Barbara K. Jones
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781683401049
- eISBN:
- 9781683401728
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9781683401049.001.0001
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Environmental Studies
How we determine what is nature, what is wild, or even what in nature is worth protecting occurs through our human perspective. Whether it is a charismatic manatee or a majestic redwood, we care ...
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How we determine what is nature, what is wild, or even what in nature is worth protecting occurs through our human perspective. Whether it is a charismatic manatee or a majestic redwood, we care about and protect the things we love because they offer us something we value. To make this value relevant in the economic marketplace of competing choices, Wild Capital: Nature’s Economic and Ecological Wealth relies on the ecosystem services model, where nature’s value is determined through the services intact ecosystems provide to our well-being. As one of the recreation components of this model, this book uses ecotourism and the changing tourist dynamic, as well as our evolving relationship with nature, to demonstrate how we can assign a measurable worth to natural resources. If a developer or a policy maker can more equitably compare the capital asset value of development with that of wild nature, better decisions regarding economic and ecological trade-offs can be made. Wild Capital then incorporates the cultural bias we have for charismatic megafauna to link policy decisions regarding biodiversity and habitat conservation to those charismatic animals we care about so intensely. The five megafauna case studies provide solid evidence of the role charismatic species can play in protecting our planet’s biodiversity and ensuring our well-being long into the future.Less
How we determine what is nature, what is wild, or even what in nature is worth protecting occurs through our human perspective. Whether it is a charismatic manatee or a majestic redwood, we care about and protect the things we love because they offer us something we value. To make this value relevant in the economic marketplace of competing choices, Wild Capital: Nature’s Economic and Ecological Wealth relies on the ecosystem services model, where nature’s value is determined through the services intact ecosystems provide to our well-being. As one of the recreation components of this model, this book uses ecotourism and the changing tourist dynamic, as well as our evolving relationship with nature, to demonstrate how we can assign a measurable worth to natural resources. If a developer or a policy maker can more equitably compare the capital asset value of development with that of wild nature, better decisions regarding economic and ecological trade-offs can be made. Wild Capital then incorporates the cultural bias we have for charismatic megafauna to link policy decisions regarding biodiversity and habitat conservation to those charismatic animals we care about so intensely. The five megafauna case studies provide solid evidence of the role charismatic species can play in protecting our planet’s biodiversity and ensuring our well-being long into the future.
Ramprasad Sengupta
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780198081654
- eISBN:
- 9780199082407
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198081654.003.0011
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
The chapter explains the concept, measurement and utility of bio-diversity as a resource and its intricate relationship with forest. It discusses the issues of economics of choice and economic ...
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The chapter explains the concept, measurement and utility of bio-diversity as a resource and its intricate relationship with forest. It discusses the issues of economics of choice and economic valuation of biodiversity at conceptual level. It describes also the empirical situation in respect of biodiversity outlining both the global and the Indian scenario. In this context it explains the extent, causes and impact of the biodiversity loss in India due to the limit of eco-capacity. It further discusses the biodiversity conservation policy of India including India’s heritage of biodiversity conservation and traditional knowledge system associated with the bio-diversity resource of forest. Finally, the chapter ends with a discussion on how the anthropogenic stress on ecosystem is captured by the loss of bio-diversity which is represented by indicators like living planet index among other measures.Less
The chapter explains the concept, measurement and utility of bio-diversity as a resource and its intricate relationship with forest. It discusses the issues of economics of choice and economic valuation of biodiversity at conceptual level. It describes also the empirical situation in respect of biodiversity outlining both the global and the Indian scenario. In this context it explains the extent, causes and impact of the biodiversity loss in India due to the limit of eco-capacity. It further discusses the biodiversity conservation policy of India including India’s heritage of biodiversity conservation and traditional knowledge system associated with the bio-diversity resource of forest. Finally, the chapter ends with a discussion on how the anthropogenic stress on ecosystem is captured by the loss of bio-diversity which is represented by indicators like living planet index among other measures.
Richard Frankham, Jonathan D. Ballou, Katherine Ralls, Mark Eldridge, Michele R. Dudash, Charles B. Fenster, Robert C. Lacy, and Paul Sunnucks
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- November 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780198783411
- eISBN:
- 9780191826337
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198783411.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
The biological diversity of the planet is being rapidly depleted due to the direct and indirect consequences of human activity. As the size of wild animal and plant populations decreases and ...
