SHRIMP MARICULTURE DEVELOPMENT IN ECUADOR: SOME RESOURCE POLICY ISSUES

During the past 15 years, Ecuador has become the Western Hemisphere's leading producer and exporter of shrimp. Growth has come about largely through mariculture development. About 8,000 metric tons (MT) of shrimp have been captured off the Ecuadorian coast each year since the late 1970s. Meanwhile, pond output has increased several-fold, from less than 5,000 MT in 1979 to over 100,000 MT 12 years later (Table 1). Mariculture has expanded largely at the expense of renewable natural resources. Mangrove swamps, characterized by extremely high biological productivity and, therefore, a critical element of coastal ecosystems, have been displaced. In addition, shrimp postlarvae (PL) collection has at times been excessive and wastewater emissions from some enterprises harm the environment. Mariculture also suffers from water pollution from agricultural, urban, and industrial sources. This paper first describes the extent and consequences of coastal ecosystem disturbance; then presents a causal analysis of environmental problems. Policies contributing to depletive management of wetlands and related resources are similar to policies stimulating tropical deforestation. The tenurial regime rewards those who convert coastal ecosystems into shrimp ponds, just as frontier property arrangements encourage agricultural colonists to convert natural ecosystems into farmland (Southgate 1990). In addition, mariculture's geographic expansion, like agriculture's, has been accelerated by inadequate spending on education, research, and extension (Southgate 1991). If this policy regime remains unchanged, continued deterioration of Ecuador's coastal ecosystems is inevitable.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Food Insecurity and Its Determinants in Asia and the Pacific

In Asian-Pacific developing countries, the prevalence of food insecurity has diminished dramatically in the past generation. Despite this, many millions continue to suffer from persistent or periodic food insecurity. The causes of food insecurity are both structural and market-related, including influences of public policy on market operations. The most vulnerable populations are those that simultaneously experience both these forms of insecurity. The places they inhabit tend to have poor-quality land, are exposed to climatic and other environmental risks, or both. These same populations either have relatively weak links with the non-food economy, in which higher wages and better income-earning opportunities make food self-sufficiency less important, or are prevented from accessing opportunities in the non-food economy because of poor or misguided policies.

THE INSTITUTIONAL ORIGINS OF DEFORESTATION IN LATIN AMERICA

Land Economics/Use,

A MATHEMATICAL MODEL FOR DEVELOPING ETHNO-BIOLOGICALLY DIVERSE TROPICAL FORESTS

This paper presents a dynamic optimal control model describing the benefits and costs associated with the development of tropical forests rich in plant and animal species and folk knowledge. The model is a framework to assess how various market and institutional incentives might influence both deforestation and the collection of "ethno-biological information."Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Ohio Guide for Land Application of Sewage Sludge

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RURAL POVERTY, INCOME SHOCKS, AND LAND MANAGEMENT: AN ANALYSIS OF THE LINKAGES IN EL SALVADOR

Data collected in surveys of more than 700 Salvadoran households carried out in 1996 and 1998 are used in an econometric analysis of linkages between land and labor use. Particular emphasis is offered on how poor households allocated labor resources in response to the El Nino weather phenomenon of 1997. Implications for resource conservation are offered.International Development, Land Economics/Use,

Investing in Biodiversity Conservation: Proceedings of a Workshop

This document presents the proceedings of a one-day Workshop on Investing in Biodiversity Conservation held at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, D.C., on October 28, 1996. The first part of the workshop was dedicated to the presentation of key topics on biodiversity financing by five leaders in the field. The second part of the workshop was dedicated to a discussion and exchange of ideas on the role of the IDB in investing in biodiversity conservation. Three main recommendations emerged: 1) The Bank should prepare a report on on its experience in biodiversity projects and development programs with biodiversity components; 2) A task force should be formed to work on a bio-diversity policy or strategy; 3) IDB staff should be trained to understand the biodiversity concept and its implications in project preparation and implementation.Environmental Policy, Biodiversity, Natural Resources Management

How Will the Greenhouse Industry Utilize Waste Heat?

Recent regulatory and economic change encourage waste heat use in the northern United States. In this article, the value of that form of energy to growers of greenhouse crops is assessed. It is found that production of rooted floricultural crops is likely to be the dominant activity at facilities supplied with waste heat. Waste heat utilization is unlikely to cause interregional relocation of vegetable production in the U.S

The Impact of Return Migration to Mexico

Hundreds of thousand of Mexicans leave their country each year for the United States. Almost half these migrants return to Mexico within twelve months. Using a sample of working-aged males from (MxFLS) we find that being a return migrant affects the probability of employment. In states along the US border return migrants are less likely to be employed and those in the Central and Capital areas more likely. But these effects disappear when we correct for the fact that factors that determine migration also affect employment.Migration, Mexico, labor outcomes, MxFLS