scholarly journals Who bears the cost of forest conservation?

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahesh Poudyal ◽  
Julia P.G. Jones ◽  
O. Sarobidy Rakotonarivo ◽  
Neal Hockley ◽  
James M. Gibbons ◽  
...  

Background While the importance of conserving ecosystems for sustainable development is widely recognized, it is increasingly evident that despite delivering global benefits, conservation often comes at local cost. Protected areas funded by multilateral lenders have explicit commitments to ensure that those negatively affected are adequately compensated. We make the first comparison of the magnitude and distribution of the local costs of a protected area with the magnitude and distribution of the compensation provided under the World Bank social safeguard policies (Performance Standard 5). Methods In the Ankeniheny-Zahamena Corridor (a new protected area and REDD+ pilot project in eastern Madagascar), we used choice experiments to estimate local opportunity costs (n = 453) which we annualized using a range of conservative assumptions concerning discount rates. Detailed surveys covering farm inputs and outputs as well as off-farm income (n = 102) allowed us to explore these opportunity costs as a proportion of local incomes. Intensive review of publically available documents provided estimates of the number of households that received safeguard compensation and the amount spent per household. We carried out a contingent valuation exercise with beneficiaries of this compensation two years after the micro-development projects were implemented (n = 62) to estimate their value as perceived by beneficiaries. Results Conservation restrictions result in very significant costs to forest communities. The median net present value of the opportunity cost across households in all sites was US$2,375. When annualized, these costs represent 27–84% of total annual income for median-income households; significantly higher proportionally for poorer households. Although some households have received compensation, we conservatively estimate that more than 50% of eligible households (3,020 households) have not. Given the magnitude of compensation (based both on amount spent and valuation by recipients two years after the compensation was distributed) relative to costs, we argue that no one was fully compensated. Achieving full compensation will require an order of magnitude more than was spent but we suggest that this should be affordable given the global value of forest conservation. Discussion By analyzing in unprecedented depth both the local costs of conservation, and the compensation distributed under donor policies, we demonstrate that despite well-intentioned policies, some of the poorest people on the planet are still bearing the cost of forest conservation. Unless significant extra funding is provided by the global beneficiaries of conservation, donors’ social safeguarding requirements will not be met, and forest conservation in developing countries will jeopardize, rather than contribute to, sustainable development goals.

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (21) ◽  
pp. 7147
Author(s):  
Ewelina Olba-Zięty ◽  
Mariusz Jerzy Stolarski ◽  
Michał Krzyżaniak

Biomass is widely used for the production of renewable energy, which calls for an economic evaluation of its generation. The aim of the present work was to review the literature concerning the economic evaluation of the production of perennial crop biomass for energy use. Statistical analysis of the bibliographic data was carried out, as well as an assessment of methods and values of economic indicators of the production of perennial crops for bioenergy. Most of the papers selected for the review were published in the years 2015–2019, which was probably stimulated by the growing interest in sustainable development, particularly after 2015, when the United Nations declared 17 sustainable development goals. The earliest articles concerned the economic analysis of plantations of short rotation coppice; the subsequent ones included the analysis of feedstock production in terms of the net present value and policy. The latest references also investigated transport and sustainability issues. The crops most commonly selected for production cost analysis were willow, poplar, and Miscanthus. The cost of production of willow and poplar were similar, 503 EUR ha−1 year−1 and 557 EUR ha−1 year−1, respectively, while the cost of Miscanthus production was significantly higher, 909 EUR ha−1 year−1 on average. By analogy, the distribution of revenue was similar for willow and poplar, at 236 EUR ha−1 year−1 and 181 EUR ha−1 year−1; Miscanthus production reached the value of 404 EUR ha−1 year−1. The economic conditions of perennial crop production differed in terms of geography; four areas were identified: Canada, the USA, southern Europe, and central and northern Europe.


