Understanding heterogeneity of social preferences for fire prevention management

The forest area burnt annually in the European Mediterranean region has more than doubled since the 1970s. In these forests, the main preventive action consists of forest compartmentalization by fuel break networks, which entail high costs and sometimes significant negative impacts. While many studies look at public preferences for fire suppression, this study analyses the heterogeneity of social preferences for fire prevention. The visual characteristics of fire prevention structures are very familiar to respondents, but their management is unfamiliar, which raises specific attention in terms of analysing preference heterogeneity. A random parameter logit model revealed large heterogeneity and preference for traditional heavy machinery, maintaining linear unshaded fuel breaks at a high density. A latent class model showed that this may be reflected by a third of the population preferring lighter machinery and shaded irregular fuel breaks; a quarter of the population not treating the budget constraint as limiting, another quarter only being worried about the area burnt and the remaining group being against everything. Finally, a discrete mixture model revealed extreme preference patterns for the density of fuel breaks. These results are important for designing fire prevention policies that are efficient and acceptable by the population.Funding from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) (20060569) is acknowledged

Programas forestales en las comunidades de montes vecinales en mano común en la Red Natura 2000:un análisis Delphi

Texto dispoñible en galego e españolNeste traballo realízase unha avaliación do marco institucional de políticas forestais de aplicación na Comunidade Autónoma de Galicia. Tomando como referencia territorial espacios rurais de montaña con vocación forestal da Galicia meridional propostos para formar parte da Rede Natura 2000, realízase unha análise delphi cun panel de expertos formado por presidentes electos de comunidades de montes veciñais en mancomún. Os resultados mostran a opinión deses xestores no que respecta á contía, duración e outros aspectos das axudas establecidas nos programas examinados. Realízase, ademais, unha análise diferenciando dúas zonas territoriais: a área de interior limítrofe á provincia de Pontevedra e as zonas máis interiores de Galicia. Ademais da análise das políticas desenvolvidas na Política Agraria Común, avalíase unha proposta hipotética dun novo programa de conservación de paisaxes autóctonas que conforma un exercicio de previsión que no futuro poderá ser tido en conta polos decisores políticos á hora de elaborar novos programas que fomenten accións beneficiosas para a conservación de espacios rurais de montaña. Para iso analízase en qué medida as contías das axudas destinadas a fomentar ese tipo de accións están en consonancia coas demandas dos axentes sociais ós que van dirixidasThis paper presents an analysis of the institutional framework of the forest policies applied in the autonomous community of Galicia, taking as territorial reference mountainous rural spaces with forestry vocation, localised in the South of Galicia and proposed to take part of the European Natural Network 2000. In order to do such evaluation, it has been done a Delphi analysis with a panel of experts composed by the elected presidents of different communities for communal ownership woodlands. The results show the opinion of the managers of the aforementioned natural spaces with relation to the quantity, duration and other aspects of the established aids in the examined forest programmes. We show the results of the whole consulted panel and also do a differentiated analysis by zone: the area of Pontevedra and the Galician inner zones. Besides the analysis of the policies developed by the Common Agrarian Policy, it is analysed an hypothetical proposal of a new programme of conservation of autochthonous landscapes, what conforms a prevision exercise that, in the future, could be taken into account by the policy makers in the elaboration of the new programmes that promotes beneficial actions for the conservation of the mountainous rural spaces. In order to get that it is analysed how the quantities of the aids destined to promote this kind of actions are in consonance with the social actor demands to whom are destinedEn este trabajo se realiza una evaluación del marco institucional de políticas forestales de aplicación en la Comunidad Autónoma de Galicia. Tomando como referencia territorial espacios rurales de montaña con vocación forestal de la Galicia meridional propuestos para formar parte de la Red Natura 2000, se realiza un análisis delphi con un panel de expertos formado por presidentes electos de comunidades de montes vecinales en mano común. Los resultados muestran la opinión de esos gestores en lo que respecta a la cuantía, duración y otros aspectos de las ayudas establecidas en los programas examinados. Se realiza, además, un análisis diferenciando dos zonas territoriales: el área de interior limítrofe a la provincia de Pontevedra y las zonas más interiores de Galicia. Además del análisis de las políticas desarrolladas en la Política Agraria Común, se evalúa una propuesta hipotética de un nuevo programa de conservación de paisajes autóctonos que conforma un ejercicio de previsión que en el futuro podrá ser tenido en cuenta por los decisores políticos a la hora de elaborar nuevos programas que fomenten acciones beneficiosas para la conservación de espacios rurales de montaña. Para ello se analiza en qué medida las cuantías de las ayudas destinadas a fomentar ese tipo de acciones están en consonancia con las demandas de los agentes sociales a los que van dirigidasS

