametric technique that enables multi-dimensional production possibility frontiers to be estimated from data provided by biophysical models. Specific advantages of the proposed frontier approach are its flexibility with regard to assumptions on the convexity of the production possibility set and its freedom from any separability assumptions for the input–output space and the space of the heterogeneous background variables. The method is illustrated for a case study of 18 Central and Eastern European countries. Results show that opportunity costs of changes in ecosystem services provision differ substantially between regions. Those areas having already relatively high levels of carbon sequestration have a comparative advantage in sequestering carbon. Opportunity costs of biodiversity are generally positively related with the level of biodiversity up to a turning point after which they are negatively related. To illustrate the policy consequences of the observed economies and diseconomies of scope we compare two management regimes to illustrate the potential gains from smart land management.     

Institutional dimensions of Payments for Ecosystem Services: An analysis of Mexico's carbon forestry programme

This article proposes a multi-dimensional framework for understanding the development and effectiveness of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes, framed around the notions of institutional design, performance and interplay. The framework is applied in the context of Mexico's Programme of Payments for Carbon, Biodiversity and Agro-forestry Services (PSA-CABSA), with an emphasis on its carbon component. The analysis shows that PSA-CABSA was promoted by civil society and its rules have been subject to continuous modifications over time. In the case of the carbon component, changes have been due to an original misunderstanding of how carbon projects should be designed, implemented, and carbon traded in actual markets. From a performance point of view, the paper shows that the programme has been well received by rural communities, and carbon payments have contributed to increase household income and to enhance forest management practices and organisational skills. The paper also highlights sources of institutional interplay with local institutions and international climate policy, and it reveals the importance of capacity and scale issues in securing an effective and fair implementation of PES. The conclusion provides some policy recommendations for the future development of PES initiatives in Mexico and elsewhere.     

Economic Assessment of Forest Ecosystem Services Losses: Cost of Policy Inaction

This paper presents a bottom-up methodological framework for estimating some of the key ecosystem services provided by forests biomes worldwide. We consider the provision of wood and non-wood forest products, recreation and passive use services, and carbon sequestration. The valuation framework derives per hectare estimates by applying meta-analysis, value-transfer and scaling-up procedures in order to control for the existing heterogeneities across world regions and forest biomes. The first part of the study estimates stock values per hectare for each forest ecosystem service in the baseline year 2000 and in the year 2050. Results differ per geographical region and biome. Carbon stocks represent, on average, the highest value per hectare, followed by provisioning services, passive use and recreational values respectively. The second part provides an estimation of the welfare loss (or gain) associated with policy inaction in the period 2000–2050 leading to a change in the forest area. Welfare results are mixed and require a careful interpretation, ranging from a worldwide annual benefit of + 0.03% of 2050 GDP to an annual loss of −0.13%. The highest damage is expected in Brazil due to the increasing deforestation taking place in tropical natural forests, which is causing a considerable loss of carbon stocks.     

Opportunity Cost Model of Infrastructure Access Charges for Chinese Railways

For the suppliers of concerned services, theories about infrastructure pricing： SAT （Stand Alone economists such as Laffont, Tirole, etc. developed Test）, ECPR （Efficient Component Pricing Rule）. Especially, Sidak, Spulber, put forward M-ECPR （Market Efficient Component Pricing Rule） method for bottleneck infrastructures. In this article, we bring the M-ECPR principles into the study of Chinese railways pricing of its network infrastructures. Combined with our Engineer Model and Opportunity Cost Model, we analyzed the special conditions faced by Chinese railways, and developed a model for sharing infrastructure fees among freight and passenger transportations. Engineer Model split Variable Cost （VC） and Fixed Cost （FC） into freight and passenger activities, and Opportunity Cost Model take the insufficient supply of infrastructure capacity into consideration. Of course, the subsidy from the government greatly affected the price standard for bottleneck facilities, or so-called network infrastructures.     

