ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ANALYSIS AND INSTRUMENTS FOR BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION: A REVIEW OF RECENT ECONOMIC LITERATURE

This paper provides a synthesis of recent literature dealing with the institutional environment, policy framework, and economic instruments used in policy analysis related to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity resources. The paper analyzes the economic consequences of alternative policy options and summarizes the application of these economic issues in the formulation of biodiversity protection policy. The paper also concludes that the proper understanding of underlying institutions and, if needed, institutional reforming procedures are also required to provide appropriate incentive structures for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity resources. Illustrations of these principles and examples are taken from published accounts of biodiversity policy debates and policy implications.biodiversity, conservation, resource management, Environmental Economics and Policy, Q2, Q3,

Re-establishing an Ecological Discourse in the Debate over the Value of Ecosystems and Biodiversity

The approach of conceptualizing biodiversity and ecosystems as goods and services to be represented by monetary values in policy is being championed not just by economists, but also by ecologists and conservation biologists. This new environmental pragmatism is now being pushed forward internationally under the guise of hardwiring biodiversity and ecosystems services into finance. This conflicts with the realisation that biodiversity and ecosystems have multiple incommensurable values. The current trend is to narrowly define a set of instrumental aspects of ecosystems and biodiversity to be associated with ad hoc money numbers. We argue that ecosystem science has more to offer the policy debate than pseudo-economic numbers based on assumptions that do not reflect ecological or social complexity. Re-establishing the ecological discourse in biodiversity policy implies a crucial role for biophysical indicators as policy targets e.g., the Nature Index for Norway. Yet there is a recognisable need to go beyond the traditional ecological approach to create a social ecological economic discourse. This requires reviving and relating to a range of alternative ecologically informed discourses (e.g. intrinsic values, deep ecology, ecofeminism) in order to transform the increasingly dominant and destructive relationship of humans separated from and domineering over Nature. (author's abstract)Series: SRE - Discussion Paper

The value of native biodiversity enhancement in New Zealand: A case study of the greater Wellington area

New Zealand’s biodiversity consists of over 80,000 native plants, animals and fungi, many of which are indigenous and located on private property. To enhance native biodiversity and discourage activities that may deplete it, policies can be introduced that can encourage individual self-interest to coincide with social interest. Economic values for biodiversity can help to determine the best policy tools to use. In this project, we surveyed Greater Wellington Region households to determine their biodiversity enhancement values using the contingent valuation approach. Greater Wellington respondents placed a significant value on both private land biodiversity as well as public land biodiversity

Investing in Biodiversity Conservation: Proceedings of a Workshop

This document presents the proceedings of a one-day Workshop on Investing in Biodiversity Conservation held at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, D.C., on October 28, 1996. The first part of the workshop was dedicated to the presentation of key topics on biodiversity financing by five leaders in the field. The second part of the workshop was dedicated to a discussion and exchange of ideas on the role of the IDB in investing in biodiversity conservation. Three main recommendations emerged: 1) The Bank should prepare a report on on its experience in biodiversity projects and development programs with biodiversity components; 2) A task force should be formed to work on a bio-diversity policy or strategy; 3) IDB staff should be trained to understand the biodiversity concept and its implications in project preparation and implementation.Environmental Policy, Biodiversity, Natural Resources Management

Managing increasing environmental risks through agro-biodiversity and agri-environmental policies

Agro-biodiversity can provide natural insurance to risk-averse farmers by reducing the variance of crop yield, and to society at large by reducing the uncertainty in the provision of public-good ecosystem services such as e.g. CO2 storage. We analyze the choice of agro-biodiversity by risk-averse farmers who have access to financial insurance, and study the implications for agri-environmental policy design when on-farm agro-biodiversity generates a positive risk externality. While increasing environmental risk leads private farmers to increase their level of on-farm agro-biodiversity, the level of agro-biodiversity in the laissez-faire equilibrium remains ineciently low. We show how either one of two agri-environmental policy instruments can cure this risk-related market failure: an ex-ante Pigouvian subsidy on on-farm agro-biodiversity and an ex-post compensation payment for the actual provision of public environmental benefits. In the absence of regulation, welfare may increase rather than decrease with increasing environmental risk, if the agroecosystems is characterized by a high natural insurance function, low costs and large external benefits of agro-biodiversity.agro-biodiversity, ecosystem services, agri-environmental policy, insurance, risk-aversion, uncertainty

