A systematic review of the reliability and validity of discrete choice experiments in valuing non-market environmental goods

AbstractWhile discrete choice experiments (DCEs) are increasingly used in the field of environmental valuation, they remain controversial because of their hypothetical nature and the contested reliability and validity of their results. We systematically reviewed evidence on the validity and reliability of environmental DCEs from the past thirteen years (Jan 2003–February 2016). 107 articles met our inclusion criteria. These studies provide limited and mixed evidence of the reliability and validity of DCE. Valuation results were susceptible to small changes in survey design in 45% of outcomes reporting reliability measures. DCE results were generally consistent with those of other stated preference techniques (convergent validity), but hypothetical bias was common. Evidence supporting theoretical validity (consistency with assumptions of rational choice theory) was limited. In content validity tests, 2–90% of respondents protested against a feature of the survey, and a considerable proportion found DCEs to be incomprehensible or inconsequential (17–40% and 10–62% respectively). DCE remains useful for non-market valuation, but its results should be used with caution. Given the sparse and inconclusive evidence base, we recommend that tests of reliability and validity are more routinely integrated into DCE studies and suggest how this might be achieved

Estimating welfare impacts where property rights are contested:methodological and policy implications

Where rights over natural resources are contested, the effectiveness of conservation may be undermined and it can be difficult to estimate the welfare impacts of conservation restrictions on local people. In particular, researchers face the dilemma of estimating respondents’ Willingness To Pay (WTP) for rights to resources, or their Willingness To Accept (WTA) compensation for foregoing these rights. We conducted a discrete choice experiment with respondents living next to a new protected area in Madagascar, using a split-sample design to administer both WTP and WTA formats, followed by debriefing interviews. We first examined the differences in response patterns to the formats and their performance in our study context. We also used the two formats to elicit respondents’ attitudes to conservation restrictions and property rights over forestlands. We found that the format affected the relative importance of different attributes: WTA respondents strongly favoured livelihood projects and secure tenure whereas neither attributes were significant for WTP respondents. The WTA format outperformed WTP format on three validity criteria: it was perceived to be more plausible and consequential; led to fewer protest responses; and was more appropriate given very low incomes. Seventy-three percent of respondents did not accept the legitimacy of state protection and strongly aspired to secure forest tenure. The use of a WTP format may thus be inappropriate even if respondents do not hold formal rights over resources. We conclude that estimating the opportunity costs of stopping de jure illegal activities is difficult and coercive conservation lacks procedural legitimacy and may not achieve full compensations. Our findings question the viability of the current conservation model and highlight the importance to conservation policy of locally legitimate property rights over forestlands

Chapitre 2. Spatialiser les stocks de carbone

Introduction Dans les laboratoires d’analyse des sols à Madagascar, la mesure du carbone organique du sol (COS) sert à calculer la teneur en matière organique (MO), une information utile pour la gestion de la fertilité des sols. Outre son évaluation quantitative, diverses études sur le COS ont été menées sur (1) sa dynamique, en interaction avec les autres constituants du sol selon les pratiques et modes d’usage des terres ou (2) sur sa variabilité spatio-temporelle. Ces études ont été effect..

Chapitre 7. Stocks de carbone dans les éco- et agrosystèmes à Madagascar

Introduction La quantification du carbone organique des sols (COS) des différents agrosystèmes et écosystèmes naturels est essentielle afin de mieux orienter les stratégies d’adaptation et d’atténuation du changement climatique à différentes échelles : locale, nationale et internationale. Pour un écosystème donné, le COS peut être contenu dans différents compartiments : la biomasse aérienne, la litière, les bois morts, les racines et les sols. Les sols jusqu’à 1 m de profondeur sont reconnus ..

Carbone des sols en Afrique

Les sols sont une ressource essentielle à préserver pour la production d’aliments, de fibres, de biomasse, pour la filtration de l’eau, la préservation de la biodiversité et le stockage du carbone. En tant que réservoirs de carbone, les sols sont par ailleurs appelés à jouer un rôle primordial dans la lutte contre l’augmentation de la concentration de gaz à effet de serre. Ils sont ainsi au centre des objectifs de développement durable (ODD) des Nations unies, notamment les ODD 2 « Faim zéro », 13 « Lutte contre le changement climatique », 15 « Vie terrestre », 12 « Consommation et production responsables » ou encore 1 « Pas de pauvreté ». Cet ouvrage présente un état des lieux des sols africains dans toute leur diversité, mais au-delà, il documente les capacités de stockage de carbone selon les types de sols et leurs usages en Afrique. Il propose également des recommandations autour de l’acquisition et de l’interprétation des données, ainsi que des options pour préserver, voire augmenter les stocks de carbone dans les sols. Tous les chercheurs et acteurs du développement impliqués dans les recherches sur le rôle du carbone des sols sont concernés par cette synthèse collective. Fruit d’une collaboration entre chercheurs africains et européens, ce livre insiste sur la nécessité de prendre en compte la grande variété des contextes agricoles et forestiers africains pour améliorer nos connaissances sur les capacités de stockage de carbone des sols et lutter contre le changement climatique

