Stay by thy neighbor? Social organization determines the efficiency of biodiversity markets with spatial incentives

Market-based conservation instruments, such as payments, auctions or tradable permits, are environmental policies that create financial incentives for landowners to engage in voluntary conservation on their land. But what if ecological processes operate across property boundaries and land use decisions on one property influence ecosystem functions on neighboring sites? This paper examines how to account for such spatial externalities when designing market-based conservation instruments. We use an agent-based model to analyze different spatial metrics and their implications on land use decisions in a dynamic cost environment. The model contains a number of alternative submodels which differ in incentive design and social interactions of agents, the latter including coordinating as well as cooperating behavior of agents. We find that incentive design and social interactions have a strong influence on the spatial allocation and the costs of the conservation market.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure

Aprendizaje basado en juegos para la educación ambiental sobre biodiversidad

104 páginas : graficas, ilustracionesDebido a que el afecto por la fauna nativa juega un papel importante en su conservación y protección, este estudio cuasi-experimental con un diseño pre/post evaluó el efecto de un juego educativo sobre la identificación y el afecto por la fauna nativa de Colombia en 291 estudiantes de 4º a 9º grado de 11 colegios públicos rurales y urbanos de Bogotá y Cundinamarca, quienes respondieron cuestionarios antes y después de 4-5 semanas de juego ad libitum durante el recreo escolar. El número promedio de animales nombrados por estudiante en los colegios rurales aumentó de 11,27 pre-juego a 12,87 post-juego, y en los urbanos de 7,91 pre-juego a 9,99 post-juego, y las diferencias entre rurales vs. urbanos y entre los puntajes pre-juego vs. post-juego fueron significativas (p<0,01). La diversidad total de animales nativos fue de 181, y aumentó de 88 pre-juego a 131 post-juego en los colegios rurales y de 87 pre-juego a 129 post-juego en los urbanos. La proporción de especies exóticas incluidas en la fauna nativa disminuyó de ~1:2 pre-juego a ~1:3 post-juego. Pre-juego vs. post-juego se encontró un aumento significativo en los porcentajes de identificación acertada de la fauna no nativa, tanto en general como en los colegios rurales y urbanos por separado. Cuando se pidió a los estudiantes elegir sus cinco animales favoritos de un álbum, tanto pre-juego como post-juego los estudiantes de colegios rurales y urbanos escogieron más animales no nativos que nativos. Respecto a la elección de tres animales para ser salvados, los animales nativos y no nativos tanto pre-juego como post-juego fueron los mismos, e incluyeron dos nativos y tres no nativos. No obstante, el porcentaje de alumnos cuyos tres animales elegidos para ser salvados eran nativos tuvo un aumento de dos a cinco veces en la evaluación pre-juego versus post-juego en los colegios rurales (6% vs. 11%), urbanos (2% vs. 11%), y en general (4% vs. 11%). Aunque el resultado fue positivo respecto a la identificación de las especies no nativas, no se observó un cambio significativo en el afecto relacionado con los animales nativos, lo cual recalca el desafío y la necesidad de diseñar herramientas de educación ambiental que generen cambios profundos y duraderos en el afecto por la fauna nativa.Since affection for native fauna plays an important role in its conservation and protection, this quasi-experimental study with a pre/post design evaluated the effect of an educational game on the identification of and affection towards Colombian native fauna in 291 students from 4th to 9th grade of 11 rural and urban public schools in Bogotá and Cundinamarca. Students answered questionnaires before and after playing the game ad libitum, for a period of 4-5 weeks during school recess time. The mean of animals listed per student increased from 11.27 pre-game to 12.87 post-game and from 7.91 pre-game to 9.99 post-game in rural and urban schools, respectively. These differences between rural vs. urban schools and between pre-game vs. post-game scores were significant (p <0.01). The total diversity of native animals listed was 181, and increased from 88 pre-game to 131 post-game in rural schools and from 87 pre-game to 129 post-game in urban schools. The ratio of exotic species included in the native fauna decreased from ~ 1: 2 pre-game to ~ 1: 3 post-game. A significant increase was found in the pre-game vs. post-game percentages of successful identification of non-native fauna, separately and in general in both rural and urban schools. When students were asked to choose their five favorite animals from an album, both pre-game and post-game students from rural and urban schools chose more non-native than native animals. Regarding the choice of three animals to be saved, the native and non-native animals chosen, both pre-game and post-game, were the same, and included two natives and three non-natives. However, the percentage of students whose three animals chosen to be saved were native, had a two to five-fold increase in the pre-game versus post-game general evaluation (4% vs. 11%), in rural (6% vs. 11%), and in urban (2% vs. 11%) schools. Although the outcome was positive regarding the identification of non-native species, there was no significant change in the affection related to native animals, which underscores the challenge and the need to design environmental-educational tools that generate profound and lasting changes in the affection for native fauna.Incluye bibliografíaMaestríaMagíster en Educación Ambienta