Reconciling Global and Local Benefits from Communally Managed Forests: Evidence from a Choice Experiment on PES in Zambia

Agriculture is considered as one of the major drivers of deforestation worldwide. Especially in Africa, this process is driven by small-scale agriculture. Agricultural intensification is widely proposed as measure to reduce pressure on forests. Empirical evidence suggests, however, that win-win relations between agricultural intensification and forest conservation are the exception. As option, payments for ecosystem services (PES) could be linked to small-scale agricultural support programs and safeguard reduced deforestation while achieving agricultural intensification. Nevertheless, little scientific evidence exists regarding perceptions of potential PES recipients for such designs. We report from a discrete choice experiment in Zambia, that elicited preferences of small scale farmers for PES contracts incorporating incentives for agricultural intensification. The experimental design included both monetary and non-monetary contract attributes. Our results suggest that potential PES recipients in Zambia value in-kind agricultural inputs higher than cash payments, highlighting that PES could potentially succeed in conserving forests and intensifying smallscale agriculture. Respondents also put significant emphasis on improved tenure security and non-monetary contract attributes, thus allowing to considerably reduce overall costs of PES if designed appropriately

Payments for ecosystem services and agricultural intensification: Evidence from a choice experiment on deforestation in Zambia

Agriculture is considered to be one of the major drivers of deforestation worldwide. In developing countries in particular this process is driven by small-scale agriculture. At the same time, many African governments aim to increase agricultural productivity. Empirical evidence suggests, however, that win-win relationships between agricultural intensification and forest conservation are the exception. Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) could be linked to agriculture support programmes to simultaneously achieve both goals. Due to potentially higher profits from intensified agriculture than from pure cash transfers, potential payment recipients may prefer in-kind over conventional cash payments. Nevertheless, little scientific evidence exists regarding the preferences of potential PES recipients for such instruments. We report from a discrete choice experiment in Zambia that elicited preferences of smallholder farmers for PES contracts. Our results suggest that potential PES recipients in Zambia value in-kind agricultural inputs more highly than cash payments (even when the monetary value of the inputs is lower than the cash payment), highlighting that PES could potentially succeed in conserving forests and intensifying smallholder agriculture. Respondents who intended to clear forest within the next three years were found to require higher payments, but could be motivated to enrol in appropriately designed PES

Оценка эффективности рециркуляционной технологии использования метанола при подготовке газа методом низкотемпературной сепарации

Объектом исследования является технология подготовки газа на Мыльджинском газоконденсатном месторождении. Цель данной работы – повышение эффективности использования метанола при подготовке газа методом низкотемпературной сепарации. С помощью моделирования в среде программы UniSim Design проведено исследование вариантов реализации рециркуляционной технологии использования метанола на УКПГ Мыльджинского месторождения. В результате исследования выявлено, что предлагаемый вариант рециркуляционной технологии позволяет сократить расход метанола на 110–140 кг/ч (40–45 %) за счет уменьшения уноса метанола с нестабильным конденсатом. Добавленная в технологическую схему установка ректификации метанола позволяет вернуть в технологический процесс еще 85–120 кг/ч метанола.The object of the study is the gas preparation technology at the Myldzhinskoye gas condensate field. The goal of this work is to increase the efficiency of methanol use in gas preparation by the low-temperature separation method. Using simulation in the UniSim Design program environment, a study was carried out on options for the implementation of the recirculation technology for the use of methanol at the gas treatment unit at the Myldzhinskoye field. As a result of the study, it was found that the proposed version of the recirculation technology reduces methanol consumption by 110–140 kg / h (40–45%) by reducing the entrainment of methanol with unstable condensate. The methanol rectification unit allows to return another 85–120 kg / h of methanol to the process

Elaboration d 'un protocole de routine pour l'identification génétique de mammifères sauvages (gibier) à partir d 'échantillons biologiques

L'identification spécifique d'un échantillon biologique récolté sur le terrain n'est pas toujours possible par le biais de méthodes conventionnelles. Afin de remédier à cette situation, nous avons développé un protocole rapide, rigoureux et reproductible, constitué de quatre étapes principales: (i) extraction (isolement) de l'ADN à partir d'échantillons biologiques de provenance variée; (ii) amplification par PCR d'un segment spécifique d'ADN; (iii) détermination de la séquence nucléotidique du segment d'ADN amplifié; (iv) comparaison de la séquence obtenue avec une base de données (si nécessaire, analyse phylogénétique) et détermination de l'espèce la plus proche. Cette approche nous a permis d'identifier sans ambiguïté la totalité des échantillons analysés, représentés par des tissus d'origine variée (sang, biopsies d'organe ou de tissu) d'espèces de mammifères sauvages