Economic valuation of forest recreation: The case of the University Forest of Pertouli in Greece

Recreation benefits constitute a substantial part of the total economic value of forests and are important for local and national economy. An extensive literature on environmental economy has grown in our days describing a variety of methods that have been developed for valuing the total economic value of forest resources. Some of these methods are based on individual preferences for either the conservation or the utilisation of environmental commodities. This paper reports the findings of a CVM study, in Greece, for estimating annual and per trip forest recreation values of Pertouli University Forest. For this reason an in-person interview surveys of forest recreation behavior were carried out in a sample of 591 recreational users of Pertouli forest. The recreational value of the Pertouli University Forest totals about 565,197,652 (sic) per annum according to the maximum amount its visitors arc willing to pay to spent one more day in the area. Results show that forest recreation is highly valued much greater than timber production income. The results would help the choice of management strategies for a more economically efficient allocation of forest resources to different uses

MEASURING THE VALUES OF WATER RESOURCES: AN APPLICATION OF PRINCIPAL COMPONENT ANALYSIS

A measurement scale was constructed to investigate the way individuals hold environmental values in water resource and to determine the importance of environmental goods and services to human opinion of environmental economic values. For this reason an individual survey was carried out in a sample of 200 recreational fishermen of the lake Kastoria. The results indicated that the model provides a very good fit for the data and can be used to measure water resources total economic value giving also a classification of their different categories. According to the results, people who have an instrumental relation with water resources recognise most of the different types of environmental values but classification includes all items that are related with the used value

Effect of system parameters and of inorganic salts on the decolorization and degradation of Procion H-exl dyes. Comparison of H2O2/UV, Fenton, UV/Fenton, TiO2/UV and TiO2/UV/H2O2 processes

Reactive dyes are extensively used in the last years due to their superior performance, but they are environmentally hazardous. In the present work, the decolorization and degradation of commercial reactive azo dyes (Procion Navy H-exl, Procion Crimson H-exl and Procion Yellow H-exl) were studied using five advanced oxidation processes (AOPs): H2O2/UV, Fenton, UV/Fenton, TiO2/UV and TiO2/UV/H2O2. The dependence of the decolorization on the system parameters (solution pH, dye and reactants initial concentrations, and TiO2 loading) and on the presence of salts (NaCl, Na2CO3, NaHCO3, Na2SO4, NaNO3 and Na3PO4) was investigated. The decolorization (determined by spectrophotometric analysis) and the degradation (determined as TOC reduction) were compared for the different processes examined. The decolorization of the Procion H-exl solutions considered was found to strongly depend on the system parameters in all five AOPs. Although decolorization is very fast for the Fenton process and becomes even faster for the UV/Fenton process, degradation rates are relatively low for these two methods. Addition of H2O2 increases the decolorization and especially the degradation rates for the TiO2/UV process. The H2O2/UV and TiO2/UV/H2O2 processes result in the fastest dye degradation. The addition of the salts examined has in general an adverse effect on the decolorization rates, but to a varying degree depending on the salt used

Characteristics of tourism development in mountainous regions using categorical regression: The case of Metsovo (Greece)

Leisure and tourism activities conceived as part of the developmental process of particular areas or regions can contribute to their economic growth to varying degrees of intensity so that they can be attainable and/or desirable. The exploitation of national resources is of great economic value in promoting tourism development in the provincial and underdeveloped areas of Greece. An evaluation of the factors that contribute to the growth of tourism in these regions would be useful in decision making and planning as far as their development is concerned. Such an interesting region from a tourism perspective, with many individual characteristics is the region of Metsovo, which belongs to Epirus, one of the poorest EU regions. However, Metsovo has recently presented a dynamic image since the region's natural resources and rich cultural heritage (many Greek benefactors originated from here), along with its farming products with designation of origin, have created major prospects for the promotion of tourism. The present research was carried out using a structured questionnaire and cluster sampling involving visitors staying in local hotels. The collected data were elaborated using the SPSS v. 11.0 statistical program. Descriptive statistics and categorical regression were used to analyse the relevant data. The main conclusions have shown that the profile of visitors to Metsovo can be summarized using the following characteristics: relatively young, minimum secondary school graduates and belonging to the upper social classes (judged by their profession). In addition, for more than half of the visitors the region of Metsovo is their permanent holiday location, primarily for relaxation purposes. The main problems that visitors face in the region of Metsovo relate to the lack of parking areas and cleanliness. Visitors with a higher level of education and/or income choose to visit Metsovo during public holidays or weekends; they also show a tendency to spend more money in comparison to the rest of the visitors. Finally, visitors who describe the surrounding countryside as nice or very nice are characterized by a higher professional and educational standing. © 2006 WIT Press

