Preservation Of Natural Capital Research Articles

From Critique to Action: Reframing Strategies for Biodiversity and Natural Capital Preservation in the Philippines

From Critique to Action: Reframing Strategies for Biodiversity and Natural Capital Preservation in the Philippines

An assessment of the scope and comprehensiveness of well-being economy indicator sets: The cases of Iceland, Scotland and New Zealand

Over the last three years, national indicator sets and international coalitions for advancement of the well-being economy's ambitions have begun to be developed. This study applies a capital asset, well-being goals and domains, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework to evaluate the scope and comprehensiveness of the indicator sets of Iceland, Scotland and New Zealand. Both national objectives and SDG indicator priorities, determined through each nation's stakeholder consultation process, have greatly shaped the indicator selection process, albeit leading to a narrow concentration in some areas. There is currently more focus on natural capital preservation and environmental performance in the cases of Iceland and New Zealand, whereas Scotland integrates analysis on contributions to human well-being via ecosystem services. Additionally, resources that appear critical to these economies and processes that undermine the productive capacities of the resource base are not represented by indicators. Spatial scale variations are evident too. Domestic phenomena are the focus of Iceland and New Zealand's indicators sets, whilst Scotland's is more internationalist. Despite these inconsistencies, it is evident that the national indicator sets are inclusive and reflective of socio-cultural priorities, including the needs of certain Indigenous peoples, often monitoring criteria that go beyond the limits of the SDGs.

Effect of Regulation on Curbing Over tourism in East Africa. A Critical Literature Review

Purpose: Over tourism irritates local people especially in rural areas. Over tourism has sparked a backlash by the local community especially by increasing the costs of living in their cities. The general objective of the study was to examine effect of regulation on curbing over tourism in East Africa
 Methodology: The paper used a desk study review methodology where relevant empirical literature was reviewed to identify main themes and to extract knowledge gaps.
 Findings: From the findings identified, and the literature reviewed, the concept of tourism sustainability can be construed to be the preservation of natural capital, economic and socio-cultural ecosystems within a three-pillar model that defines the three dimensions of sustainability. This integrated approach to sustainable tourism development is key in efforts to achieve sustainable tourism development in Africa. The concept of regulations to curb overtourism in East Africa has brought striking paradoxes for destination marketers and destination planners alike.
 Recommendations: The study recommends that there is need to develop a national framework for identifying the physical, ecological, socio-cultural and economic limits and the carrying capacity of visitor activity or tourism development at a given tourism area and time. Institute and enforce tourism regulations and policies to ensure that the physical, social and ecological impacts of overtourism are addressed in East Africa. Enforce tourism certification as a means for advocating for tourism sustainability within the East Africa region

Principles of natural capital preservation in the context of strategy of state environmental safety

The article analyzes issue of strategy forming of state development through prism of state environmental safety, preservation of its natural capital in the process of formation and implementation of state environmental policy. Basic ecological, economic, social principles of natural capital preservation of Ukraine are considered. Possibilities of ecological network development of Ukraine are investigated. A comprehensive knowledge framework for the management of natural capital is shown.

How can policy processes remove barriers to sustainable food systems in Europe? Contributing to a policy framework for agri-food transitions

A new food policy coherent with the goal of achieving sustainable food systems implies changing visions and radically revising the understanding of the system on which agricultural and food-related policies act. This paper identifies and discusses policy processes that contribute to sustainable food systems in Europe. Based on a conceptual framework that links the policy cycle approach to transition theories, we (i) assess the evolution of policy cycles of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to highlight how the food and nutrition concepts have evolved and been reframed throughout the five phases of the CAP, (ii) map and classify available policy instruments to assess potential synergies and gaps in view of their reorganization and (iii) indicate and discuss strategic tools for sustainable food policies. This contribution goes beyond the current literature highlighting the obstacles which hinder the transition to a policy regime that embodies the nexus among food and nutrition security, natural capital preservation and climatic and social justice, and proposing new avenues for food policy studies.

Natural capital preservation and sustainable management as a prerequisite for year-round tourism

Increasing number of tourists wants to experience nature and at the same time have a positive impact on nature during their tourist stay. This paper presents the relationship between the preservation of natural capital of the locality and tourist season duration, as well as destination sustainable management and longevity. Tourism greatly depends on natural world, meaning the beauty of landscapes and seascapes and man's connection with nature itself. It simultaneously depends on local natural environment and exerts an impact thereon. Conservation and sustainable management of natural capital maybe achieved in various ways. Countries are attempting to preserve natural capital and to monitor its change through regular reporting, using selected indicators. Croatia should strive to preserve its unique natural resources and devise the tools to measure own performance with due consideration of its specific feature, all with the aim of ensuring sustainable all-year tourism. Finally, the paper considers comprehensively all pressures on natural environment exerted by tourism as well as benefits for the locality of preserving domestic natural capital in a long term, while ensuring the monitoring of changes in state thereof. A 'high value, low impact' approach would bring in the growing share of affluent nature-loving tourists throughout the year, thus reducing present tourism seasonality and highly negative impact on nature, local communities and microclimate change.

