Évaluation économique des services écosystémiques dans la région de Montréal : analyse spatiale et préférences exprimées

Les services écosystémiques (SE) réfèrent aux bénéfices que produisent et soutiennent la biodiversité et les écosystèmes et qui profitent à l’être humain. Dans beaucoup de cas, ils ne sont pas pris en compte dans le système économique. Cette externalisation des SE engendre des décisions sur l’utilisation du territoire et des ressources naturelles qui ignorent leur contribution à la qualité de vie des communautés. Afin notamment de sensibiliser l’opinion publique à l’importance des SE et de mieux les intégrer dans les processus décisionnels, ont été développées des démarches d’évaluation économique des SE. Dans cette thèse, nous avons cherché à comprendre à la fois comment l’utilisation passée et actuelle des sols dans la région de Montréal affecte la valeur des SE et comment ces aménités naturelles sont perçues et valorisées par la population, dans une perspective d’aménagement futur du territoire. Pour ce faire, nous avons utilisé deux approches : l’analyse spatiale recourant aux systèmes d’information géographique et l’analyse des préférences exprimées par des techniques d’enquête. Pour l’analyse spatiale, nous avons combiné des analyses cartographiques à des valeurs monétaires associées aux SE publiées dans la littérature. Nous avons alors estimé la valeur des écosystèmes d’un territoire par le transfert de bénéfices, de prix de marchés directs et de coûts évités. Cette démarche nous a permis de comprendre la relation entre l’utilisation actuelle du territoire du Grand Montréal écologique et la valeur des services fournis par les écosystèmes, que nous avons estimée à 2,2 milliards de dollars par année. Elle nous a permis aussi de mesurer les effets sur la valeur des SE du changement d’utilisation des sols entre les années 1960 et 2010. Nous avons montré que malgré différentes politiques de contrôle et d’encadrement de l’étalement urbain au cours de cette période, les pertes économiques non marchandes liées aux SE s’élèvent à 236 millions de dollars par année. Pour l’analyse des préférences exprimées, nous avons utlilisé deux méthodes, l’évaluation contingente et le choix multi-attributs, avec l’objectif de mesurer le consentement à payer de répondants pour des variations dans l’aménagement du territoire. Nous avons montré d’une part que les répondants valorisent significativement l’incidence des pratiques agro-environnementales sur la qualité de l’environnement et des paysages en consentant à payer entre 159 et 333 dollars par ménage par année pour une amélioration de la diversité du paysage agricole. D’autre part, leur volonté à payer pour l’amélioration de l’état des milieux humides du Québec est estimée entre 389 et 455 dollars par ménage par année. L’utilisation conjointe des deux méthodes nous a permis d’en comparer les résultats. Nous avons en outre démontré que le choix du format de question de valorisation de l’évaluation contingente affecte la convergence des résultats. Enfin, nous avons proposé des pistes de recherches futures portant sur l’intégration des démarches d’analyse biophysique, économique et politique dans des outils de prise de décision mieux adaptés à la dynamique des écosystèmes, de la biodiversité et des communautés humaines.Ecosystem services (ES) refer to benefits produced and sustained by biodiversity and ecosystems that benefit humans. In many cases, they are not considered in the economic system. This externalization of SE generates decisions on land use and natural resources that ignore their contribution to the well-being of communities. In order to raise awareness of the importance of ES and better integrate them into decision-making processes, economic approaches to value ES have been developed. In this thesis, we sought to understand both how the past and current land use in the Montreal area affects the value of ES and how these natural amenities are perceived and valued by the population in a future planning and management perspective. To accomplish this, we used two approaches: spatial analysis using geographic information systems and analysis of stated preferences by survey techniques. In the spatial analysis approach, we combined cartographic analyzes to monetary values associated to ES published in the literature. We then estimated the value of ecosystems using benefit transfer, direct market prices and avoided costs methods. This approach has allowed us to understand the relationship between the current land use in the Greater Montreal and the economic value of the services provided by ecosystems, which we estimated at 2.2 billion dollars per year. It also allowed us to estimate the effects of land use changes between 1960 and 2010 on the value of ES. We showed that despite different land use planning policies implemented to manage urban sprawl during this period, non-market economic losses related to ES have reached 236 million dollars per year. In the stated preferences approach, we used two methods, contingent valuation and choice experiment, with the aim of measuring the willingness to pay of respondents for proposed changes in their environment. In a first study, we showed that respondents significantly value the impact of agri-environmental practices on the quality of the environment and landscapes and are willing to pay between 159 and 333 dollars per household per year on improving the diversity of agricultural landscape. In a second study, their willingness to pay on improving the status of wetlands in Quebec is estimated at between 389 and 455 dollars per household per year. The combined use of the two methods allowed us to compare the results. We also demonstrated that the choice of valuation question format in contingent valuation affects the convergence of the results. Finally, we propose directions for future research related to the integration of ecological, economic and political analyzes of ES that would lead to better assessments of the dynamics of ecosystems, biodiversity and human communities