Author(s):  
Nataliya Stoyanets ◽  
◽  
Mathias Onuh Aboyi ◽  

The article defines that for the successful implementation of an innovative project and the introduction of a new product into production it is necessary to use advanced technologies and modern software, which is an integral part of successful innovation by taking into account the life cycle of innovations. It is proposed to consider the general potential of the enterprise through its main components, namely: production and technological, scientific and technical, financial and economic, personnel and actual innovation potential. Base for the introduction of technological innovations LLC "ALLIANCE- PARTNER", which provides a wide range of support and consulting services, services in the employment market, tourism, insurance, translation and more. To form a model of innovative development of the enterprise, it is advisable to establish the following key aspects: the system of value creation through the model of cooperation with partners and suppliers; creating a value chain; technological platform; infrastructure, determine the cost of supply, the cost of activities for customers and for the enterprise as a whole. The system of factors of influence on formation of model of strategic innovative development of the enterprise is offered. The expediency of the cost of the complex of technological equipment, which is 6800.0 thousand UAH, is economically calculated. Given the fact that the company plans to receive funds under the program of socio-economic development of Sumy region, the evaluation of the effectiveness of the innovation project, the purchase of technological equipment, it is determined that the payback period of the project is 3 years 10 months. In terms of net present value (NPV), the project under study is profitable. The project profitability index (PI) meets the requirements for a positive decision on project implementation> 1.0. The internal rate of return of the project (IRR) also has a positive value of 22% because it exceeds the discount rate.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tegwen Gadais ◽  
Laurie Décarpentrie ◽  
Andrew Webb ◽  
Marie Belle Ayoub ◽  
Mariann Bardocz-Bencsik ◽  
...  

Much has been written about sport as a tool for development and peace. But more research on Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) organizations, is needed to better understand their actual contributions to the UNs sustainable development goals. Yet, the unstable, risky, and restricted contexts in which many NGOs and SDP agencies operate often leaves researchers struggling to find effective yet feasible methods through which to examine agencies in these fields. Indeed, conducting field work on and with SDP agency often implies allocating significant quantities of researcher’s limited time, funding, and other vital resources. And as limited resources need to be invested wisely, SDP researchers will clearly need to prepare their fieldwork. Nevertheless, there are but a handful of methodological papers that address the question of how to prepare for SDP field work. In other words, the question of how we know if it is worthwhile, and safe enough, to proceed with SDP field work remains. Building on previous research, the purpose of this study is to raise important ontological and epistemological questions about what can be known about a given context, before setting off on fieldwork. We further explore the use of the Actantial Model as a research method for analyzing existing data before deciding whether to conduct fieldwork in complex and frequently insecure situations. In other words, will the cost (material, temporal, financial, and physical) of conducting fieldwork be worth it? By applying the Actantial Model, with the specific aim of informing decisions regarding subsequent fieldwork, to one specific case, contributions regarding the pertinence of conducting fieldwork are provided.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4528
Author(s):  
Olga Lingaitienė ◽  
Juozas Merkevičius ◽  
Vida Davidavičienė

The World Bank, United Nations, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and others are in line with the governments of countries that are strongly interested in the sustainable development of countries, regions, and enterprises. One of the aspects that affects the indicators and prospects of sustainable development is the efficiency of energy source use. Nationwide reductions in the greenhouse gas emissions of motor vehicles could have a direct effect on ambient temperature and reducing the effects of global warming, which can affect future environmental, societal, and economic development. Significant reductions in fuel consumption can be achieved by increasing the efficiency of use, and the performance, of current cargo vehicles. This aspect is directly related to cargo delivery systems and supply chain efficiency and effectiveness. The article solves the problem of increasing the effectiveness of cargo delivery and proposes a model that would minimize transportation costs that are directly related to fuel consumption, shortening transportation time. The model addresses the problem of a lack of models evaluating the efficiency of cargo to Lithuania that is using several different modes of transportation. For the solution to this problem, the article examines the complexity of the rational use of land and water vehicles depending on the type of cargo transported, the technical capabilities of the vehicles (loading, speed, environmental pollution, fuel consumption, etc.), and the type (cars, railways, ships). The novelty of the findings is based on the availability to select the most appropriate vehicles, on a case-by-case basis, from the available options, depending on their environmental performance and energy efficiency. This model, later in this article, is used for calculations of Lithuanian companies for selecting the most rational vehicle by identifying the most appropriate route, as well as assessing the dynamics of the economic and physical indicators. The model allows for creating dependencies between the main indicators characterizing the transport process—the cost, the time of transport, and the safety, taking into account the dynamics of economic and physical indicators, that lead to a very important issue—reducing the amount of energy required to provide products and services.


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1297
Author(s):  
Juntae Kim ◽  
Hyo-Dong Han ◽  
Wang Yeol Lee ◽  
Collins Wakholi ◽  
Jayoung Lee ◽  
...  

