This paper explores the dynamic interrelation between biological diversity, technical change and ... more This paper explores the dynamic interrelation between biological diversity, technical change and agricultural productivity. The theoretical insights regarding these linkages are furthered by deriving the comparative dynamic solutions of an optimal control model. This provides testable hypotheses that are investigated using an output-distance parametric model to a large panel of specialised cereal farms from the UK (1989-97). The results of this paper can inform policy makers on the design of sound biodiversity conservation policies in semi-natural habitats, particularly in the context of restructuring the CAP. The results suggest that productivity is positively related to technical change and that the impact of increased biodiversity on frontier output is positive with declining marginal effects over time. It is thus suggested that the objective of enhancing biodiversity levels in semi-natural habitats is being met without impairing agricultural productivity. Further, it would appea...
This paper empirically examines the emergence and functioning of land markets and their impacts o... more This paper empirically examines the emergence and functioning of land markets and their impacts on deforestation in Sumatra, Indonesia. While the evolution of land markets is ex-pected to promote deforestation activities by rural households, we find no sizeable impact, due to two major reasons. First, land transactions occur in cultural and spatial isolation from forest encroachment. Second, the emergence of speculative land markets, which could accel-erate deforestation, is evaded through institutional constraints, primarily weak property rights on land. However, while land markets do not promote deforestation, they also do not deter forestland appropriation, because of ambiguous legal frameworks.
This paper empirically examines the emergence and functioning of land markets and their impacts o... more This paper empirically examines the emergence and functioning of land markets and their impacts on deforestation in Sumatra, Indonesia. While the evolution of land markets is expected to promote deforestation activities by rural households, we find no sizeable impact, due to two major reasons. First, land transactions occur in cultural and spatial isolation from forest encroachment. Second, the emergence of speculative land markets, which could accelerate deforestation, is evaded through institutional constraints, primarily weak property rights on land. However, while land markets do not promote deforestation, they also do not deter forestland appropriation, because of ambiguous legal frameworks.
Understanding farmers' reasons for growing diverse crop portfolios is essential for supporting th... more Understanding farmers' reasons for growing diverse crop portfolios is essential for supporting the conservation of agricultural biodiversity to foster social-ecological resilience and conserve crop genetic resources. In this paper, Q-methodology is applied to examine the motivations for growing diverse crops among semi-subsistence rural farmers in Papua New Guinea. Various types of farmers are identified including so-called 'marketer-consumers,' who are highly motivated by crop sale, and 'exhibitionists,' who prioritize the 'show' values of crops. This approach can be applied to better target programs seeking to conserve crop diversity and promote new crop varieties in regions undergoing rapid transformation.
The connected nature of social-ecological systems has never been more apparent than in today's gl... more The connected nature of social-ecological systems has never been more apparent than in today's globalized world. The ecosystem service framework and associated ecosystem assessments aim to better inform the science-policy response to sustainability challenges. Such assessments, however, often overlook distant, diffuse and delayed impacts that are critical for global sustainability. Ecosystem-services science must better recognise the offstage impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services of place-based ecosystem management, which we term 'ecosystem service burdens'. These are particularly important since they are often negative, and have a potentially significant effect on ecosystem management decisions. Ecosystem-services research can better recognise these offstage burdens through integration with other analytical approaches, such as life cycle analysis and risk-based approaches that better account for the uncertainties involved. We argue that offstage ecosystem service burdens should be incorporated in ecosystem assessments such as those led by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Taking better account of these offstage burdens is essential to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of cross-scale interactions, a prerequisite for any sustainability transition.
... Quality and Public Health: Application of the Choice Experiment Method in West Bengal, India ... more ... Quality and Public Health: Application of the Choice Experiment Method in West Bengal, India by Sukanya Das, Ekin Birol and Rabindra N. Bhattacharya 2008 ... India Sukanya Das*, Ekin Birol ** and Rabindra N. Bhattacharya*** * Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India. ...
The study of ecological services is fast becoming a cornerstone of mainstream ecology, largely be... more The study of ecological services is fast becoming a cornerstone of mainstream ecology, largely because they provide a useful means of linking functioning to societal benefits in complex systems by connecting different organizational levels. In order to identify the main challenges facing current and future ecosystem service research, we analysed the effects of the publication of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA, 2005) on different disciplines. Within a set of topics framed around concepts embedded within the MEA, each co-author identified 5 key research challenges and, where feasible, suggested possible solutions. Concepts included those related to specific service types (i.e., provisioning, supporting, regulating, cultural, aesthetic services) as well as more synthetic issues spanning the natural and social sciences, which often linked a wide range of disciplines, as was the case for the application of network theory. By merging similar responses, and removing some of the narrower suggestions from our sample pool, we distilled the key challenges into a smaller subset. We review some of the historical context to the MEA and identify some of the broader scientific and philosophical issues that still permeate discourse in this field. Finally, we consider where the greatest advances are most likely to be made in the next decade and beyond.