Re-thinking on the role of business in biodiversity conservation

Today we face the challenge of building biodiversity business. There is a need to develop new business models and market mechanisms for biodiversity conservation, while also raising awareness and persuading the public and policy-makers that biodiversity can be conserved on a commercial basis. In this context the present paper is analyzing the arise of a new economic concept ‘business biodiversity’, focusing on the strategic importance of biodiversity for business and also presenting some business biodiversity models which have already began to have success in the global economy.sustainable development, biodiversity, business biodiversity, economics of biodiversity

The Socio-economic Impacts of Fisheries Management and Policy Designed to Achieve Biodiversity Conservation

This report responds to a request from the Tubney Charitable Trust to carry out a basic review of current knowledge of the socio-economic impacts of fisheries management and policy designed to achieve biodiversity conservation. The fisheries sector is having a significant impact upon marine biodiversity in UK waters. The report discusses the importance and diversity of socio-economic knowledge and how it can help to place fisheries into the broader, more holistic, framework of sustainable development. It emphasises the complexity of the policy environment and the need to understand the conflicting and contrasting motives of the different stakeholders. Understanding what motivates policymakers and fishers is the first step to changing their behaviour. The report discusses the divergence between policy and policy implementation, and the complexity of policy instruments

The Value of Backyard Biodiversity in New Zealand

New Zealand's biodiversity consists of over 80,000 types of native plants, animals and fungi, a considerable number of which are indigenous and located on private property. To preserve and enhance native biodiversity and discourage activities that may deplete it, economic values can be calculated which can, in turn, guide the use of policy tools, such as incentives, that can be used. This can support behavioural changes by encouraging individual self-interest to coincide with social interest. In this project, we used the contingent valuation, choice modelling and well-being approaches to estimate native biodiversity values for Wellington residents. In this paper, we present a summary of our initial results.New Zealand, biodiversity, non-market valuation, well-being, native species, private landholders, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Sustainable development and conservation of biological heritage in Australia and New Zealand

The aim of this paper is to encourage greater attention by planners to conservation of native or indigenous biodiversity. It explains what is meant by indigenous, or native, biodiversity and why indigenous biodiversity conservation must become an on-going consideration for Australian and New Zealand planners in future. It outlines some recent national and international policy developments which provide the justification for planning involvement, and discusses some examples of biodiversity provisions in recent plans within New Zealand. It suggests some of the limitations of traditional planning approaches as they relate to biodiversity conservation and explains why planners have an important role to play, particularly in the context of local and regional government. Although the discussion rests heavily on recent experience of planning of biodiversity within New Zealand, the ecological trends within Australia, as well as policies at the federal government level suggest that conservation of biodiversity is as important for planners within Australia as those within New Zealand

Floodplain management in temperate regions : is multifunctionality enhancing biodiversity?

Background: Floodplains are among the most diverse, dynamic, productive and populated but also the most threatened ecosystems on Earth. Threats are mainly related to human activities that alter the landscape and disrupt fluvial processes to obtain benefits related to multiple ecosystem services (ESS). Floodplain management therefore requires close coordination among interest groups with competing claims and poses multi-dimensional challenges to policy-makers and project managers. The European Commission proposed in its recent Biodiversity Strategy to maintain and enhance European ecosystems and their services by establishing green infrastructure (GI). GI is assumed to provide multiple ecosystem functions and services including the conservation of biodiversity in the same spatial area. However, evidence for biodiversity benefits of multifunctional floodplain management is scattered and has not been synthesised. Methods/design: This protocol specifies the methods for conducting a systematic review to answer the following policy-relevant questions: a) what is the impact of floodplain management measures on biodiversity; b) how does the impact vary according to the level of multifunctionality of the measures; c) is there a difference in the biodiversity impact of floodplain management across taxa; d) what is the effect of the time since implementation on the impact of the most important measures; and e) are there any other factors that significantly modify the biodiversity impact of floodplain management measures? Within this systematic review we will assess multifunctionality in terms of ESS that are affected by an implemented intervention. Biodiversity indicators included in this systematic review will be related to the diversity, richness and abundance of species, other taxa or functional groups. We will consider if organisms are typical for and native to natural floodplain ecosystems. Specific inclusion criteria have been developed and the wide range of quality of primary literature will be evaluated with a tailor-made system for assessing susceptibility to bias and the reliability of the studies. The review is intended to bridge the science-policy interface and will provide a useful synthesis of knowledge for decision-makers at all governance levels