Analysis of the Institutional Framework for the Management of Community Areas Through the Prism of Institutional Bricolage: The Case of Benin’s Bouche du Roy

Natural resource governance requires the collaboration of various stakeholders, including community, state and private institutions. Using an institutional bricolage theoretical framework and stakeholder theory, we analyzed stakeholder influences and interrelationships in the management of the Bouche du Roy Community Biodiversity Conservation Area (CBCA). We conducted semi-structured interviews with seventy-three (73) participants from responsible organisations and agencies and the local population and undertook participatory observations and documentary analyses. Our analysis reveals that the management of the CBCA is characterized by two main institutional features. The first consists of arrangements that govern the organization of stakeholders and the establishment of the local management association. The second is a hybridization of conservation strategies that includes cultural and spiritual practices. Our analysis also reveals that considering priorities and characteristics of the local population facilitates the implementation of the CBCA ecosystems’ conservation plan, despite differences between conservation objectives and the population’s needs. The mapping of actor relations reveals unequal influence across stakeholder categories and weak capacity and autonomy of the responsible local association. The management of the CBCA would benefit from reinforcing local actors’ capacity, thus improving the balance of decision-making responsibility and fostering the local management association’s autonomy. This case study sheds light on the dynamics of influence in the multiscale institutional management of community natural resources

Comparing polycentric configuration for adaptive governance within community forests: Case studies in Eastern North America

Looking at two cases of community forests (CF) in Eastern North America, this article examines their institutional features in order to assess whether they are conducive to adaptive governance. To do so, this article presents CFs as manifestations of polycentric governance, which allow identifying the complex networks of relations existing between different actors involved in governance at many scales. Polycentric governance is assumed to have a higher adaptability to changing factors. To better capture the variables conducive to adaptive governance in CFs, we draw on the socio-ecological system (SES) framework. The study shows that variables from the SES framework are useful in identifying features of polycentricity in CFs. Moreover, these variables highlight mechanisms of adaptability in CF governance, namely: interaction between organizations and actors, multiplicity of complementary rules from different organizations and structures of governance. Moreover, ongoing communication with the forest users and learning among actors appear key for CF governance’s adaptability

L’éducation relative à l’environnement dans la Réserve de biosphère du mont Saint-Hilaire : observations et tensions

Le Programme sur l’Homme et la Biosphère (Programme MAB) de l’UNESCO vise à établir une base scientifique pour améliorer les relations entre l’humanité et la nature à l’échelle mondiale. Après presque 50 ans d’existence, l’expression la plus tangible du Programme MAB est un réseau de réserves de biosphère dont l’un des principaux objectifs est l’éducation. Puisque l’éducation relative à l’environnement a pour visée l’harmonisation du réseau de relations personne-société-environnement, nous avons effectué une analyse critique des actions suggérées à cet effet par le Programme MAB. Cet exercice a été réalisé dans le cadre du 3e examen périodique de la Réserve de biosphère du mont Saint-Hilaire (RBMSH), prévu par le cadre statutaire des réserves de biosphère dans une perspective d’amélioration des pratiques éducatives. Au bilan, nous formulons cinq observations relatives aux visées de l’ERE, au cadre non formel, à l’axiologie des pratiques, à la pertinence d’élaborer un modèle-cadre et à celle d’adopter des approches d’évaluation formative des pratiques pour favoriser la prise en compte de la diversité des relations entre les humains et la biosphère au sein de la RBMSH et dans le Réseau mondial des réserves de biosphère.UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Program aims to establish a scientific basis for improving human-nature relations on a global scale. After almost 50 years of existence, the most tangible expression of MAB is a network of biosphere reserves, one of whose main objectives is education. Since environmental education (EE) sets out to harmonize the relations between person-society-environment, we have carried out a critical analysis of the actions suggested for this purpose by the MAB. This exercise was carried out as part of the 3rd periodic review of the Mont Saint-Hilaire Biosphere Reserve (RBMSH), in compliance with the Statutory Framework of Biosphere Reserves and with the intention of providing insights into EE practices. In summary, we present five observations concerning the aims of EE, the non-formal framework in which EE is conducted, the axiology of practices, the relevance of developing an EE framework model, and the adoption of formative evaluation approaches during periodic reviews to take into account the diversity of human-biosphere relations within the RBMSH and the World Network of Biosphere Reserves

TAMM review : On the importance of tap and tree characteristics in maple sugaring