Natural Capital Preservation in the Coastal Area

The removal of a single tree growing in an urban area or a patch of forest for development purposes is a practice that results from inappropriate economic approach to and unawareness of the value of natural capital and the services it provides. The paper analyses the benefits of the existence of urban trees and discusses valuation methods, emphasizing in particular the value of vegetation in the coastal area of the Republic of Croatia. Due to holistic focus of the topic, a qualitative research is applied based on observations, authors’ previous research, experiences, reports on current research and legislation. Several instruments for the preservation and maintenance of vegetation are proposed ranging from the measures by local self-governments, upgrading the system of fees for forest general benefit functions to proper implementation of non-financial reporting which should apply to all companies whose operations may have an impact on natural capital, regardless of their size and ownership structure. National legislation should meet more than a minimum compliance with EU directives and international efforts in standardizing non-financial reporting. Many companies undertake activities that may and do exert pressure on vegetation cover or natural capital, as do also the entities of public interest such as local and regional self-government units and the companies established by them, which should also become liable to non-financial reporting.

Natural Capital Preservation in the Coastal Area

The removal of a single tree growing in an urban area or a patch of forest for development purposes is a practice that results from inappropriate economic approach to and unawareness of the value of natural capital and the services it provides. The paper analyses the benefits of the existence of urban trees and discusses valuation methods, emphasizing in particular the value of vegetation in the coastal area of the Republic of Croatia. Due to holistic focus of the topic, a qualitative research is applied based on observations, authors’ previous research, experiences, reports on current research and legislation. Several instruments for the preservation and maintenance of vegetation are proposed ranging from the measures by local self-governments, upgrading the system of fees for forest general benefit functions to proper implementation of non-financial reporting which should apply to all companies whose operations may have an impact on natural capital, regardless of their size and ownership structure. National legislation should meet more than a minimum compliance with EU directives and international efforts in standardizing non-financial reporting. Many companies undertake activities that may and do exert pressure on vegetation cover or natural capital, as do also the entities of public interest such as local and regional self-government units and the companies established by them, which should also become liable to non-financial reporting.

Natural Capital Preservation in the Coastal Area

The removal of a single tree growing in an urban area or a patch of forest for development purposes is a practice that results from inappropriate economic approach to and unawareness of the value of natural capital and the services it provides. The paper analyses the benefits of the existence of urban trees and discusses valuation methods, emphasizing in particular the value of vegetation in the coastal area of the Republic of Croatia. Due to holistic focus of the topic, a qualitative research is applied based on observations, authors’ previous research, experiences, reports on current research and legislation. Several instruments for the preservation and maintenance of vegetation are proposed ranging from the measures by local self-governments, upgrading the system of fees for forest general benefit functions to proper implementation of non-financial reporting which should apply to all companies whose operations may have an impact on natural capital, regardless of their size and ownership structure. National legislation should meet more than a minimum compliance with EU directives and international efforts in standardizing non-financial reporting. Many companies undertake activities that may and do exert pressure on vegetation cover or natural capital, as do also the entities of public interest such as local and regional self-government units and the companies established by them, which should also become liable to non-financial reporting.

China's national ecosystem assessment

Ecosystem Services China recently completed its first National Ecosystem Assessment covering the period 2000–2010. Ouyang et al. present the main findings of the assessment. Investment in the restoration and preservation of natural capital has resulted in improvements at the national level in most of the major ecosystem services measured. In particular, food production, carbon sequestration, and soil retention showed strong gains; on the other hand, habitat provision for biodiversity showed a gradual decline. Regional differences remain nonetheless, and there are serious environmental challenges still to be met in areas such as air quality and the wider global footprint of raw material imports. Science , this issue p. [1455][1] [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aaf2295

Improvements in ecosystem services from investments in natural capital.

In response to ecosystem degradation from rapid economic development, China began investing heavily in protecting and restoring natural capital starting in 2000. We report on China's first national ecosystem assessment (2000-2010), designed to quantify and help manage change in ecosystem services, including food production, carbon sequestration, soil retention, sandstorm prevention, water retention, flood mitigation, and provision of habitat for biodiversity. Overall, ecosystem services improved from 2000 to 2010, apart from habitat provision. China's national conservation policies contributed significantly to the increases in those ecosystem services.

Overcoming the challenges of data scarcity in mapping marine ecosystem service potential

Ecosystem services (ES) are a valuable way of defining the benefits derived from natural resources and are essential for balancing human exploitive uses with the preservation of natural capital. In marine ecosystems real world application of ES theory is hindered by inadequate knowledge of the distribution of communities and habitats and the ecosystem functions that they provide. Here, we present a new approach for mapping ecosystem service potential for multiple services when the details necessary for full quantification are unobtainable. By defining services from a series of principles based on current ecological understanding and linking these to marine biophysical parameters, we developed ecosystem service maps for the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand. These maps were verified by statistical comparisons to available ecological information in well studied areas in the region. Such maps allow planners, managers and stakeholders to explicitly consider ES in ecosystem-based management (EBM) including marine spatial planning (MSP). Our approach provides a systems perspective, by emphasising connectivity between processes and locations and highlighting the potential range of trade-offs available for multi-objective management of marine systems.

The curse of natural resources in the transition economies*

AbstractThe curse of natural resources is a well‐documented phenomenon for developing countries. Economies that are richly endowed with natural resources tend to grow slowly. Among the transition economies of the former ‘Eastern Bloc’, a similar pattern can be observed. This paper shows that a large part of the variation in growth rates among the transition economies can be attributed to the curse of natural resources. After controlling for numerous other factors, there is still a strong negative correlation between natural resource abundance and economic growth. Among the transition economies the prime reasons for the curse of natural resources were corruption and a neglect of basic education. In order to overcome the curse of natural resources and move to a sustainable path of development, the resource abundant transition countries should fight corruption and ensure that their resource revenues are invested in human capital or the preservation of natural capital.