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The biological diversity of the planet is being rapidly depleted due to the direct and indirect consequences of human activity. As the size of wild animal and plant populations decreases and fragmentation increases, inbreeding reduces fitness and loss of genetic diversity reduces their ability to adapt to changes in the environment. Many small isolated populations are going extinct unnecessarily. In many cases, such populations can be genetically rescued by gene flow from another population within the species, but this is very rarely done. This book provides a practical guide to the genetic management of fragmented animal and plant populations.Less
The biological diversity of the planet is being rapidly depleted due to the direct and indirect consequences of human activity. As the size of wild animal and plant populations decreases and fragmentation increases, inbreeding reduces fitness and loss of genetic diversity reduces their ability to adapt to changes in the environment. Many small isolated populations are going extinct unnecessarily. In many cases, such populations can be genetically rescued by gene flow from another population within the species, but this is very rarely done. This book provides a practical guide to the genetic management of fragmented animal and plant populations.
Kemi Fuentes-George
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780262034289
- eISBN:
- 9780262333924
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262034289.001.0001
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Environmental Studies
When are transnational networks likely to convince policymakers in developing countries to adopt potentially costly environmental regulations for the good of managing biodiversity? Since most of the ...
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When are transnational networks likely to convince policymakers in developing countries to adopt potentially costly environmental regulations for the good of managing biodiversity? Since most of the world’s remaining biodiversity is found in developing countries, identifying the pathways through which policymakers in these states are incentivized to engage in conservation is critical. This book argues that networks of nonstate experts are most likely to convince policymakers to address an emerging environmental problem if three conditions are met: First, network members must have a scientifically validated consensus about the cause-and-effect relationships and parameters of the problem, since a consensus about the science delegitimizes competing arguments and strengthens the authority of a network’s arguments. Second, networks must build mechanisms for socialization with policymakers in domestic regulatory agencies. Doing so promotes norms of shared ownership and responsibility for knowledge claims about conservation. Third, networks will have to make scientific arguments for conservation consonant with local environmental justice claims by communities residing in and around areas of globally important biodiversity. Networks can do so by arguing for policies that would protect biodiversity in a way that ensures continued, if environmentally sustainable, access for low-income populations that may otherwise be excluded from natural resources. If these three conditions are not met, conservation efforts are likely to face resistance from groups of local actors, policymakers, or both, who cannot reconcile global claims for biodiversity conservation with their immediate demands.Less
When are transnational networks likely to convince policymakers in developing countries to adopt potentially costly environmental regulations for the good of managing biodiversity? Since most of the world’s remaining biodiversity is found in developing countries, identifying the pathways through which policymakers in these states are incentivized to engage in conservation is critical. This book argues that networks of nonstate experts are most likely to convince policymakers to address an emerging environmental problem if three conditions are met: First, network members must have a scientifically validated consensus about the cause-and-effect relationships and parameters of the problem, since a consensus about the science delegitimizes competing arguments and strengthens the authority of a network’s arguments. Second, networks must build mechanisms for socialization with policymakers in domestic regulatory agencies. Doing so promotes norms of shared ownership and responsibility for knowledge claims about conservation. Third, networks will have to make scientific arguments for conservation consonant with local environmental justice claims by communities residing in and around areas of globally important biodiversity. Networks can do so by arguing for policies that would protect biodiversity in a way that ensures continued, if environmentally sustainable, access for low-income populations that may otherwise be excluded from natural resources. If these three conditions are not met, conservation efforts are likely to face resistance from groups of local actors, policymakers, or both, who cannot reconcile global claims for biodiversity conservation with their immediate demands.
Tammy L. Lewis
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780262034296
- eISBN:
- 9780262333382
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262034296.001.0001
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Environmental Studies
Ecuador is biologically diverse, petroleum rich, and economically poor. Its extraordinary biodiversity has attracted attention and funding from such transnational environmental organizations as ...