Experimental evidence for conservation conflict interventions:the importance of financial payments, community trust and equity attitudes

1.  Conflicts between the objectives of agricultural production and conservation are becoming increasingly complex. Of vital importance to the success of conflict interventions is a detailed understanding of how stakeholders react to management interventions as well as the influence of interacting social and political factors. 2.  Across Europe, goose populations have increased considerably, leading to widespread impacts on agriculture and significant conflicts between different stakeholder groups. We used a novel experimental game to understand farmer preferences regarding the design of goose conflict interventions in Scotland. We specifically examined how three alternative interventions (government financial support for scaring activities, subsidies and agglomeration payments that include bonus payments for adoption by neighbouring farms) affect farmer propensity to support goose conservation interests through reduced shooting and the provision of sacrificial crops. We also examined the links between within-game behaviour and real-life attributes and attitudes of farmers.3.  We found that all three interventions were conducive to pro-conservation behaviour in the games. The effects of all three interventions were stronger among farmers who had higher trust towards other community members. Agglomeration payments led to increased provision of sacrificial crops among farmers with negative attitudes towards the current allocation of goose finances in Scotland. Farmers with more positive attitudes towards wildlife tourism were more likely to provide more sacrificial crops, and less likely to shoot in the games.4.  Farmers' real-life traits had a statistically significant but marginal impact on the effectiveness of financial payments, such as the number of geese being shot on their own lands, remoteness and crop damage by geese. 5.  These game results provide evidence for the potential of innovative financial instruments in conflict management and their interactions with social factors such as community trust, equity attitude and real-life shooting levels. Our study highlights the importance of socio-political elements in fostering mutually beneficial outcomes in conservation conflicts in addition to addressing material losses to wildlife. We also show how games can help in addressing conservation conflicts in a wide range of settings. <br/

Household survey and discrete choice experiment for investigating the opportunity cost of conservation restrictions in eastern Madagascar

This data collection consists of primary dataset with accompanying documents for 'General Households Survey and Choice Experiment' segment of the data for work package 6 (WP6) of the ESPA (ecosystem services for poverty alleviation)-funded P4ges project (see Related resources). WP6 is concerned with the socio-economic aspects of the research undertaken within P4ges project. The survey was designed to provide background information on household composition, livelihoods and assets for use in analysis looking at the opportunity cost of conservation using discrete choice experiment and for selecting a sub-sample for more detailed follow-up surveys looking at agricultural practices, productivity and use of wild harvested products. The data was collected between June 2014 and June 2015 and comprises of 603 households

Experimental evidence for conservation conflict interventions:the importance of financial payments, community trust and equity attitudes

1.  Conflicts between the objectives of agricultural production and conservation are becoming increasingly complex. Of vital importance to the success of conflict interventions is a detailed understanding of how stakeholders react to management interventions as well as the influence of interacting social and political factors. 2.  Across Europe, goose populations have increased considerably, leading to widespread impacts on agriculture and significant conflicts between different stakeholder groups. We used a novel experimental game to understand farmer preferences regarding the design of goose conflict interventions in Scotland. We specifically examined how three alternative interventions (government financial support for scaring activities, subsidies and agglomeration payments that include bonus payments for adoption by neighbouring farms) affect farmer propensity to support goose conservation interests through reduced shooting and the provision of sacrificial crops. We also examined the links between within-game behaviour and real-life attributes and attitudes of farmers.3.  We found that all three interventions were conducive to pro-conservation behaviour in the games. The effects of all three interventions were stronger among farmers who had higher trust towards other community members. Agglomeration payments led to increased provision of sacrificial crops among farmers with negative attitudes towards the current allocation of goose finances in Scotland. Farmers with more positive attitudes towards wildlife tourism were more likely to provide more sacrificial crops, and less likely to shoot in the games.4.  Farmers' real-life traits had a statistically significant but marginal impact on the effectiveness of financial payments, such as the number of geese being shot on their own lands, remoteness and crop damage by geese. 5.  These game results provide evidence for the potential of innovative financial instruments in conflict management and their interactions with social factors such as community trust, equity attitude and real-life shooting levels. Our study highlights the importance of socio-political elements in fostering mutually beneficial outcomes in conservation conflicts in addition to addressing material losses to wildlife. We also show how games can help in addressing conservation conflicts in a wide range of settings. <br/