Payments for forest-based environmental services: A close look

In this paper, I look at Payments for Environmental Services (PES) under property protection rules and in consideration of the marketability of these services. I then investigate the joint production process of timber and environmental services and identify a critical choice facing the buyers of forest environmental services—either incurring transaction costs by studying the opportunity costs of landowners and the environmental benefits their lands could provide, or losing efficiencies by paying some landowners free money and by not being able to induce socially desirable land use changes. Finally, I compare PES with other policy and market mechanisms that encourage the provisions of environmental services.     

For services rendered? Modeling hydrology and livelihoods in Andean payments for environmental services schemes

In the Andes, demand for water is growing and upland land-use changes are increasing. Water quality, quantity and seasonal flow have thus also become environmental services with potential monetary value. Yet, currently the region's pioneer PES schemes are not paying for measured environmental services, but for proxy land uses thought to provide the(se) service(s). Hydrological modeling makes explicit the tacit causal relationships and tests underlying assumptions. Ideally, when combined with an economic analysis of land-use alternatives, this could inform decision makers on how much to pay for different interventions in different spatial locations. This paper focuses on two Andean watersheds: Moyobamba (Peru) and Pimampiro (Ecuador). In the first case, a municipal water company is preparing a payment for environmental services (PES) scheme to reduce upstream sediment loads. In the second, a similar conservation-oriented municipal PES scheme has operated since 2000, but the hydrological linkages have never been tested. Applying the Soil & Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), we identify in both watersheds biophysically critical areas for service delivery, and compare services for current land uses with change scenarios: deforestation, reforestation, live barriers, and agroforestry. We then use the ECOSAUT optimization model to predict net economic benefits for service providers. In Moyobamba, switching to shade-grown coffee would halve sediment yields, and increase significantly farmers’ economic benefits. This requires high up-front investment, but the willingness to pay of water users in Moyobamba town may suffice to cover the upfront costs. In Pimampiro, resumed deforestation would increase sediments by >50% and reduce dry-season flow by 0.5%, thus reinforcing the rationale of the existing PES scheme, focused on conserving native forests and grasslands.     

生态系统服务付费的起源与逻辑及理论辨析

生态系统服务付费是一个重要的政策工具,也是目前生态经济研究的热点之一。为了更好地理解和认识生态系统服务付费,文中探讨其起源和逻辑,运用新古典经济学和新制度经济学框架权衡其涉及的公平与效率问题,梳理有关的市场与制度之辨。研究认为,由于公平与效率为权衡关系,以市场为主的科斯型生态系统服务付费因更加注重效率而比较适合产权较为明晰、交易成本较小、信息较为完全的发达国家,以制度为主的庇古型生态系统服务付费则更加注重公平因而更为适合产权较不清晰、交易成本较高、信息较不完全的发展中国家;生态系统服务付费的市场与制度之辨本质上是关于产权是否明晰、交易成本是否存在、信息是否完全的区别。由于中国仍属发展中国家,建议在进行生态补偿顶层设计时更多地借鉴庇古型生态系统服务付费的做法;但是随着市场经济体制不断完善、产权进一步清晰,科斯型生态系统服务付费将带来更多启发。     

Spatial forest valuation: The role of location in determining attitudes toward payment for ecosystem services policies

Forests provide many benefits (e.g., esthetics, water purification, habitat, carbon sequestration) to humans when they are conserved. However, forest conservation efforts may conflict with other uses, particularly timber harvest. Incentives for forest conservation can be established through payment for ecosystem services (PES) policies. PES policies rely on forest valuation studies which traditionally have valued the whole forest, or characteristics of a forest. Methods that allow variability in estimated forest values over space can provide valuation information at a finer scale and aid in the optimization of PES policies. These spatially explicit values provide information critical to many policy decisions, particularly conservation prioritization and planning.Using moderate resolution satellite remote sensing (i.e., LandSat) and a forest use survey conducted in Kam Cha i, Thailand, methods to estimate forest product valuation for spatially heterogeneous plots are demonstrated. These estimates are produced using geographic information system (GIS) multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA). The MCDA method combines forest use data with associated travel costs and vegetation cover estimates to provide spatially explicit estimates of forest values. This information is then used to compare local use values against potential carbon credit values estimated from the literature. The results show that a majority of the forest plots have higher PES values than for local forest products. Some do not, however, which suggests a possible cause for resistance against potential PES policies implemented in these areas.     

