The Regulation of Hunting: A Population Tax

Within hunting, wildlife populations are estimated to be too high in many countries which is assumed to be due to the market failure, that each hunter harvests too little compared to what the regulator wants. This may be due to the existing regulation which, among other things, requires knowledge of the individual harvest. However, information about the individual harvest may be costly to obtain. Thus, we may have to look for alternatives to the existing system. This paper proposes a population tax/subsidy as an alternative which is the difference between the actual and optimal population multiplied by an individual, variable tax rate. The variable tax rate is, among other things, based on the difference in marginal value of the population between the hunter and the regulator. The paper shows that the population tax/subsidy secures a first-best optimum. Thus, the population tax is a good alternative to the existing regulation.

Support to organic farming and bio-energy as rural development drivers

The paper conducts an analysis of the potentials of organic farming and bioenergy as win-win-win strategies promoting economic growth, employment and the environment at the same time. Empirical evidence does not indicate that conversion to organic farming will enhance economic growth and employment, but there are environmental benefits primarily due to the absence of pesticides. If energy crops are grown on idle land bioenergy has the potential of generating economic activities and employment alongside with CO2 reductions. Liquid biofuel production is a relatively expensive way of reducing CO2, but there is a potential for technological breakthroughs making it economically viable to use low value feedstock like straw and waste for bioethanol production. It is recommended that the positive environmental effects of organic farming and bioenergy are internalised through green taxes on the negative externalities from conventional farming and fossil energy use

Modelling the Spatial Structure of Pig Production in Denmark

In Denmark, the concentration of pig production is highest in the western part of the country. However, there may be even larger local differences in the number of pigs produced. In this study we analyze the determinants of the location of pig production in Denmark with particular focus on spatial externalities and the interaction between the location of pig production and upstream sector and slaughterhouses. It is the assumption that the location of slaughterhouses is influenced by the location of the primary producers, implying that this variable is endogenous, whereas the location of primary producers is independent of the location of slaughterhouses. This is due to the fact that transportation costs of pigs are paid by the cooperatives owning the slaughterhouses. This assumption is tested applying a spatial econometric model. The model is estimated for 1999 and 2004. Furthermore, the impact of negative environmental externalities of pig production on location is analyzed. The results show that spatial externalities have a positive effect on the location of pig production whereas environmental regulation has a negative effect on location.Agglomeration, Externalities, Spatial Econometrics, Polluted Production, Livestock Production/Industries,

Costs of Reducing Nutrient Losses in Denmark - Analyses of Different Regulation Systems and Cost Effective Measures

The economic calculations carried out prior to the Plan for the Aquatic Environment III included a comparison of regulation systems aimed at reducing nitrogen leaching, analyses of measures for reducing phosphorus losses and estimation of administrative costs. The conclusions were that taxation of the N-surplus introduced at the sector level was the most cost effective regulation when compared with administrative regulation and set a side. For phosphorus a balance between incoming and outgoing phosphorus is very costly as this requires that much slurry is transported from the western to the eastern part of Denmark. The final plan for the Aquatic Environment III from 2004 included a 13% reduction of N-leaching until 2015 based on cost effective administrative measures like wetlands and catch crops. Also a tax on mineral phosphorus in feedstuffs was included in order to half the phosphorus surplus. The measures in the Plan will have to be supplemented by more measures to meet the targets in the EU's Water Framework Directive.cost-effectiveness, cost of reducing nitrogen leaching, phosphorus, administrative costs, Agricultural and Food Policy, Q51, Q52, Q53,

The effect of forest land use on the cost of drinking water supply: A spatial econometric analysis

Forest land use is often associated with the protection of water resources from contamination and the reduced cost of drinking water supply. This study attempted to measure the value of the forest on the quality of water resources from a contingent market, namely drinking water supply, by estimating variations in drinking water costs as a function of variations in land uses. Spatial correlations were taken into account because of the use of different geographical scales (i.e., water service area and land uses) and the potential existence of organizational and technological spillovers between water services. We found a significant negative effect of forest land use on water costs. We found no evidence of spatial spillovers concerning the management regime but did find that organizational choices (i.e., grouping of municipalities within a water service) and factors related to the scarcity of resources in neighboring water services have an impact on water costs.Water quality, land uses, forest, water supply service, spatial spillovers, Demand and Price Analysis, Land Economics/Use, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, C21, Q23, Q25, R14,

Irreversibility and Uncertainty in Multifunctional Forest Management Allocation

absen

L'écotourisme en Ardenne. Les actions et les attentes des résidents, touristes et touristes potentiels par rapport aux espaces naturels.

Projet Interreg AGRETAAGRET