Management of wetland resources in the lower Mekong Basin: issues and future directions

The Lower Mekong Basin has extensive wetlands and these are being threatened by numerous problems. Most of these problems are interdependent and interact with one another. The lack of an appropriate definition of wetlands applicable to the region, pervasive inefficiencies and chronic lack of funds among riparian governments, and the poor appreciation of the true economic importance of wetlands and its resources are among the most prominent. The current definition, based on the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971), is too broad when compared to the understanding of wetlands as being swamps, marshes and the like, and was developed specifically for wetlands with international importance as waterfowl habitats. Furthermore, wetlands are composed of different types of resources, which require different modes of management. Often, institutional competition, overlapping mandates and sometimes jealousies occur between government departments when they try to assert their authority on a particular wetland resource and use, and put forward their development plans without considering how these may conflict with other wetlands uses. Finally, effective wetland management requires reliable statistics or information on rate of harvest of natural resources such as fish and others, fishing/harvesting methods over time in order to determine the level of exploitation, and the status of the natural resources. This information is needed to identify opportunities for expansion, to establish historical trends, and to determine when management interventions are necessary to protect the resources from being overused by other developments. In order to address these issues, ICLARM - The World Fish Center has launched a project, the aim of objectives of which are described in this paper

Wetlands management in Vietnam's Mekong Delta: an overview of the pressures and responses

This paper introduces the characteristics of the Delta and outlines the pressures that are impinging on the sustainability of the Delta's wetlands. Although these pressures are non-linear and interacting, three are considered prominent. These pressures stem largely from rice production and the associated large scale water control infrastructures, shrimp aquaculture, and the inadequacy of the current institutional arrangements. Responses to these pressures are discussed noting the diverse interventions made in the past and the present. Key points raised by authors in the succeeding chapters in this volume are highlighted and a short description of the WorldFish Center project is provided.Wetlands, Resource management, Rice, Shrimp culture, Vietnam, Mekong Delta,

Institutional issues and perspectives in the management of fisheries and coastal resources in southeast Asia

In developing countries, institutional weaknesses and constraints are pervasive in the fisheries and coastal resources management sector. Legal, policy and institutional frameworks are not crafted to suit the unique features of fisheries and other coastal resources and this has resulted in mismatches and overlaps. This volume highlights the important institutional demands and challenges in fisheries and coastal resources management through case studies in four countries in Southeast Asia û Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand. The main focus is on the fisheries sector, a major resource in the coastal zone. Since issues in this sector cannot be divorced from issues affecting the integrated management of coastal resources, both are addressed in the discussion. This volume provides an introduction to the institutional milieu of coastal and fishery resources management in Southeast Asia.Fishery management, Marine resources, Institutional resources, Legal aspects, Governments, Southeast Asia,

A COMPARISON OF STATE AND USDA COST AND RETURN ESTIMATES

Concern has been voiced that U.S. Department of Agriculture (UDSA) Farm Costs and Returns Surveys are used for a wide variety of policy analyses but produce questionable estimates. USDA-developed crop and livestock cost and return estimates for New Mexico and other selected states are compared to estimates developed by state universities. Major differences exist, most important of which relate to the ability of the survey respondent to answer the questions posed. Regardless of the cause of the differences, closer cooperation between the USDA and state universities clearly is needed to develop consistent estimates.Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

PUBLIC LAND POLICY AND THE VALUE OF GRAZING PERMITS

This article provides an empirical test of the traditional theory of permit value and investigates the impact of recent changes in public land policies on the value of grazing permits. Results suggest that the cost advantage for grazing on public lands has been capitalized into substantial permit values, but other economic and hedonic factors influencing land prices also have contributed to the value of grazing permits. Public land grazing permits have fallen in value relative to deeded land as grazing fees have increased and as assurance has waned that public land policies will continue to be favorable to ranchers.Land Economics/Use,

Wetlands management in Cambodia: socioeconomic, ecological, and policy perspectives

The papers in this volume were initially prepared for a workshop organized in April 2001 in Siem Reap, Cambodia, under the auspices of the project, " Legal and institutional framework and economic valuation of resources and environment in the Mekong River Region- a wetlands approach." The first three papers provide an essential survey of the importance of wetlands, trends affecting their health and propductivity, and priority actions in response. The next three papers focus on the social, institutional, and legal challenges of wetlands management in the country. The final three papers address the problems of assessing and enhancing the value of wetlands.Wetlands, Resource management, Socioeconomic aspects, Policies, Environment management, Cambodia,

IS THE PROFIT MOTIVE AN IMPORTANT DETERMINANT OF GRAZING LAND USE AND RANCHER MOTIVE?

We build our economic models and estimate grazing policy impacts based on the standard economic model of profit maximization. Yet, over 30 years of research and observation has shown that, for many, consumptive and quality of life values are the most important reasons for the purchase of western ranches. Ranch buyers want an investment they can touch, feel and enjoy, and they have historically been willing to accept low returns from the livestock operation. Profit maximization appears to be an inadequate model for explaining rancher behavior; in estimating what impacts altered public land policies will have; and in de-scribing grazing land use and value. In this study, only 27% of the value of New Mexico ranches in the most productive rangeland areas was explained by livestock production potential. Economists and policy-makers must take the influences of both traditional livestock production and quality of life values into ac-count when determining appropriate policies for western rangelands.Land Economics/Use, Livestock Production/Industries,

Wetlands management in Vietnam: issues and perspectives

Wetlands, Resource management, Resource conservation, WorldFish Center Contrib. No. 1692, Viet Nam, Mekong Delta,

MODELING NONNEGATIVITY VIA TRUNCATED LOGISTIC AND NORMAL DISTRIBUTIONS: AN APPLICATION TO RANCH LAND PRICE ANALYSIS

This study presents an empirical method of modeling the nonnegativity of dependent variables using truncated logistic and normal disturbance distributions. The method is applied in estimating a ranch land hedonic price function. Results show that the degree of truncation is significant.Land Economics/Use,