基于模糊神经网络的建筑工程造价预测模型

利用直觉模糊分析方法求得工程特征对建筑工程造价的影响程度系数,据此确定了5个对建筑工程造价影响较大的工程特征,并将之作为神经网络模型的输入向量,构建了基于模糊逻辑和神经网络方法的建筑工程造价预测模型。结合MATLAB工具箱对程序进行设计,并用已完工程数据对模型进行训练、修正以及实例验证,证明了该模型可以有效提高建筑工程造价预测的精确度,具有较强的实用价值。     

生态系统服务价值评估:问题与出路

生态系统服务价值评估近年来已经成为生态经济学与环境经济学的热门话题,但其发展似乎停滞不前了.究其原因,生态系统服务价值评估存在三大问题:第一,价值的定义无法最终确定,导致价值评估方法的无所适从;第二,现有价值评估方法忽略了生态系统及其服务所具有的生态学特点,从某种程度上来说,已经背离了评估的本意;第三,价值评估方法忽略了生态系统的产权问题,导致其实用性大打折扣.针对以上问题,本文对生态系统服务价值评估发展方向进行了讨论,并据此提出了尝试性解决思路.     

The Performance of a Repeated Discriminatory Price Auction for Ecosystem Services

Environmental and Resource Economics - Government agencies often rely on repeated discriminatory price auctions to procure ecosystem services from private landowners despite limited evidence on...     

Economic Analysis for the UK National Ecosystem Assessment: Synthesis and Scenario Valuation of Changes in Ecosystem Services

We combine natural science modelling and valuation techniques to present economic analyses of a variety of land use change scenarios generated for the UK National Ecosystem Assessment. Specifically, the agricultural, greenhouse gas, recreational and urban greenspace impacts of the envisioned land use changes are valued. Particular attention is given to the incorporation of spatial variation in the natural environment and to addressing issues such as biodiversity impacts where reliable values are not available. Results show that the incorporation of ecosystem services and their values within analyses can substantially change decisions.     

Efficiency of Payments for Environmental Services: Equity and additionality in a case study from a Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas, Mexico

Payments for Environmental Services (PES) have been claimed as a more efficient way of accomplishing conservation and development goals than other indirect strategies, reaching their optimum when the buyer pays the opportunity costs of the foregone benefits. Different inefficient situations have been described, like lack of additionality, where payments are given for practices that would have been adopted anyway. Trade-offs between efficiency and equity of PES have usually emerged as well. In this paper we assess the equity, additionality and stakeholders' perceptions of a PES scheme in a Mexican community inside a Biosphere Reserve. We applied structured interviews to all adults, a total of 66 people from 31 households. Our results show a dual response in equity and additionality, depending on land tenure. PES have an egalitarian effect within landowners and landless groups, but it broadens the gap between them. Additionality is low for landowners and high for the landless people in the community, even though the former are the ones with full decision over the land. Although the scheme does not seem efficient under the classical PES paradigm, it is perceived as a reward, reinforcing conservation attitudes even though most of the interviewees claim it to be insufficient.     

Opportunity Cost for Free Allocations of Emissions Permits: An Experimental Analysis

An important feature of emissions trading is how emissions permits are allocated. The choice between an auction and free allocation should not influence firms’ production choices nor consumer prices according to economic theory. However, many parties expect the method of allocation to affect product prices. This paper describes an experimental investigation into price determination under a cap-and-trade program with different allocation methods. Participants initially display diverse pricing strategies. However, given a simple economic setting in which earnings depend on behavior, we find that subjects learn to consider the opportunity cost of permits and overall behavior moves toward the economic prediction.     

生态系统服务:能否形成一种新的产业?

对不同类型、不同尺度生态系统的服务功能进行的经济价值估算的结果表明，生态系统服务的经济价值是巨大的，如果将各种服务功能通过一定的形式“包装”成为可以在市场上销售的“商品”，那么这种具有巨大经济价值的特殊的“商品”将带来一种新的生态产业的发展。本文初步提出了生态系统服务形成生态产业的模式，并对其进行一定的阐述，以期为生态系统的可持续管理提供一种新的模式。     