Currently, the pork industry is incorporating in-line automation with the aim of increasing the slaughtered pork carcass throughput while monitoring quality and safety. In Korea, 21 parameters (such as back-fat thickness and carcass weight) are used for quality grading of pork carcasses. Recently, the VCS2000 system—an automatic meat yield grading machine system—was introduced to enhance grading efficiency and therefore increase pork carcass production. The VCS2000 system is able to predict pork carcass yield based on image analysis. This study also conducted an economic analysis of the system using a cost—benefit analysis. The subsection items of the cost-benefit analysis considered were net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), and benefit/cost ratio (BC ratio), and each method was verified through sensitivity analysis. For our analysis, the benefits were grouped into three categories: the benefits of reducing labor costs, the benefits of improving meat yield production, and the benefits of reducing pig feed consumption through optimization. The cost-benefit analysis of the system resulted in an NPV of approximately 615.6 million Korean won, an IRR of 13.52%, and a B/C ratio of 1.65.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. iii466-iii466
Author(s):  
Karina Black ◽  
Jackie Middleton ◽  
Sunita Ghosh ◽  
David Eisenstat ◽  
Samor Patel

Abstract BACKGROUND Proton therapy for benign and malignant tumors has dosimetric and clinical advantages over photon therapy. Patients in Alberta, Canada are referred to the United States for proton treatment. The Alberta Heath Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP) pays for the proton treatment and the cost of flights to and from the United States (direct costs). This study aimed to determine the out-of-pocket expenses incurred by patients or their families (indirect costs). METHODS Invitation letters linked to an electronic survey were mailed to patients treated with protons between 2008 and 2018. Expenses for flights for other family members, accommodations, transportation, food, passports, insurance, and opportunity costs including lost wages and productivity were measured. RESULTS Fifty-nine invitation letters were mailed. Seventeen surveys were completed (28.8% response rate). One paper survey was mailed at participant request. Nine respondents were from parent/guardian, 8 from patients. All patients were accompanied to the US by a family member/friend. Considerable variability in costs and reimbursements were reported. Many of the accompanying family/friends had to miss work; only 3 patients themselves reported missed work. Time away from work varied, and varied as to whether it was paid or unpaid time off. CONCLUSIONS Respondents incurred indirect monetary and opportunity costs which were not covered by AHCIP when traveling out of country for proton therapy. Prospective studies could help provide current data minimizing recall bias. These data may be helpful for administrators in assessing the societal cost of out-of-country referral of patients for proton therapy.


2007 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 175-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Hochstrat ◽  
D. Joksimovic ◽  
T. Wintgens ◽  
T. Melin ◽  
D. Savic

The reuse of upgraded wastewater for beneficial uses is increasingly adopted and accepted as a tool in water management. However, funding of schemes is still a critical issue. The focus of this paper is on economic considerations of water reuse planning. A survey of pricing mechanisms for reclaimed water revealed that most schemes are subsidised to a great extent. In order to minimise these state contributions to the implementation and operation of reuse projects, their planning should identify a least cost design option. This also has to take into account the established pricing structure for conventional water resources and the possibility of gaining revenues from reclaimed water pricing. The paper presents a case study which takes into account these aspects. It evaluates different scheme designs with regard to their Net Present Value (NPV). It could be demonstrated that for the same charging level, quite different amounts of reclaimed water can be delivered while still producing an overall positive NPV. Moreover, the economic feasibility and competitiveness of a reuse scheme is highly determined by the cost structure of the conventional water market.


2010 ◽  
Vol 97-101 ◽  
pp. 2291-2294
Author(s):  
Rui Hai Ji ◽  
Hai Qing Du ◽  
Xin Liu

Aiming at the problem of effectively recycling waste beverage containers, an automatic green recycling technique based on the optical image inspection is proposed. The basic principle and realization steps of the automatic green recycling technique are expounded. By using the optical image inspection technique and object contour recognition technique, the waste beverage containers are classified from different manufactures. The problem of waste beverage containers automatic recycling is solved, the cost of retailers is reduced and the waste beverage containers are recycled effectively. This automatic green recycling technique is significant for the recycling economy and sustainable development.


2018 ◽  
Vol 63 (7) ◽  
pp. 114-125
Author(s):  
Trang Nguyen Thi Thanh ◽  
Tuyen Tran Thi ◽  
Yen Hoang Phan Hai ◽  
Hoai Nguyen Thi

Nghe An is the largest province area in Viet Nam with many favorable conditions for developing farm economy. Researching on the farm economy in Nghe An is approached in the direction of sustainable development theory and from the farm owners. Base on principle of sustainable development to survey 150 farms, which were selected by two criteria group: distribution such as mountains, midland, coast plain and types of farms such as cultivation, animal husbandry, forestry, aquaculture. The content was collected focus on: land use, labor, product value, average farm income and land use efficiency,.... Based on the results analyzed, there are some problems in Nghe An farms development: the scale of farms are small, quality product is not high, dificulties in product consumption, there is not link between farms, environmental protection issues are not paid attention,… This is not meet the need of sustainable development. Some solutions are proposed, such as: expanding farm scale, creating the close links between farm owners and enterprises, applying the scientific advances in production, building the waste treatment facilities and developing specialized products by region advantage, etc.


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