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Ecuador is biologically diverse, petroleum rich, and economically poor. Its extraordinary biodiversity has attracted attention and funding from such transnational environmental organizations as Conservation International, the World Wildlife Fund, and the United States Agency for International Development. In Ecuador itself there are more than 200 environmental groups dedicated to sustainable development, and the country’s 2008 constitution grants rights to nature. The current leftist government is committed both to lifting its people out of poverty and pursuing sustainable development; but petroleum extraction is Ecuador’s leading source of revenue. While extraction generates economic growth, which supports the state’s social welfare agenda, it also causes environmental destruction. Given these competing concerns, will Ecuador be able to achieve sustainability? In this book, Tammy Lewis examines the movement for sustainable development in Ecuador through four eras: movement origins (1978–1987), neoliberal boom (1987–2000), neoliberal bust (2000–2006), and citizens’ revolution (2006–2015). Lewis presents a typology of Ecuador’s environmental organizations: ecoimperialists, transnational environmentalists from other countries; ecodependents, national groups that partner with transnational groups; and ecoresisters, home-grown environmentalists who reject the dominant development paradigm. She examines the interplay of transnational funding, the Ecuadorian environmental movement, and the state’s environmental and development policies. Along the way, addressing literatures in environmental sociology, social movements, and development studies, she explores what configuration of forces—political, economic, and environmental—is most likely to lead to a sustainable balance between the social system and the ecosystem.Less
Ecuador is biologically diverse, petroleum rich, and economically poor. Its extraordinary biodiversity has attracted attention and funding from such transnational environmental organizations as Conservation International, the World Wildlife Fund, and the United States Agency for International Development. In Ecuador itself there are more than 200 environmental groups dedicated to sustainable development, and the country’s 2008 constitution grants rights to nature. The current leftist government is committed both to lifting its people out of poverty and pursuing sustainable development; but petroleum extraction is Ecuador’s leading source of revenue. While extraction generates economic growth, which supports the state’s social welfare agenda, it also causes environmental destruction. Given these competing concerns, will Ecuador be able to achieve sustainability? In this book, Tammy Lewis examines the movement for sustainable development in Ecuador through four eras: movement origins (1978–1987), neoliberal boom (1987–2000), neoliberal bust (2000–2006), and citizens’ revolution (2006–2015). Lewis presents a typology of Ecuador’s environmental organizations: ecoimperialists, transnational environmentalists from other countries; ecodependents, national groups that partner with transnational groups; and ecoresisters, home-grown environmentalists who reject the dominant development paradigm. She examines the interplay of transnational funding, the Ecuadorian environmental movement, and the state’s environmental and development policies. Along the way, addressing literatures in environmental sociology, social movements, and development studies, she explores what configuration of forces—political, economic, and environmental—is most likely to lead to a sustainable balance between the social system and the ecosystem.
Barbara K. Jones
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781683401049
- eISBN:
- 9781683401728
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9781683401049.003.0001
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Environmental Studies
By looking at nature through a social science lens, we can begin to see the natural world as an asset critical to our well-being and from that learn to appreciate its value. This appreciation can ...
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By looking at nature through a social science lens, we can begin to see the natural world as an asset critical to our well-being and from that learn to appreciate its value. This appreciation can inspire more of us to protect nature as we pursue our own self-interests. Pairing anthropology with economics encourages people to see the connection between sound environmental stewardship and the flow of benefits we receive from that stewardship, ultimately challenging cultural attitudes towards biodiversity, ecotourism, and our natural heritage. To make these connections, this book relies on five North American animals to demonstrate how, by assessing their role as keystone species and assigning nature a value, people can change their own relationships with our natural world.Less
By looking at nature through a social science lens, we can begin to see the natural world as an asset critical to our well-being and from that learn to appreciate its value. This appreciation can inspire more of us to protect nature as we pursue our own self-interests. Pairing anthropology with economics encourages people to see the connection between sound environmental stewardship and the flow of benefits we receive from that stewardship, ultimately challenging cultural attitudes towards biodiversity, ecotourism, and our natural heritage. To make these connections, this book relies on five North American animals to demonstrate how, by assessing their role as keystone species and assigning nature a value, people can change their own relationships with our natural world.
Barbara K. Jones
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781683401049
- eISBN:
- 9781683401728
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9781683401049.003.0002
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Environmental Studies
By failing to assign nature value in our current Anthropocene, the opportunity costs of diminishing biodiversity are not recognized in the marketplace, leading to significant negative consequences ...