哥斯达黎加森林生态服务补偿机制演进及启示

通过分析哥斯达黎加森林生态服务补偿机制演进历程,总结出其项目类型多样、参加者自主性强、项目合同规范高效、项目资金来源渠道丰富、补偿标准合理、从自愿的补偿向强制性支付转变等对我国有益的启示,并在此基础上提出改进我国森林生态效益补偿机制的建议。     

Preserve and produce: experience in implementing payments for environmental services in two indigenous communities in the Northern and Southern ranges of Oaxaca,Mexico

Payments for environmental services (PES) are conservation instruments in place in various Latin American countries. They are generally undergoing adjustment and implementation changes, and they are widely implemented in indigenous communities. This article aims to suggest a relevant group of context variables in PES implementation. Characterizing the local context of two indigenous communities located in Oaxaca, Mexico, and analyzing the relationship between the local context and PES implementation and outcomes perceptions.

The work is based on 75 surveys administered to beneficiary families of the instrument in the two localities. The results suggest three conclusions:

The pertinence of the nine focal variables: “Forest cover, Opportunity costs, Livelihoods, Trust and cooperation, Motivations toward conservation, Management practices, Internal organization, Land tenure and Rules for the management and use” to the characterization of the local context. And the relevance of the new focal variable “Presence and experience with Civil Society Organizations”.

The coincidence between the contextual variables and the determinants of the success of conservation instruments.

Finally, the incidence of “Trust and cooperation” and “Internal organization” in the implementation of equitable PES schemes. And the importance of linking sustainable production to PES conservation schemes.     

Effects of land use change on biodiversity and ecosystem services in tropical montane cloud forests of Mexico

Tropical montane cloud forests deliver important goods and services to society, such as timber, the supply and purification of fresh water, and carbon sequestration. In spite of their relevance, current deforestation rates are very high, at the expense of affecting the provision of ecosystem services. We explore the impact of land use change in terms of provision of ecosystem services by following two approaches, one very detailed (focused on hydrological services – water quality) and another one with a broader perspective (at a large scale and considering the ecosystem service value (ESV) of several ecosystems and their ecosystem services at the same time). In the highlands of the State of Veracruz, previously forested lands were converted into coffee plantations and cattle ranches. To evaluate the role of species composition and community structure on water quality, we studied nine small watersheds (<15 ha) covered by pristine cloud forest, coffee plantations and cultivated grassland (three each). Species richness of the three land use types was similar, although species composition was as different as 90%. Overall species diversity as well as that of woody species, and growth form diversities decreased in the transformed land uses. Water quality of streams flowing through these watersheds declined: nutrients (nitrate), conductivity, cations, chloride and suspended solids were lowest in the forest streams and highest in streams from coffee watersheds, whereas grasslands were intermediate. We also calculated ecosystem service values (using the transfer value method) and estimated economic market–non-market gains and losses owing to land transformation. Loss of natural ecosystems may imply a significant economic loss to society in terms of ecosystem services, although market gains may still lead land owners to land conversion because revenues are higher. Adequate Payment for Ecosystem Services may be a good option to prevent deforestation, but the compensation should be at least equal to the opportunity cost of the promoted land use. Our estimates are indicative of the urgent need to go beyond water quantity as the most relevant ecosystem service considered in PES schemes.     

Household participation in Payments for Ecosystem Services: A case study from Mozambique

The success of the PES programme in developing countries depends on the active participation and contribution of rural households. This paper investigates the factors influencing rural households' decision to participate in the PES programme in the N'hambita Community in Sofala Province, Mozambique, based on data collected through a survey of 115 households, using factor analysis and multiple regressions. Factor analysis has shown that the main factors influencing the household decision to participate in the programme are latent variables labelled as economic benefits, followed by social inclusion and forest conservation accounting, with 31%, 19% and 14% of the total variance respectively. Multinomial logistic regression demonstrates that the gender, marital status, household age, the educational level of the head, land area, distance from the project centre and source of income are important variables in explaining the level of participation of the three factors.     