Maple sugaring mainly uses sugar and red maples (Acer saccharum and Acer rubrum) by tapping them for sap in the leafless-state across large portions of their ranges. How much sap exudes from a tap hole and how sweet this sap is, can vary substantially. Year-to-year variation in sap yield and sugar content can be primarily traced to differences in meteorological conditions that drive sap runs. Yet, how much of the total variation in sap yield and sugar content is linked to the year, site, species, tree, or tap has not been investigated systematically. Here, we reviewed the literature and also compiled a dataset of sap yield and sugar content from gravity taps on 324 red and sugar maples. The compiled data originates from multiple studies at ten sites across a large proportion of the ranges of sugar and red maple and stretches over eleven years. Using about 15 000 data points on sap yield and sap sugar content, we analysed the importance of tap and tree characteristics, such as height of the tap hole on the stem or diameter at breast height. We also review previous research on the importance of tap and tree characteristics in maple sugaring. Moreover, we partition variability in the data to attribute it to species, site, tree, year, and tap characteristics. Our results indicate that species, site and tree characteristics are the three largest sources of variability with regards to sap yield and the sap’s sucrose concentration. However, differences between years and tap characteristics, which were found to be comparatively minor sources of variability in sap yield and the sap’s sucrose concentration, have attracted far more attention in the past. We advocate for the continuation and expansion of systematic measurements of sap characteristics across a network of sites to further improve our understanding of maple sugaring. Such an understanding will be instrumental to prepare maple sugaring operations against the imminent effects of the climate and biodiversity crises and ensure their sustainability to perpetuate this traditional activity

Regards sur les systèmes de paiements pour services écosystémiques en milieu agricole au Québec

Despite the growing interest they arouse, market instruments, such as payments for ecosystem services (PES), are still far from being the dominant political strategies in the conservation of biodiversity and protection of the environment, in Quebec as elsewhere. Even though the PES have received greater consideration in recent years, the field of legal studies regarding this question has hardly progressed. Within this context, the aim of this paper is twofold. Firstly, it aims to provide an overview of the different political systems incorporating the concept of ES in Quebec and to identify the role it occupies within these arrangements. Secondly, it also aims to consider more specifically how PES Programs implemented in the agricultural sector of Quebec can help improve existing political arrangements in this sector

4. L’analyse économique des paysages : réflexions sur les méthodes et les enjeux

Au Québec, les promoteurs immobiliers sont certainement ceux qui ont le plus rapidement compris la valeur économique des paysages. Mais, dans le contexte rural actuel où l’on reconnaît de plus en plus que le paysage constitue une nouvelle ressource pour les communautés rurales, il interpelle aujourd’hui directement les politiques publiques. Le paysage constitue une composante fondamentale du milieu de vie humain. Il naît de la combinaison de deux éléments : d’un côté, les composantes physique..

Beyond setting conservation targets: Q-method as a powerful tool to collectively set an action plan agenda

Nature conservation begins with detailed knowledge of the ecosystem based on inventories and maps. A difficult part of the conservation process subsequently starts, namely, the design of an action plan that achieves the desired protection outcome. As both funding and time are limited, conservation is subject to difficult trade-offs among competing land uses. We present a novel approach based on the Q-method to support local stakeholders that go beyond its usual use in assisting decision-making. We suggest a new usage of the Q-method: a tool to support conservation action prioritization. Our results indicate that the Q-method has valuable attributes, as (1) it encourages individual reflection on one’s own priorities; (2) it identifies different prioritization patterns among respondents; (3) it provides input to later collective discussions, ultimately contributing to establishing consensus; (4) it brings additional arguments to conservation planners based on the latter’s declared priorities. Overall, this use of Q-method can help stakeholders prioritize conservation actions, a crucial step toward achieving ecologically and socially robust conservation action plan

Étude de cas 1. L’évaluation économique des pratiques agroenvironnementales et du paysage agricole : le bassin versant du ruisseau Vacher

En 2005, l’Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA) et la Fondation de la faune du Québec ont lancé un projet de « Mise en valeur de la biodiversité des cours d’eau en milieu agricole ». Axée autour de la mise en place de pratiques agroenvironnementales, la première vague du programme s’est concentrée sur 10 sites. Afin de connaître la valeur des bénéfices environnementaux retirés à la suite de la mise en application des pratiques agroenvironnementales, une évaluation économique fut entreprise s..

Not just an engineering problem: The role of knowledge and understanding of ecosystem services for adaptive management of coastal erosion

Coastal ecosystems are recognized as important providers of ecosystem services such as carbon storage, increased fish productivity, and wave energy reduction. In a context of climate change, coastal ecosystems are exposed to erosion and subject to coastal squeeze, even as they provide natural coastal protection against extreme weather. While civil engineering solutions often take centre stage in mitigating coastal erosion and protecting infrastructure from storms and sea level rise, we seek to explore the social dimension of adaptive management of socio-ecological systems and more specifically the role of knowledge and learning. Using an ecosystem services (ES) framework, we provide a first evaluation of local stakeholders’ perceptions of coastal habitats in maritime Quebec. The findings demonstrate the importance of a social approach for coastal ES valuation, in particular in addressing the complex question of cultural ES. A better understanding of the links between coastal stakeholders and their natural environment can help decision-makers and practitioners design conservation management and coastal adaptation measures mainstreaming the role of coastal habitats. Nevertheless, a change towards a socio-ecological perspective will require long-lasting processes that build on social capacities, such as flexible institutions and multilevel governance systems