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By failing to assign nature value in our current Anthropocene, the opportunity costs of diminishing biodiversity are not recognized in the marketplace, leading to significant negative consequences for both nature and humanity. Polluting water, destroying habitats, or exterminating species should each lessen nature’s value, but if nature has never been assigned a value, that loss is not recognized and development becomes the default. The words “wild capital” remind us that nature should be viewed as an asset like any other, and that in doing so we are better equipped to appreciate its long-term worth. Since the ecosystem services model (ES) ties together the ecological, social, and economic needs of human well-being, it is well situated to assign nature value and from that make a case for nature as natural capital. To assist in policy decisions, ES has offered a path based on the language of economics, making it appealing to economists, while to conservationists, it has turned an argument about the negative effects of development on wildlife into a more fruitful dialogue about how beneficial conservation is for human well-being. ES is also compatible with efforts at sustainability and the goals of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment.Less
By failing to assign nature value in our current Anthropocene, the opportunity costs of diminishing biodiversity are not recognized in the marketplace, leading to significant negative consequences for both nature and humanity. Polluting water, destroying habitats, or exterminating species should each lessen nature’s value, but if nature has never been assigned a value, that loss is not recognized and development becomes the default. The words “wild capital” remind us that nature should be viewed as an asset like any other, and that in doing so we are better equipped to appreciate its long-term worth. Since the ecosystem services model (ES) ties together the ecological, social, and economic needs of human well-being, it is well situated to assign nature value and from that make a case for nature as natural capital. To assist in policy decisions, ES has offered a path based on the language of economics, making it appealing to economists, while to conservationists, it has turned an argument about the negative effects of development on wildlife into a more fruitful dialogue about how beneficial conservation is for human well-being. ES is also compatible with efforts at sustainability and the goals of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment.
Rafi Youatt
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780816694112
- eISBN:
- 9781452950617
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816694112.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
Three decades of biodiversity governance have largely failed to stop the ongoing environmental crisis of global species loss. Yet that governance has resulted in undeniably important political ...
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Three decades of biodiversity governance have largely failed to stop the ongoing environmental crisis of global species loss. Yet that governance has resulted in undeniably important political outcomes. In Counting Species, Rafi Youatt argues that the understanding of global biodiversity has produced a distinct vision and politics of nature, one that is bound up with ideas about species, norms of efficiency, and apolitical forms of technical management. Since its inception in the 1980s, biodiversity’s political power has also hinged on its affiliation with a series of political concepts. Biodiversity was initially articulated as a moral crime against the intrinsic value of all species. In the 1990s and early 2000s, biodiversity shifted toward an association with service provision in a globalizing world economy before attaching itself more recently to the discourses of security and resilience. Even as species extinctions continue, biodiversity’s role in environmental governance has become increasingly abstract. Yet the power of global biodiversity is eventually always localized and material when it encounters nonhuman life. In these encounters, Youatt finds reasons for optimism, tracing some of the ways that nonhuman life has escaped human social means. Counting Species compellingly offers both a political account of global biodiversity and a unique approach to political agency across the human–nonhuman divide.Less
Three decades of biodiversity governance have largely failed to stop the ongoing environmental crisis of global species loss. Yet that governance has resulted in undeniably important political outcomes. In Counting Species, Rafi Youatt argues that the understanding of global biodiversity has produced a distinct vision and politics of nature, one that is bound up with ideas about species, norms of efficiency, and apolitical forms of technical management. Since its inception in the 1980s, biodiversity’s political power has also hinged on its affiliation with a series of political concepts. Biodiversity was initially articulated as a moral crime against the intrinsic value of all species. In the 1990s and early 2000s, biodiversity shifted toward an association with service provision in a globalizing world economy before attaching itself more recently to the discourses of security and resilience. Even as species extinctions continue, biodiversity’s role in environmental governance has become increasingly abstract. Yet the power of global biodiversity is eventually always localized and material when it encounters nonhuman life. In these encounters, Youatt finds reasons for optimism, tracing some of the ways that nonhuman life has escaped human social means. Counting Species compellingly offers both a political account of global biodiversity and a unique approach to political agency across the human–nonhuman divide.
Sophy K. Joseph
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- August 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190121006
- eISBN:
- 9780190990480
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190121006.001.0001
- Subject:
- Law, Intellectual Property, IT, and Media Law
The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmer’s Rights Act, 2001, promises to balance the intellectual property rights of plant breeders and farmers under one umbrella legislation. However, there ...