Liana species richness,abundance and relationship with trees in the Bobiri forest reserve,Ghana: Impact of management systems

Forest management practices which may represent various forms of disturbance regimes could influence liana species richness, abundance and relationship with their hosts. The study sought to determine the impacts of three management systems, namely, the Selection, Tropical Shelterwood and Post Exploitation Systems (SS, TSS and PES respectively) on liana species richness, abundance and relationship with trees in the Bobiri forest reserve, Ghana. Lianas with dbh ≥ 2 cm found on trees with dbh ≥ 10 cm were enumerated in 1 ha plot each in the SS, TSS and PES. All trees (dbh ≥ 10 cm) within the plots that did not carry lianas were also enumerated. A total of 640 liana individuals belonging to 27 species, 22 genera and 13 families were identified in the management systems. Griffonia simplicifolia (Vahl ex DC.) Baill., Motandra guineensis (Thonn.) A.DC. and Calycobolus africanus (G.Don) Heine were the abundant species in all the management systems. Unlike in SS, lianas in the TSS and PES were dominated by a few species. Larger diameter lianas were more abundant in the PES (32%) compared with the SS (18.3%) and the PES (13.1%). Liana diversity (H′) (species richness and abundance) was quantitatively higher in the SS (2.8) than the TSS (2.2) and the PES (2.0). The numbers of lianas carried by tree species differed significantly in the management systems (p < 0.001 each). Liana infestation in the forest was high. The level of liana infestation did not reflect the extent of liana load per tree in the management systems. Larger trees carried significantly more liana individuals than smaller trees in the PES (p = 0.019, r² = 0.15). There was a positive significant relationship between host dbh and liana dbh in the PES (p < 0.001, r² = 0.23) and TSS (p = 0.024, r² = 0.11). Tree diversity appeared to have influenced liana species richness and abundance.     

Transaction costs and the organization of CFEs: Experiences from ejidos in Quintana Roo,Mexico

Forest areas owned by indigenous people, families, and communities are increasingly linking to markets and attempting to harness the benefits of timber commercialization by setting up community forestry enterprises (CFEs). The interaction between markets and commonly owned forests is only until now enjoying greater attention from researchers. Common property scholarship has normally been used to study community natural resource management but currently it is deemed insufficient for understanding market interactions. This paper adds to this growing area of scholarship through the application of transaction costs economics (TCE) to the organization of community forest enterprises. TCE proposes that under certain circumstances and depending on the nature of the production process and context of exchange, different forms of organization play a role in reducing transaction costs in market exchange. Through fieldwork carried out in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico, this paper finds that hierarchical, collective organization is not the only way to reduce transaction costs for CFEs. Although market transactions can expose communities to opportunistic behaviour and hazards in many jurisdictions, capacity-building and skilling will decrease information costs and asymmetries for CFEs of organizational forms that rely on market contracting for production. Additionally, this research found that CFEs and their business partners value relationships that reduce the range of transaction costs even if this represents trade-offs in prices and making concessions such as informal loans. We recommend that policy should not focus on driving specific organizational forms in communities that attempt to eliminate intermediaries, contractors and service providers. Efforts should concentrate primarily on creating enabling environments by reducing transaction costs, particularly information costs and asymmetries that hinder productive relations between CFEs and their exchange partners. Better commercial relationships, social innovation and entrepreneurship can develop in conditions in which both CFEs and trading partners stand on even footing. Transaction cost theory should further investigate the role of learning in reducing transaction costs and its effect on organizational choice. It should consider that transaction costs may be experienced differently by individuals with different skills and abilities.     

Efficacy of mechanical fuel treatments for reducing wildfire hazard

Mechanical fuel treatments are increasingly being used for wildfire hazard reduction in the western U.S. However, the efficacy of these treatments for reducing wildfire hazard at a landscape scale is difficult to quantify, especially when including growth following treatment. A set of uneven- and even-aged treatments designed to reduce fire hazard were simulated on 0.8 million hectares of timberland in Colorado. Wildfire hazard ratings using torching and crowning indices were developed; stands were selected for treatment; treatment was simulated and hazard ratings were reassessed. The results show that the even-aged treatments initially place more area within our hazard thresholds than do the uneven-aged treatments and that the uneven-aged treatment that removes more small stems reduces risk more than the treatment removing more large stems. The treatment costs follow the same pattern, with the even-aged treatments costing least. However, potential revenues are, as expected, higher for the uneven-aged large treatment. The results also show that both higher costs and higher revenues accrue to the treatments applied to the higher risk stands. Treatments also have differing risk reductions depending on the initial risk category. Even without considering growth or revenues, the outcomes of a state-level treatment program are difficult to estimate. This implies that at a minimum, forest-level, if not state-level analyses including overall measures of risk reduction, costs, revenues and long-term effects need to be conducted in concert with setting priorities for treating timberlands.     