滨海湿地生态系统服务及其价值评估——以胶州湾为例

选择胶州湾湿地作为研究区域,研究了其生态系统服务的类型并评估了各类生态系统服务价值。结果表明:2009年胶州湾湿地生态系统服务总价值为152.71×107元。其中,食品生产占56.57%,这表明胶州湾湿地物质产品供给占重要地位。其次调节功能占36.12%,在胶州湾湿地生态系统中也发挥重要作用。研究只对胶州湾湿地主要生态系统服务开展了评估,因此仅为一个保守估计。     

我国海洋生态系统服务非市场价值评估研究特征及态势

海洋生态系统服务非市场价值评估,将生态系统服务无法由市场直接体现的效用价值量化为货币价值,是实现生态资源可持续发展的重要手段,同时也为资源合理利用和补偿、环境价值核算等提供了必要的决策依据。本文基于我国现有研究,分别从生态系统类型、时空分布、评估类别、评估技术以及信度和效度检验五个方面,系统地分析了我国海洋生态系统服务非市场价值评估研究现状,识别出当前的研究特征。研究结果显示近年来我国海洋生态系统服务非市场价值评估研究增长迅速,尤其以上海、山东、辽宁等沿海区域为主要研究对象;湿地和海湾海滨生态系统的研究最为密集,其中对使用价值的研究远远超过非使用价值;条件价值法和旅行成本法是主要研究方法,两种方法都以游憩价值评估为主;评估结果的信度与效度检验是当前研究的薄弱环节,也是未来研究的重点发展方向。     

A Survey and a Theoretical Model of Distance Education Programs

In search of a distance education programs crucial success factors, this research was conducted through a designed survey and evaluation instrument, for a predominantly doctoral program at DE University (DEU, an adopted name). Also, the survey has identified some challenging factors along with students most crucial reasons for adopting distance education programs. The author has presented a Testable theoretical model of distance education programs. The top four success factors were revealed to be program quality, general recognition and academic integrity, students satisfaction, and students progress toward the ultimate goal of graduation. Lack of time and worries about the degree recognition by prospective academic and nonacademic employers were the most crucial challenging factors.The 57th International Atlantic Economic Conference Lisbon, Portugal, March 10–14. This research is appreciably funded by a research grant from Walden University.     

Limits to Substitution Between Ecosystem Services and Manufactured Goods and Implications for Social Discounting

This paper examines implications of limits to substitution for estimating substitutability between ecosystem services and manufactured goods and for social discounting. Based on a model that accounts for a subsistence requirement in the consumption of ecosystem services, we provide empirical evidence on substitution elasticities. We find an initial mean elasticity of substitution of two, which declines over time towards complementarity. We subsequently extend the theory of dual discounting by introducing a subsistence requirement. The relative price of ecosystem services is non-constant and grows without bound as the consumption of ecosystem services declines towards the subsistence level. An application suggests that the initial discount rate for ecosystem services is more than a percentage-point lower as compared to manufactured goods. This difference increases by a further half percentage-point over a 300-year time horizon. The results underscore the importance of considering limited substitutability in long-term public project appraisal.     

矿产资源型地区生态系统服务功能:缘起、理论及最新进展

生态系统服务功能是指生态系统与生态过程所形成及所维持的人类赖以生存的自然环境条件与效用.我国矿产资源型地区生态系统服务功能因受到矿产资源开发的严重威胁正在不断恶化,建立该区域生态系统服务功能科学调控与可持续管理的长效机制至关重要.文章对矿产资源型地区生态系统服务功能的思想渊源和相关理论进行了系统梳理,总结该领域研究的最新进展,以此作为深入探讨生态系统服务功能与矿产资源统筹协调发展的切入点.     

人工湿地生态系统服务分类及其价值评估——以临沂市武河湿地为例

湿地生态系统为人类的存在和发展提供了大量的必需品和服务。很多国家把发展人工湿地作为净化城市污水的一种途径。文章以临沂市武河湿地为例,根据国内人工湿地的建设目标和湿地生态系统的特点,重新划分人工湿地生态系统服务,建立了评价各个生态系统服务价值的评价方法。评价结果发现,武河湿地不仅实现了净化城市污水、改善当地居民健康、发展湿地旅游等设计目标,还带来了生物多样性增加等生态和社会经济效益。