Stakeholders’ perceptions of plant invasions in Galicia, Spain

The perceptions, knowledge and values of stakeholders are essential for effective implementation and support of policies against biological invasions. In this study we focus on deliberate introduction pathways of alien plants and their impacts in Galicia (northwest Spain). We interviewed 61 stakeholders representing the nursery trade, forestry and agricultural sectors, nature conservation, scientists and public administration in this area to elucidate their views on invasion risk and policy options. We compare their responses with respect to their own interests as well as for Galicia as a whole including questions about impacts, and private management actions. The results show that there is a greater social awareness and concern for certain species introduced for ornamental purposes and the forestry sector (Acacia spp., Eucalyptus globulus, Carpobrotus edulis, Cortaderia selloana), and that stakeholders have a positive attitude to different potential management measures

The demand for paper and paperboard: econometric models for the European Union

Cost minimization theory suggests national demand equations for paper and paperboard in which demand is a negative function of the price of paper and paperboard, and a positive function of gross national product. A dynamic version of this model was estimated with data from European Union countries, for newsprint, printing and writing paper, and other paper and paperboard. Country-by-country equations proved unstable. Pooling the data across countries, with dummy variables to account for fixed country effects, led to well defined short-term and long-term elasticities with respect to price and gross national product. The hypothesis that income and price elasticities were the same across the European Union countries could not be rejected at the 1% significance level, for the three product groups. From 1969 to 1995, most of the growth in demand had been due to the growth in national product, while price increases had only a small negative effect.

Unequal raw material exchange between and within countries:Galicia (NW Spain) as a core-periphery economy

Abstract A global multi-regional input-output model with sub-national resolution for Galicia, north-west Spain, was used to study physical and value added trade balances between Galicia, the rest of Spain and the world. Within the framework of Ecologically Unequal Exchange theory, we argue that a region, such as Galicia, can play a twofold role as core and periphery in the global division of extractive activities. We show that Galicia is a sink, i.e. net importer of natural resources from middle- and low-income economies, and that the lower the income of the trade partner, the more raw material intensive the imports (measured as upstream kg per USD imported value added). However, this physical deficit is less accentuated than for the rest of Spain and Galicia’s material footprint is significantly lower (~14.2 compared with ~24.5 t/capita). Moreover, Galicia is a source, i.e. net exporter of raw materials compared with more thriving European Union economies and, even for some key trade partners, such as Germany, UK and the rest of Spain, it is a net importer of value added