The recently published article by Albizua et al. (2020) contained an error. The reference to Guer... more The recently published article by Albizua et al. (2020) contained an error. The reference to Guerrero et al. (2013), cited in the Introduction section of the paper, was missing in the list of references. Below the full reference is provided.
... inputs. A farmer may have to pay more for inputs or spend more time to obtain equip-ment repa... more ... inputs. A farmer may have to pay more for inputs or spend more time to obtain equip-ment repairs (Lynch and Carpenter 2003; Lynch 2006). Competition for labor from non-agricultural sectors may raise farmers' labor costs. ...
A hioeconomic model is used to explore the potential impacts of price policies on land use under ... more A hioeconomic model is used to explore the potential impacts of price policies on land use under shifting cultivation. The model is calibrated with household level and agroecological data from Yucatan. Mexico. Be.sides the direct effect of the liberalization of maize prices, the results indicate that changes in real wages in post-NAFTA Mexico may have non-expected effects on the labor diversification and land-u.%' decisions of households. Further, it is shown that income may well be inversely related to both the .suboptimal level of forest clearing, and the state of soil fertility, albeit in a non-monotonic (U-shape) way. {JEL 013, Q24)
Nature is perceived and valued in starkly different and often conflicting ways. This paper presen... more Nature is perceived and valued in starkly different and often conflicting ways. This paper presents the rationale for the inclusive valuation of nature's contributions to people (NCP) in decision making, as well as broad methodological steps for doing so. While developed within the context of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), this approach is more widely applicable to initiatives at the knowledge-policy interface, which require a pluralistic approach to recognizing the diversity of values. We argue that transformative practices aiming at sustainable futures would benefit from embracing such diversity, which require recognizing and addressing power relationships across stakeholder groups that hold different values on human naturerelations and NCP.
This paper examines climate change adaptation and gender issues through an application of a femin... more This paper examines climate change adaptation and gender issues through an application of a feminist intersectional approach. This approach permits the identification of diverse adaptation responses arising from the existence of multiple and fragmented dimensions of identity (including gender) that intersect with power relations to shape situation-specific interactions between farmers and ecosystems. Based on results from contrasting research cases in Bihar and Uttarakhand, India, this paper demonstrates, inter alia, that there are geographically determined gendered preferences and adoption strategies regarding adaptation options and that these are influenced by the socio-ecological context and institutional dynamics. Intersecting identities, such as caste, wealth, age and gender, influence decisions and reveal power dynamics and negotiation within the household and the community, as well as barriers to adaptation among groups. Overall, the findings suggest that a feminist intersect...
Most current approaches focused on vulnerability, resilience, and adaptation to climate change fr... more Most current approaches focused on vulnerability, resilience, and adaptation to climate change frame gender and its influence in a manner out-of-step with contemporary academic and international development research. The tendency to rely on analyses of the sexdisaggregated gender categories of 'men' and 'women' as sole or principal divisions explaining the abilities of different people within a group to adapt to climate change, illustrates this problem. This framing of gender persists in spite of established bodies of knowledge that show how roles and responsibilities that influence a persońs ability to deal with climate-induced and other stressors emerge at the intersection of diverse identity categories, including but not limited to gender, age, seniority, ethnicity, marital status, and livelihoods. Here, we provide a review of relevant literature on this topic and argue that approaching vulnerability to climate change through intersectional understandings of identity can help improve adaptation programming, project design, implementation, and outcomes.
This paper explores the dynamic interrelation between biological diversity, technical change and ... more This paper explores the dynamic interrelation between biological diversity, technical change and agricultural productivity. The theoretical insights regarding these linkages are furthered by deriving the comparative dynamic solutions of an optimal control model. This provides testable hypotheses that are investigated using an output-distance parametric model to a large panel of specialised cereal farms from the UK (1989-97). The results of this paper can inform policy makers on the design of sound biodiversity conservation policies in semi-natural habitats, particularly in the context of restructuring the CAP. The results suggest that productivity is positively related to technical change and that the impact of increased biodiversity on frontier output is positive with declining marginal effects over time. It is thus suggested that the objective of enhancing biodiversity levels in semi-natural habitats is being met without impairing agricultural productivity. Further, it would appea...