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The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmer’s Rights Act, 2001, promises to balance the intellectual property rights of plant breeders and farmers under one umbrella legislation. However, there remain several grey areas and the rights of farmers, in reality, are still tenuous. Though the rights framework was foregrounded on an understanding between non-governmental organizations and industry, there is lack of clarity at both conceptual and procedural levels. In this context, Sophy K. Joseph analyses the impact of legal policy reforms during the ongoing Second Green Revolution on farmers’ customary rights and livelihood. The author discusses how the extension of private property rights to plant varieties, seeds, and other agrarian resources changed the demographic composition of the rural space, with increased migration of cultivators to the cities. The book argues that the transition from state interventionism (during the First Green Revolution), to state abstention (in the Second Green Revolution) has dramatically influenced India’s conventional agrarian practices and traditions. This work maps the evolutionary process of neoliberal economic and legal policies and its interference with primary concerns such as food security, food sovereignty, and agrarian self-reliance of the country.Less
The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmer’s Rights Act, 2001, promises to balance the intellectual property rights of plant breeders and farmers under one umbrella legislation. However, there remain several grey areas and the rights of farmers, in reality, are still tenuous. Though the rights framework was foregrounded on an understanding between non-governmental organizations and industry, there is lack of clarity at both conceptual and procedural levels. In this context, Sophy K. Joseph analyses the impact of legal policy reforms during the ongoing Second Green Revolution on farmers’ customary rights and livelihood. The author discusses how the extension of private property rights to plant varieties, seeds, and other agrarian resources changed the demographic composition of the rural space, with increased migration of cultivators to the cities. The book argues that the transition from state interventionism (during the First Green Revolution), to state abstention (in the Second Green Revolution) has dramatically influenced India’s conventional agrarian practices and traditions. This work maps the evolutionary process of neoliberal economic and legal policies and its interference with primary concerns such as food security, food sovereignty, and agrarian self-reliance of the country.
John Waldman
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780823249855
- eISBN:
- 9780823252589
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fordham/9780823249855.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, Environmental History
Despite major environmental degradation, Newark Bay--a corner of New York Harbor—is brimming with life. The Harbor's high biodiversity has been noted since the earliest European explorers. This ...
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Despite major environmental degradation, Newark Bay--a corner of New York Harbor—is brimming with life. The Harbor's high biodiversity has been noted since the earliest European explorers. This diversity includes odd tropical fishes that arrive via the Gulf Stream and local residents of high historical or contemporary importance for food and sport such as oysters, sturgeon, eels, and striped bass. There also has been a strong recovery of wading birds such as herons, egrets, and ibis.Less
Despite major environmental degradation, Newark Bay--a corner of New York Harbor—is brimming with life. The Harbor's high biodiversity has been noted since the earliest European explorers. This diversity includes odd tropical fishes that arrive via the Gulf Stream and local residents of high historical or contemporary importance for food and sport such as oysters, sturgeon, eels, and striped bass. There also has been a strong recovery of wading birds such as herons, egrets, and ibis.
Ruth Mackenzie
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199255733
- eISBN:
- 9780191698262
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199255733.003.0005
- Subject:
- Law, Environmental and Energy Law, Comparative Law
This chapter focuses on the risks posed by genetically modified crops. It argues that many of the risks which are likely to materialize fall comfortably within traditional heads of damage such as ...
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This chapter focuses on the risks posed by genetically modified crops. It argues that many of the risks which are likely to materialize fall comfortably within traditional heads of damage such as personal injury or damage to property. There is also, however, a risk of environmental damage per se, which legal systems may find more problematic. In particular, the notion of damage to ‘biological diversity’ requires careful consideration, especially in light of the definition in the Biodiversity Convention. In the same context, while compensable damage should include the costs of preventive measures and reasonable measures of reinstatement, it should not be so limited, since it may well no longer be feasible to recall the GMO in question.Less
This chapter focuses on the risks posed by genetically modified crops. It argues that many of the risks which are likely to materialize fall comfortably within traditional heads of damage such as personal injury or damage to property. There is also, however, a risk of environmental damage per se, which legal systems may find more problematic. In particular, the notion of damage to ‘biological diversity’ requires careful consideration, especially in light of the definition in the Biodiversity Convention. In the same context, while compensable damage should include the costs of preventive measures and reasonable measures of reinstatement, it should not be so limited, since it may well no longer be feasible to recall the GMO in question.
Roxana Salazar
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520223097
- eISBN:
- 9780520937772
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520223097.003.0022
- Subject:
- Biology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
This chapter presents the legal frame for environmental and biodiversity protection in Costa Rica. It discusses some of the most important environmental laws produced by Costa Rica's Legislative ...
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This chapter presents the legal frame for environmental and biodiversity protection in Costa Rica. It discusses some of the most important environmental laws produced by Costa Rica's Legislative Assembly: the Organic Environmental Law, Forestry Law, Biodiversity Law, Wild Life Protection Law, and Water Law.Less
This chapter presents the legal frame for environmental and biodiversity protection in Costa Rica. It discusses some of the most important environmental laws produced by Costa Rica's Legislative Assembly: the Organic Environmental Law, Forestry Law, Biodiversity Law, Wild Life Protection Law, and Water Law.
