Gains from configuration: The transboundary protected area as a conservation tool

Nearly two hundred transboundary protected areas comprise a portion of the global conservation landscape the size of India, with further expansion anticipated. Proponents claim that transboundary protected areas outperform isolated protected areas in achieving conservation objectives, while regional case studies have led critics to challenge this claim. Empirical investigation into the relative performance of transboundary protected areas is fundamentally limited since these areas cannot be directly compared to the isolated protected areas that might otherwise have emerged in the same location. This paper develops a game theory model of park formation to compare counterfactual transboundary and isolated protected areas. The model suggests that under certain conditions, transboundary protected areas can achieve greater conservation and production objectives, even in the absence of international cooperative park management. The paper establishes five sufficient conditions for transboundary protected areas to provide greater national welfare, domestic conservation value, or global conservation value than counterfactual isolated protected areas. These conditions are tested for three common conservation objectives. The results suggest that when the objective of conservation is species persistence or interior habitat, conservation groups should encourage transboundary protected areas. However, when the objective of conservation is to extend reserve coverage to the maximum number of species, conservation groups should encourage protected areas where species richness is greatest, whether or not these areas span international borders.     

Slippage Effects of the Conservation Reserve Program: Reply

Given that the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) costs taxpayers $2 billion per year and remains the largest conservation program in U.S. history, Roberts and Bucholtz are to be commended for revisiting the slippage issue. However, their central point that regional variation in CRP acreage is endogenous is inconsistent with CRP implementation rules and data. Thus, it is not surprising that the null hypothesis of exogeneity cannot be rejected by statistical tests.     

The distribution of benefits from public international germplasm banks: the case of beans in Latin America

The unrestricted international flow of genetic resources from international genebank collections is the source of perhaps one of the greatest impacts of international agricultural research. This paper examines the distribution across countries in Latin America of benefits generated from bean genetic resources held by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). The genealogies of commercial bean cultivars released since 1976, containing materials from the collection, are analysed to calculate for each country the source of the genetic resources used. All countries in the region are shown to be heavily dependent on imported genetic resources for their commercial cultivars. From the available information on the economic impact of these improved bean varieties, the share of economic productivity benefits associated with imported germplasm by country of origin is calculated. The benefits received by each country from improved bean germplasm are compared with the contribution of that country's germplasm to other countries. Some of the patterns in the flow and use of genetic resources are analysed.     

“长治”工程与农村经济发展

分析了农村水利基础设施、坡改梯、沼气池、经济林果等“长治”工程实施对治理区农村经济发展影响；同时分析了“长治”工程实施前后治理区农民生计模式的变化。     

洪河自然保护区丹顶鹤秋季觅食生境初步研究

2005-10-12～21对洪河自然保护区秋季丹顶鹤的觅食生境采用因子测定法,对栖息地进行了觅食生境的研究,包括植物高度、植物密度、植物盖度、水深、水流、人为干扰等。对丹顶鹤觅食生境进行样方测定。结果表明洪河自然保护区的植物盖度为49.50%,植物密度为491株/㎡。根据对野外调查数据用标准差分析以及平均值比较等数学方法处理,得出了以下结论:丹顶鹤喜好在植物高度60-120cm,植物盖度低于75%,植物密度在600棵/㎡的左右生境中觅食,距人类活动场所的距离大于500m的生境中觅食。本研究为保护丹顶鹤栖息地提供重要的依据。     

云山脊椎动物的区系特征与保护利用

云山共有脊椎动物66科211种，具有资源丰富、过渡性强、珍稀动物多和开发价值高等特点；提出了动物资源的保护利用对策。     

欧盟公共机构节能管理经验对我国的启示

文章介绍了欧盟公共机构节能组织体系、管理制度和节能措施等方面的一些做法和经验。借鉴欧盟的经验,结合我国2008年颁布的《公共机构节能条例》,应在构建公共机构节能管理体系,完善节能管理制度,强化节能管理措施,进一步推广能源审计,优先采购节能产品等方面进一步做好细致的工作,以更好地推进《公共机构节能条例》的实施。     

Estimating the economic value of big game habitat production from prescribed fire using a time series approach

This paper demonstrates a time-series production technique to quantify the deer harvest and deer hunting benefits of controlled burns or prescribed fire. The time series regression model showed a statistically significant and positive effect of prescribed fire on deer harvest. The net economic value of the resulting additional deer hunting benefit was estimated using the Contingent Valuation Method at $ 98 per additional deer harvested. The initial deer hunting benefits of an additional 1,000 acres of prescribed burning are between $ 2,674 and $ 3,128 or $ 2-3 per acre. The costs of prescribed burning greatly exceed these benefits, suggesting that deer hunting benefits represent only a small part of the multiple use benefits of prescribed fire.