桉树轻基质组培苗的成本核算与控制

以广西国有维都林场组培厂为例,在年产500万株桉树轻基质组培苗的生产情况下,对组培苗生产、轻基质制作、炼苗及成苗等三个业务分部进行生产成本核算,并分析其成本的控制。结果表明:组培苗生产分部占总成本的42.721%,轻基质制作分部占总成本的27.941%;炼苗及成苗分部占总成本的15.902%;其他占总成本的13.436%。桉树轻基质组培苗主要在操作员工和管理人员方面进行成本控制。     

Economies of scale in forestland acquisition costs for nature conservation

Private land trusts commonly acquire and protect forestland for nature conservation and open space preservation. When deciding where and how protection of land should be achieved (e.g., through different contracting arrangements), conservation organizations must account and plan for variation in the costs of protecting land if they are to make efficient use of the limited resources they have available. We seek to examine how the costs of protected area acquisition are affected by the size of the protected areas under a fee simple or permanent easement transaction, as well as in comparison to unprotected forest parcels. In particular, we sought to determine whether acquisition costs show economies of scale under fee simple and permanent easement transactions while controlling for the effects of other covariates and how these economies of scale are different from those of unprotected areas. We use as a case study areas acquired by The Nature Conservancy (TNC), a land trust, to protect Central and Southern Appalachian forest ecosystems of the US. We compare TNC's protected forest sites with other land transactions not purchased for conservation but that share similar characteristics as inferred by the statistical technique of propensity score matching. First, we found that fee simple transactions achieve economies of scale, whereas permanent easement transactions do not. Further, the comparison of the elasticities of acquisition costs with respect to size between the protected and unprotected areas clearly show evidence that the presence of a large conservation organization as a buyer leads to deviations from general market behavior, likely because the conservation buyer has quite different goals and preferences, including preferences tied specifically to parcel size. These differences underscore the value of further studies of this type, which focus on protected area transactions per se rather than broader market trends, if we are to account for the costs of conservation correctly when designing habitat protection programs.     

小型中纤板厂的技术改造措施

本文对我国小型中纤板企业技术改造的迫切性和必要性进行了分析．并提出了相关的技术改造措施。实践表明：适当的技术改造可大幅度增加产量，改善产品质量，增加产品品种；技改投资少、见效快，是企业发展的必由之路。     

基于区间直觉模糊集的木材进口物流服务商评价与选择

自我国全面禁止天然林砍伐以来,木材进口量显著增多,木材加工业原材料价格以及物流成本居高不下,木材企业生产经营面临巨大成本压力。针对这一问题,文中建立了物流服务商评价指标体系,应用区间直觉模糊评价法构建了相应的选择评价模型,并进行实证分析。结果表明,该评价指标体系以及区间直觉模糊集法具备科学性和实用性,为木材流通领域的后续研究提供了新方法和思路,可以有效辅助我国木材行业企业选出高效物流服务商,提高其行业竞争力,从而有效推动木材行业的高质量发展。     

Importance of capital cost reduction of chippers and their required productivity

The productivity and chipping cost of a low-investment small mobile chipper were investigated. The effect of capital cost on chipping cost reduction was analyzed by changing the service life of the chipper when assuming a target operational chipping cost set at 250 yen m^?3. Productivity of the investigated chipper was found to be at 23.7 m³ h^?1 in chip volume with fuel consumption at 14.6 L h^?1. The results showed that the chipping cost of the investigated chipper was lower than that of a higher priced and more productive grinder. Neither chipper nor grinder, however, could achieve the assumed target cost of 250 yen m^?3 even if their service lives were extended. It was necessary to withstand the initial grapple loader and the labor costs or raise the grinder’s productivity to 33 m³ h^?1 in order to reach a comparable operational cost target with that of the investigated chipper. Similarly, the grinder would have to reduce its capital cost and fuel consumption to maintain the chipping cost of 250 yen m^?3 ifproductivity could not be improved. Net chipping cost of the investigated chipper was relatively small compared to that of the tub grinder, especially under a shorter service lifespan. The investigation shows that it is feasible for small-scale forestry to introduce a low-investment mobile chipper because it does not require a large amount of material and has a low chipping cost. Moreover, lowering the capital cost or the price of chippers is a more realistic cost savings in the long term.     