Mick Atha and Kennis Yip
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9789888208982
- eISBN:
- 9789888313952
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888208982.003.0003
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Historical Archaeology
Chapter 3 begins by exploring the making of Hong Kong’s present cultural landscape and then works back through its earlier forms, firstly into the age of rice farming where the long-term sustainable ...
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Chapter 3 begins by exploring the making of Hong Kong’s present cultural landscape and then works back through its earlier forms, firstly into the age of rice farming where the long-term sustainable management of that particular socio-economic lifeway created highly distinctive cultural landscapes stretching back from the Qing dynasty to as early as the Northern Song in some areas. Then from the Tang dynasty moving backwards, we enter an era where, on the face of it, human impacts beyond the intensively industrialised backbeach areas seem to have been relatively slight. That said, the coastal focus seemingly exhibited by early historical populations was even more intensively expressed in prehistory when, once sea-levels had stabilised at more or less their present position, the resource-rich landscape of the New Territories and Pearl River estuary coastline and offshore archipelagos then took shape.Less
Chapter 3 begins by exploring the making of Hong Kong’s present cultural landscape and then works back through its earlier forms, firstly into the age of rice farming where the long-term sustainable management of that particular socio-economic lifeway created highly distinctive cultural landscapes stretching back from the Qing dynasty to as early as the Northern Song in some areas. Then from the Tang dynasty moving backwards, we enter an era where, on the face of it, human impacts beyond the intensively industrialised backbeach areas seem to have been relatively slight. That said, the coastal focus seemingly exhibited by early historical populations was even more intensively expressed in prehistory when, once sea-levels had stabilised at more or less their present position, the resource-rich landscape of the New Territories and Pearl River estuary coastline and offshore archipelagos then took shape.
Pavan Sukhdev, Heidi Wittmer, and Dustin Miller
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199676880
- eISBN:
- 9780191756252
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199676880.003.0007
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
‘The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity’ (TEEB) is a global initiative that seeks to help decision-makers recognize the benefits of nature, demonstrate their values in economic terms and ...
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‘The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity’ (TEEB) is a global initiative that seeks to help decision-makers recognize the benefits of nature, demonstrate their values in economic terms and capture those values in decision-making. Yet valuation of nature’s services in economic terms is not a universally accepted approach, leading to criticism of TEEB. As TEEB shifts focus towards implementation, this chapter presents a timely opportunity for TEEB to respond to these concerns as they relate to key findings and recommendations. It is argued that economics is broader than markets, and valuation is not an end in itself; it should be treated as a means to better communicate and take account of nature’s importance, with particular respect to human well-being. While neither necessary nor sufficient to stop all ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss, valuation can help us rethink our relationship with nature, alerting us to the true consequences of our actions.Less
‘The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity’ (TEEB) is a global initiative that seeks to help decision-makers recognize the benefits of nature, demonstrate their values in economic terms and capture those values in decision-making. Yet valuation of nature’s services in economic terms is not a universally accepted approach, leading to criticism of TEEB. As TEEB shifts focus towards implementation, this chapter presents a timely opportunity for TEEB to respond to these concerns as they relate to key findings and recommendations. It is argued that economics is broader than markets, and valuation is not an end in itself; it should be treated as a means to better communicate and take account of nature’s importance, with particular respect to human well-being. While neither necessary nor sufficient to stop all ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss, valuation can help us rethink our relationship with nature, alerting us to the true consequences of our actions.
Rajindra K. Puri
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780300198812
- eISBN:
- 9780300213577
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300198812.003.0011
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Climate
This chapter approaches climate change through the quotidian response of herders in India to an invasive species, Lantana camara, whose proliferation some believe is linked to changing precipitation ...
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This chapter approaches climate change through the quotidian response of herders in India to an invasive species, Lantana camara, whose proliferation some believe is linked to changing precipitation patterns. Puri uses this as a window into understanding human decision-making in the face of change. The chapter illustrates the value of a focus on everyday activities as a methodology for investigating adaptation to climate change impacts.Less
This chapter approaches climate change through the quotidian response of herders in India to an invasive species, Lantana camara, whose proliferation some believe is linked to changing precipitation patterns. Puri uses this as a window into understanding human decision-making in the face of change. The chapter illustrates the value of a focus on everyday activities as a methodology for investigating adaptation to climate change impacts.