ECONOMIC VALUE OF CONSERVATION. THE CASE OF THE EDIBLE SEA URCHIN Paracentrotus lividus

This paper presents a goods and services approach to determine the economic value of Paracentrotus lividus with the aim of clarifying the role of valuation in the management and conservation of marine biodiversity. More specifically, it uses the Contingent Valuation Method to estimate the existence value of the sea urchin population that is predicted to be lost in the future if we do not take any measure today to protect them. According to the results a great number of respondents were willing to pay for the conservation of P. lividus population. Moreover, individual characteristics have distinctively different effects for explaining responders behaviour against their conservation. The empirical results from the proposed models link individuals opinion about economic value of biodiversity with people total willingness to pay (WTP). The results would help the choice of management strategies for P. lividus conservation and can help design incentive schemes to make conservation policy both effective and efficient

Decolorization and degradation of reactive azo dyes via heterogeneous photocatalytic processes

Reactive dyes are extensively used in textile industry in the last years due to their superior performance, but they are environmentally hazardous and difficult to treat effectively by classical methods. In the present work. the decolorization and degradation of four commercial reactive azo dyes, namely Remazol Red RR, Remazol Yellow RR, Procion Crimson H-exl and Procion Yellow H-exl. were studied using photocatalytic processes (TiO(2)/UV and TiO(2)/UV/H(2)O(2)). Decolorization and degradation were found to strongly depend on the system parameters (TiO(2) loading, dye and H(2)O(2) initial concentrations, and pH). Decolorization efficiency (%) sharply increases with increasing the TiO(2) loading. especially up to 1 g/L, as well as with decreasing the initial dye concentration from 250 down to 50 mg/L At pH = 3, a > 90% decolorization of all dyes can be achieved in only 15 min. Addition of H(2)O(2) increases the decolorization rates up to an optimum value (97.9% Remazol Red RR decolorization at 12 min irradiation, with a 0.5%w/w initial H(2)O(2) concentration and pH = 3). Among the four dyes examined, significant differences in decolorization and degradation rates were revealed, but decolorization and degradation efficiencies up to 100% (in 25 min and 4 h respectively) are possible with proper combinations of the system parameters. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Socioeconomic interactions of fishries and aquqculture in Greece: A case study og South Evoikos Gulp

The present study investigates the socioeconomic sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture in the South Evoikos Gulf. The results show poor labour mobility between fisheries and aquaculture. Internal geographical mobility, relatively high salaries and the relatively high educational level of the aquaculture workers contribute to the sustainability for the aquaculture sector. There is a high probability of young, low-educated individuals entering the fishing industry. Furthermore, earnings and professional training prevent people from exiting the fisheries sector, and this may act as a means towards fisheries' sustainability. Grants and subsidies do not seem to influence fishermen's decision to remain or exit the sector. On average more fishermen than aquaculture workers perceive that their profession is supported by the local community and tourist industry

The EEC Regulation 2080/92 about forest measures in agriculture: The case of poplar plantations in Greece

The Common Agricultural Policy reform that took place in Europe in 1992 and the relevant decisions it entailed created the preconditions for a considerable amount of agricultural land to be withdrawn from food production in order to be used for the production of wood. In recent decades, agricultural productive activities have been gradually losing their predominant role within the developmental process in rural areas. This study concerns the analysis of the personal and social characteristics of investors/cultivators of poplar plantations and the factors affecting the size of poplar plantations according to the EEC Regulation 2080/92. The research was carried out through questionnaires administered within the Prefecture of Pella. Farmers constitute the majority of investors/cultivators. Large areas of land being privately owned, the size of the irrigated land, participation in European programs and other European regulations are the main factors that affect the establishment of poplar plantations