Methodology for valuing wetlands in Uganda

The wetlands in Uganda are undergoing rapid degradation. Swamps provide a habitat for birds, fishes and other animals. They have many ecological functions and, furthermore, supply people with multiple resources, such as reeds, herbs, fish and agricultural products. Although some'uses of wetland are sustainable, others lead to rapid deterioration. The main threat to swamps are human activities. One reason for the progressive destruction of wetlands is that the people may not appreciate the existence of and the treasures represented by wetlands even if they live in arm long distance from them. Another reason is that the two most important user groups of wetlands, farmers and fishermen, although having conflicting interests concerning the wetlands, hardly interact. A study, done as part of the Ecotone Project at the Fisheries Research Institute (FIRI), tries to evaluate in monetary terms how much Uganda loses with progressive destruction of wetlands. The study looks first at which uses of the wetlands are of importance and thereafter it examines, what data is needed and available to calculate the values of those uses

The Impact of Network Size and Financial Incentives on Adoption and Participation in New Online Communities

The success of online communities depends heavily on the providers' abilities to motivate potential users to adopt the service and to actively participate. Because research in this field of media economics is rare, especially with regard to newly established communities, this study analyzes what drives community adoption and how direct and indirect financial incentives influence user participation. Extending Ajzen's (1991) Theory of Planned Behavior, this article shows, in 2 empirical studies, that network size significantly affects adoption in newly established communities. The results of the first study indicate a strong effect of indirect financial incentives (saving money) on the intention to adopt. The second study indicates that direct financial incentives (earning money) may well help increase the network's size without altering user motivation through crowding-out effects. It is interesting to note that the presence of direct financial incentives attracts new users, but it does not increase usage.