Development strategies for privately owned forestry in the mountainous region of Sweden

Forestry in Sweden as well as in other European countries is characterised by intense and increasing international competition resulting in decreasing roundwood prices in real terms. This is especially the situation in the mountainous region of Sweden with long transportation distances between the felling site and the processing industries located at the coast. The question arises whether forestry must be run more extensively than at present to achieve the optimal rate of silvicultural activities compared with the amount of timber cut. With this in mind, optimising economic analyses have been performed at the stand level as well as at the level of forest estates. Results of the analyses reveal that more intensive thinning (more frequent operations) and shorter rotation periods would increase profit and offset continuously decreasing roundwood prices. Intensive pre-commercial thinning (cleaning) is especially important for profitability of the subsequent thinnings and the final cut. The large number of cuts during the rotation will increase logging costs. However, this will be more than offset by the increasing production of economically matured dimensions of timber, an effect that will be still more pronounced when using new harvesting technology. Moreover, frequent high thinning operations (thinning ‘from above’ or removal of dominant trees) will result in more dense wood close to the pith, more evenly distributed year rings, and fewer and smaller knots in the lower part of the stem — in other words more valuable roundwood which will justify high transportation costs. Several biological and technical aspects of these treatment programs are discussed in the paper.     

The Use of Dazomet for Partial Sterilization of Forest Nursery Soils

Experiments in Scottish and English forest nurseries compareddazomet with formalin as partial soil sterilants for coniferseedbeds. In most cases, the more easily handled dazomet notonly proved to be an acceptable alternative to formalin forimproving seedling growth and yield but also gave excellentweed control. Results from a large-scale trial in a Scottishnursery confirmed these findings and showed that the higherchemical cost of dazomet sterilization could be offset by reducedweeding costs. Dazomet treatment recommendations have been derivedfrom the trials.     

Effect of land prices,transportation costs,and site productivity on timber investment returns for pine plantations in Colombia

The relative importance of land costs, site quality, and forest location are major concerns in forestry investments, but little research has been done to assess the impacts of these or other factors on financial returns. In response to this issue, the effects of land prices, wood transportation costs, site productivity, and discount rates on timber investment returns for pine plantations in the Andean Region in Colombia were estimated. For all the scenarios analyzed, the internal rate of return varied between 6.4 and 15.6%. High site quality with high growth rates were profitable in all scenarios at real discount rates ranging from 8 to 12%, but low site qualities seldom had positive net present values. Less expensive land and locations close to mills had better rates of return. More distant locations, poor quality sites, or areas with high land costs generally did not meet the discount hurdle rates. Site quality, which is the factor most easily manipulated by intensive forest management and improved technology, was substantially more important than land prices and transportation differences in determining timber investment returns.     

A simulation model for evaluating technical and economic aspects of an industrial eucalyptus-based agroforestry system in Minas Gerais, Brazil

This study analyses the economic aspects of a eucalypt-based agroforestry system established in the savanna region of Brazil. In 1993,eucalypt clones were planted at a spacing of 10 × 4 m, to facilitate their future association with crops and pasture grasses. The results show that the establishment and maintenance costs represent 37% of the total costs associated with the system. More than half of the revenues are from the sale of the wood products obtained in the 11-year rotation. Variations of ±20% of the sale price of the cattle significantly affected the sensitivity analysis, closely followed by the variations of the price of wood for lumber and energy. Variations of ±20% of the establishment costs of the forest component significantly affected the economic indicators. The viability of the system is also sensitive to a slight change in interest rate. Finally, the agroforestry system adopted by the company is economically more attractive than eucalypt monoculture.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.