Determinants of household decisions on adaptation to extreme climate events in Southeast Asia

This paper presents the results of an econometric analysis used to analyse household adaptation decisions taken in response to extreme climate events such as typhoons and flooding. Adaptation practices undertaken by households can be broadly classified into reactive and proactive measures. Most households are “reactive,” lacking the means to invest in stronger housing units, while many are yet to benefit from having greater access to early warnings. The Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia (EEPSEA) supports research and training in environmental and resource economics, enhancing local capacity to undertake the economic analysis of environmental problems and policies

Beehive fences as a sustainable local solution to human‐elephant conflict in Thailand

As human‐elephant conflict (HEC) increases, a better understanding of the human dimensions of these conflicts and non‐violent mitigation methods are needed to foster long‐term coexistence. In this study, we conducted household questionnaires (n = 296) to assess the prevalence of HEC and attitudes towards elephants in four rural villages in Thailand. In addition, we evaluated a pilot beehive fence as a sustainable solution for HEC. The majority of the households reported seeing or hearing elephants near their property at least once a week (84.9%) and experienced negative impacts from elephants in the last 5 years, (81.0%). The beehive fence deterred 88.4% of individual elephants (n = 155) and 64.3% of elephant groups (n = 28) that approached the fence. Most elephants (70.7%) exhibited behaviors suggesting heightened attentiveness or alarm. The farm owner reported economic and social benefits of the beehive fence. By contributing to farmer income and reducing crop damage caused by wild elephants, beehive fencing may provide an important locally‐managed complement to regional HEC mitigation methods