Using google search patterns to explain the demand for wild edible mushrooms

The demand for quality wild fungi has been continually increasing over the past few years. However, problems arise when modelling this demand, owing to the difficulty of finding precise data on their origin or value chain. Nor is there any reliable information on the preferences of consumers; therefore, in this work, we aimed to analyse the influence of internet search engines on the demand for porcini mushrooms, a highly appreciated wild fungus. For this purpose, weekly figures for their prices and the amounts sold over nine years in one of the main central markets in Spain have been recorded for diverse wild (porcini, saffron milk caps, and king oyster mushrooms) and cultivated fungi.Postprint (published version

Estimating the Sustainability of Managed Natural Forests in Costa Rica—A Hybrid Delphi & Choice Experiment Approach

Management of natural forests in Costa Rica allows timber extraction in so far as it is guaranteed that the logging activities comply with diverse Sustainability Principles, Criteria and Indicators (PCIs). These are hierarchical and complex systems used, ex-ante in the formulation and approval of the Management Plan but have not been used for ex-post evaluation of managed forests. Development of sustainability evaluation systems that include few criteria is highly recommended. In that sense, the choice experiments contribute to simplification of the initial system of decision making, complementing a complex system of PCIs that permits detailed analysis of the management units. In this study, a choice experiment was included in a Delphi application and 5 key variables were identified to evaluate the sustainability of managed natural forests. These variables are, in order of importance—technical, legal and administrative conditions; external financing conditions; production performance; costs of preparing the Management Plan; and payment mechanisms for environmental services. The definition of these variables confirms not only that the technical, legal and administrative conditions are critical for sustainability but also that they could reflect the type of governance involved in sustainability forest management

Untangling perceptions around indicators for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services

Biodiversity indicators are commonly monitored to ensure the sustainable management of ecosystems and the conservation of multiple ecosystem goods and services. Indicators are important for tracking the ecological outcomes of conservation programmes, but they are also important in a wider context such as monitoring progress towards broader sustainability goals and serving to generate public support and funding for these programmes. Little attention is usually given to the social and cultural dimensions of biodiversity indicators. In this paper, using a discrete choice experiment, we compare the impact of within-species, between-species and within-ecosystem level biodiversity indicators on public preferences for conservation programmes in Spanish pine forests. Specifically we show that preferences towards conservation programmes are significantly affected by the interaction between indicators and their perceived role in delivering ecosystem services. Genetic variation, the number of invasive species and keystone elements were associated equally frequently with provisioning, regulating and cultural ecosystem services, whereas population structure, the number of native species and the area of land conserved were more variable in how they were associated with different ecosystem services. Our results highlight the importance of considering the perceived social relevance of indicators alongside their ecological suitability in the design of conservation programmes and monitoring

Farmers' preferences for conservation and breeding programs of forestry food resources in Niger

