Hardback
Managing Wetlands for Private and Social Good
Theory, Policy and Cases from Australia
9781840648980 Edward Elgar Publishing
The management of natural resources located on private lands often involves a perceived conflict between the mix of private and public benefits they produce. This book is focused on one such issue: the design of policy relating to the production of wetland outputs in order to maximize private and social welfare.
More Information
Critical Acclaim
Contents
More Information
The management of natural resources located on private lands often involves a perceived conflict between the mix of private and public benefits they produce. This book is focused on one such issue: the design of policy relating to the production of wetland outputs in order to maximize private and social welfare.
The authors first address the welfare impacts of alternative wetland management strategies on the wider community. They then concentrate on privately owned wetlands in Australia and find that they generate substantial public benefits. Furthermore, they are able to identify cost-effective avenues to increase these benefits. The authors then turn their attention to the integration of policy costs in decision-making and the implications for wetland policy. They highlight the fact that policy development and implementation is a costly process and in some cases can even outweigh the net benefits available from increasing wetland production.
This important new book develops theory and policy for the provision of public goods from private land, and applies this to case studies of wetlands in Australia. It will be of great interest and practical value to environmental economists and policy makers working on the theory and application of economics to policy development. It will also appeal to environmental NGOs concerned about the effective production of environmental goods.
The authors first address the welfare impacts of alternative wetland management strategies on the wider community. They then concentrate on privately owned wetlands in Australia and find that they generate substantial public benefits. Furthermore, they are able to identify cost-effective avenues to increase these benefits. The authors then turn their attention to the integration of policy costs in decision-making and the implications for wetland policy. They highlight the fact that policy development and implementation is a costly process and in some cases can even outweigh the net benefits available from increasing wetland production.
This important new book develops theory and policy for the provision of public goods from private land, and applies this to case studies of wetlands in Australia. It will be of great interest and practical value to environmental economists and policy makers working on the theory and application of economics to policy development. It will also appeal to environmental NGOs concerned about the effective production of environmental goods.
Critical Acclaim
‘This book makes an important contribution to improving wetland management by demonstrating how key environmental values might be incorporated into the analysis of the policy trade-offs involved in wetland management. Of particular interest are the two Australian case studies, which illustrate the practical application of the techniques and methods advanced by this book. As the purpose of these case studies is to show how policy analysis can reconcile the management decisions made by private landowners with the wider social aims of government agencies, this book should inform scholars and practitioners interested in improved wetland management worldwide.’
– Edward B. Barbier, University of Wyoming, US
‘This book represents the application of environmental valuation techniques combined with natural resource management policy design in the specific context of two wetland areas in Australia. Stuart Whitten and Jeff Bennett are proven expert practitioners in this field, and this book continues their high standard of applied environmental economics research output. As the authors point out, "the lessons to be learnt from developing a better understanding of the management of privately owned wetlands can be readily applied to many other natural resources that provide both private and social benefits". Hence, this book also offers excellent case study material for improving our understanding of applied environmental economics techniques.’
– Rob Fraser, Imperial College at Wye, UK
– Edward B. Barbier, University of Wyoming, US
‘This book represents the application of environmental valuation techniques combined with natural resource management policy design in the specific context of two wetland areas in Australia. Stuart Whitten and Jeff Bennett are proven expert practitioners in this field, and this book continues their high standard of applied environmental economics research output. As the authors point out, "the lessons to be learnt from developing a better understanding of the management of privately owned wetlands can be readily applied to many other natural resources that provide both private and social benefits". Hence, this book also offers excellent case study material for improving our understanding of applied environmental economics techniques.’
– Rob Fraser, Imperial College at Wye, UK
Contents
Contents: 1. Managing Wetlands for Private and Social Good 2. Market Failure, Government Failure and Wetland Protection 3. Wetland Values and Policy Alternatives 4. Case Study Wetland 5. The Private Values of Wetlands 6. Non-market Use Values of Wetland Resources 7. Non-use Values of Wetland Resources 8. Bio-economic Integration 9. Designing and Evaluating Wetland Management Policies 10. Conclusions References Index