Kemi Fuentes-George
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780262034289
- eISBN:
- 9780262333924
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262034289.003.0002
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Environmental Studies
This chapter introduces the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (MBRS), a delicate system of coral reefs and mangroves along the coastline of Quintana Roo state in Mexico, threatened by overfishing and ...
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This chapter introduces the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (MBRS), a delicate system of coral reefs and mangroves along the coastline of Quintana Roo state in Mexico, threatened by overfishing and large-scale tourist development. It shows how a transnational advocacy network became an epistemic community by generating a shared understanding of the MBRS through transnational workshops held as part of the planning process for a GEF funded project. Although the epistemic community was able to generate a scientific consensus on reef degradation, they were only able to influence new regulations adopted by policymakers in agencies with which they socialized, namely in federal environmental and fishing agencies. Policymakers in the state government of Quintana Roo, and managers in hotelier associations actively resisted new protection adopted by federal agencies. Although the epistemic community attempted to use economic arguments to support conservation, these actors asserted that economic development could best be promoted by continued large-scale tourist development along the coast. However, when local actors and the mass public, alarmed about resource overexploitation and concerned about local justice issues, demanded new regulations to conserve biodiversity, policymakers acquiesced.Less
This chapter introduces the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (MBRS), a delicate system of coral reefs and mangroves along the coastline of Quintana Roo state in Mexico, threatened by overfishing and large-scale tourist development. It shows how a transnational advocacy network became an epistemic community by generating a shared understanding of the MBRS through transnational workshops held as part of the planning process for a GEF funded project. Although the epistemic community was able to generate a scientific consensus on reef degradation, they were only able to influence new regulations adopted by policymakers in agencies with which they socialized, namely in federal environmental and fishing agencies. Policymakers in the state government of Quintana Roo, and managers in hotelier associations actively resisted new protection adopted by federal agencies. Although the epistemic community attempted to use economic arguments to support conservation, these actors asserted that economic development could best be promoted by continued large-scale tourist development along the coast. However, when local actors and the mass public, alarmed about resource overexploitation and concerned about local justice issues, demanded new regulations to conserve biodiversity, policymakers acquiesced.
Kemi Fuentes-George
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780262034289
- eISBN:
- 9780262333924
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262034289.003.0004
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Environmental Studies
This chapter describes the threats to biodiversity posed by tourism and wind energy development in the Egyptian Red Sea/Rift Valley Flyway addressed by the project titled the Project for Sustainable ...
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This chapter describes the threats to biodiversity posed by tourism and wind energy development in the Egyptian Red Sea/Rift Valley Flyway addressed by the project titled the Project for Sustainable Conservation of Migratory Soaring Birds. It shows how a transnational network attempted to advocate for biodiversity conservation alongside local communities of Bedouins and policymakers in the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA), the Tourist Development Authority (TDA), and the Nature Conservation Sector. This chapter also points out the constricting influence of closed political systems. The Egyptian autocratic system is far more closed to civil society influence than in the other countries, limiting the possibility for socialization between network members and policymakers. Since socialization is crucial in building network influence, this case argues that closed or undemocratic political systems are barriers to network influence. In the end, the chapter shows how the Egyptian state captured the GEF project, distributing funds and conducting project activities in a way that has been opaque to the civil society and has not led to civil society participation in natural resource management.Less
This chapter describes the threats to biodiversity posed by tourism and wind energy development in the Egyptian Red Sea/Rift Valley Flyway addressed by the project titled the Project for Sustainable Conservation of Migratory Soaring Birds. It shows how a transnational network attempted to advocate for biodiversity conservation alongside local communities of Bedouins and policymakers in the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA), the Tourist Development Authority (TDA), and the Nature Conservation Sector. This chapter also points out the constricting influence of closed political systems. The Egyptian autocratic system is far more closed to civil society influence than in the other countries, limiting the possibility for socialization between network members and policymakers. Since socialization is crucial in building network influence, this case argues that closed or undemocratic political systems are barriers to network influence. In the end, the chapter shows how the Egyptian state captured the GEF project, distributing funds and conducting project activities in a way that has been opaque to the civil society and has not led to civil society participation in natural resource management.
Kemi Fuentes-George
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780262034289
- eISBN:
- 9780262333924
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262034289.003.0005
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Environmental Studies
Chapter Five links these descriptions of local contestations over biodiversity governance to the study of international relations. In each case, a constellation of different treaties and institutions ...