Producción CientíficaIn a less-favored area such as the Sahel, promoting sustainable management, breeding, and conservation of forestry resources would result in improvements for agroforestry systems and food security. A contingent ranking exercise allowed us to estimate the preferences and the values given by the rural population to the attributes that would be comprised in a conservation program. The resulting preferred program is farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR) based on the species Adansonia digitata (baobab), with plantation, stone bunds, or tassa, and selected or bred seeds. The proposed actions to improve the tree density and the seed quality were highly valued by the respondents. Nevertheless, no clear differences were found between tassa and stone bunds, or FMNR and plantation. The main effects of the program, according to the surveyed population, include an increase in crop production and soil conservation, and higher income from tree products. This study allowed us to identify the program that would provide the greatest well-being for farmers, since it would allow them to simultaneously improve both the production of their crops and the production of the woody food species. It was shown that farmers were particularly willing to contribute to a program based on baobab, mainly because its products are used for food in the home and can be sold in markets. In this sense, the yield and production of the system would be improved by increasing the number of baobab trees. Farmers would contribute to this production system and would be willing to invest sustainable effort in the long term. The conservation and breeding program can be directed at conserving and propagating the genetic resources of A. digitata in an initial phase, selecting trees with good production, growth, and adaptation characteristics.Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional y Desarrollo (AECID 2014/ACDE/003520

Managing the early warning systems of invasive species of plants, birds, and mammals in natural and planted pine forests

Plantations with alien forest species could be a major way for invasive plant and animal species to become introduced and naturally established in a territory, but the sensitivity of plantations with native forest species to invasive plant and animal species is still unknown. This paper studies the probability of the presence and the richness of invasive species of three different taxa (plants, birds, and mammals) in pine forests of southwestern Europe. To do so, the relative contribution from natural and planted forests is analysed to explain the presence and the richness of invasive species in 3,950 cells (10 km x 10 km) covering Spain after controlling for the possible effects of variables related to geography, climate, land use, landscape, and human pressure on the environment. Our results show that man's influence on the establishment of invasive species is notable. However, those forests that are the most intensely managed by man, such as pine plantations with native species, seem less susceptible to the establishment and propagation of invasive species. Reasons may be found in those planted pine forests being closely monitored, controlled, and managed by man. Therefore, it is argued that efforts related to the early warning systems of invasive species should be focused on natural pine forests

Local Preferences for Shea Nut and Butter Production in Northern Benin: Preliminary Results

Shea products in Benin (West Africa) are produced in a low-developed agroindustry, but they are estimated to be the country’s third largest export. The nut harvesting and quality guaranteeing in the butter process can only be achieved through improvements in the value chain, thus making it more attractive for stakeholders. The aim of this paper is to provide keys to a better product valorization, obtain a significant increase in household incomes based on shea butter marketing opportunities, and offer competitive products at the local and regional markets. Different markets were designed to catch processors and consumers’ preferences for two improved shea products: butter and nuts in Northern Benin. An open-ended contingent valuation (CV) was applied, and the willingness to pay (WTP) and willingness to accept (WTA) were estimated by using a typical ordinary least squares (OLS) modelling approach. On local markets in Benin, the color, length, and weight of the nuts, as well as the color, smell, and texture of shea butter significantly influence, respectively, the processors’ willingness to accept and the consumers’ willingness to pay for a specific quality level. An increase in price would ensure the quality of the shea butter and would be covered by the premium to be paid by consumers. Certification design and the development of shea resources management and conservation programs should include ethnic preferences and consider gender, to avoid reducing women’s profits in the shea butter local market

Personality traits and environmental choices: On the search for understanding

In this paper we hypothesize that individuals will choose among alternative courses of action for power generation from wind farms according to their personality profiles. Through a factor analysis we found that certain characteristics of personality do indeed have an effect on environmental choice. The study involves an extensive survey based on the Big Five Traits model to find a pattern of choice that will help to better understand environmental decisions and be useful for policy makers to identify target groups and preview reactions to different courses of action. The research is potentially useful for the better preparation and design of publicity material, awareness raising campaigns and information provision for complex or unpopular policies affecting the environment or in environmental education in general. This research is especially interested in shedding some light on how personality is involved in the processes of environmental decision making, despite the limitations of the present study