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Chapter Five links these descriptions of local contestations over biodiversity governance to the study of international relations. In each case, a constellation of different treaties and institutions had rules that overlapped with the CBD and each other governing the management of protected areas. These overlapping rules and institutions gives rise to a condition described as “regime complexity.” As states try to govern issue areas that are affected by more, occasionally conflicting, and non-hierarchically ordered institutions, their obligations will become more ambiguous. Non-state actors can help shape the ambiguity emerging from regime complexity by helping states adjudicate possibly conflicting rules and resolving questions about what constitutes appropriate action under uncertainty. This chapter links a comparative study of activism and environmental justice to constructivist schools of thought that claim that ideas about appropriate behavior matter.Less
Chapter Five links these descriptions of local contestations over biodiversity governance to the study of international relations. In each case, a constellation of different treaties and institutions had rules that overlapped with the CBD and each other governing the management of protected areas. These overlapping rules and institutions gives rise to a condition described as “regime complexity.” As states try to govern issue areas that are affected by more, occasionally conflicting, and non-hierarchically ordered institutions, their obligations will become more ambiguous. Non-state actors can help shape the ambiguity emerging from regime complexity by helping states adjudicate possibly conflicting rules and resolving questions about what constitutes appropriate action under uncertainty. This chapter links a comparative study of activism and environmental justice to constructivist schools of thought that claim that ideas about appropriate behavior matter.
Kemi Fuentes-George
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780262034289
- eISBN:
- 9780262333924
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262034289.003.0006
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Environmental Studies
The conclusion finds that a comparative study of transnational activism underlines the importance of justice claims to global environmental governance. It links debates on international environmental ...
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The conclusion finds that a comparative study of transnational activism underlines the importance of justice claims to global environmental governance. It links debates on international environmental justice with literature on environmental regime effectiveness and neoliberal ecological economics. When networks generated a consensus, socialized with policymakers and invoked norms consonant with local justice, they were more likely to persuade policymakers. Absent one or more of the variables, conservation projects were implemented poorly, or simply rejected by states. Therefore, issues of fairness or justice go to the heart of effective management. They reflect the important normative questions behind biodiversity management, including what biodiversity consists of, what it is being managed for, and for whom it is being conserved.Less
The conclusion finds that a comparative study of transnational activism underlines the importance of justice claims to global environmental governance. It links debates on international environmental justice with literature on environmental regime effectiveness and neoliberal ecological economics. When networks generated a consensus, socialized with policymakers and invoked norms consonant with local justice, they were more likely to persuade policymakers. Absent one or more of the variables, conservation projects were implemented poorly, or simply rejected by states. Therefore, issues of fairness or justice go to the heart of effective management. They reflect the important normative questions behind biodiversity management, including what biodiversity consists of, what it is being managed for, and for whom it is being conserved.
A. Damodaran
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- October 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198066750
- eISBN:
- 9780199080106
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198066750.003.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This chapter analyses the changing world environment due to globalization. It discusses the impact of globalization on the notion of the Westphalian state. It argues that both terrorism and global ...
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This chapter analyses the changing world environment due to globalization. It discusses the impact of globalization on the notion of the Westphalian state. It argues that both terrorism and global capital are inherently biased against the Westphalian order, although one is opposed to the other. It also assesses the role of epistemic communities in promoting local identities, as well as the emergence of global environmental problems of climate change, biodiversity, and desertification. While climate change has implications for a global public good that transcends nation-state boundaries, the Conventions of Biodiversity and Hazardous Wastes Movements deal with global public goods that are confined within the boundaries of the nation-state. This chapter argues that plurality and diversity are key to world order and that local communities have a role to play by generating local responses to globalization and highlighting their identities.Less
This chapter analyses the changing world environment due to globalization. It discusses the impact of globalization on the notion of the Westphalian state. It argues that both terrorism and global capital are inherently biased against the Westphalian order, although one is opposed to the other. It also assesses the role of epistemic communities in promoting local identities, as well as the emergence of global environmental problems of climate change, biodiversity, and desertification. While climate change has implications for a global public good that transcends nation-state boundaries, the Conventions of Biodiversity and Hazardous Wastes Movements deal with global public goods that are confined within the boundaries of the nation-state. This chapter argues that plurality and diversity are key to world order and that local communities have a role to play by generating local responses to globalization and highlighting their identities.