This paper empirically examines the emergence and functioning of land markets and their impacts o... more This paper empirically examines the emergence and functioning of land markets and their impacts on deforestation in Sumatra, Indonesia. While the evolution of land markets is ex-pected to promote deforestation activities by rural households, we find no sizeable impact, due to two major reasons. First, land transactions occur in cultural and spatial isolation from forest encroachment. Second, the emergence of speculative land markets, which could accel-erate deforestation, is evaded through institutional constraints, primarily weak property rights on land. However, while land markets do not promote deforestation, they also do not deter forestland appropriation, because of ambiguous legal frameworks.
This paper empirically examines the emergence and functioning of land markets and their impacts o... more This paper empirically examines the emergence and functioning of land markets and their impacts on deforestation in Sumatra, Indonesia. While the evolution of land markets is expected to promote deforestation activities by rural households, we find no sizeable impact, due to two major reasons. First, land transactions occur in cultural and spatial isolation from forest encroachment. Second, the emergence of speculative land markets, which could accelerate deforestation, is evaded through institutional constraints, primarily weak property rights on land. However, while land markets do not promote deforestation, they also do not deter forestland appropriation, because of ambiguous legal frameworks.
Understanding farmers' reasons for growing diverse crop portfolios is essential for supporting th... more Understanding farmers' reasons for growing diverse crop portfolios is essential for supporting the conservation of agricultural biodiversity to foster social-ecological resilience and conserve crop genetic resources. In this paper, Q-methodology is applied to examine the motivations for growing diverse crops among semi-subsistence rural farmers in Papua New Guinea. Various types of farmers are identified including so-called 'marketer-consumers,' who are highly motivated by crop sale, and 'exhibitionists,' who prioritize the 'show' values of crops. This approach can be applied to better target programs seeking to conserve crop diversity and promote new crop varieties in regions undergoing rapid transformation.
The connected nature of social-ecological systems has never been more apparent than in today's gl... more The connected nature of social-ecological systems has never been more apparent than in today's globalized world. The ecosystem service framework and associated ecosystem assessments aim to better inform the science-policy response to sustainability challenges. Such assessments, however, often overlook distant, diffuse and delayed impacts that are critical for global sustainability. Ecosystem-services science must better recognise the offstage impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services of place-based ecosystem management, which we term 'ecosystem service burdens'. These are particularly important since they are often negative, and have a potentially significant effect on ecosystem management decisions. Ecosystem-services research can better recognise these offstage burdens through integration with other analytical approaches, such as life cycle analysis and risk-based approaches that better account for the uncertainties involved. We argue that offstage ecosystem service burdens should be incorporated in ecosystem assessments such as those led by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Taking better account of these offstage burdens is essential to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of cross-scale interactions, a prerequisite for any sustainability transition.
... Quality and Public Health: Application of the Choice Experiment Method in West Bengal, India ... more ... Quality and Public Health: Application of the Choice Experiment Method in West Bengal, India by Sukanya Das, Ekin Birol and Rabindra N. Bhattacharya 2008 ... India Sukanya Das*, Ekin Birol ** and Rabindra N. Bhattacharya*** * Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India. ...
The study of ecological services is fast becoming a cornerstone of mainstream ecology, largely be... more The study of ecological services is fast becoming a cornerstone of mainstream ecology, largely because they provide a useful means of linking functioning to societal benefits in complex systems by connecting different organizational levels. In order to identify the main challenges facing current and future ecosystem service research, we analysed the effects of the publication of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA, 2005) on different disciplines. Within a set of topics framed around concepts embedded within the MEA, each co-author identified 5 key research challenges and, where feasible, suggested possible solutions. Concepts included those related to specific service types (i.e., provisioning, supporting, regulating, cultural, aesthetic services) as well as more synthetic issues spanning the natural and social sciences, which often linked a wide range of disciplines, as was the case for the application of network theory. By merging similar responses, and removing some of the narrower suggestions from our sample pool, we distilled the key challenges into a smaller subset. We review some of the historical context to the MEA and identify some of the broader scientific and philosophical issues that still permeate discourse in this field. Finally, we consider where the greatest advances are most likely to be made in the next decade and beyond.
The recently published article by Albizua et al. (2020) contained an error. The reference to Guer... more The recently published article by Albizua et al. (2020) contained an error. The reference to Guerrero et al. (2013), cited in the Introduction section of the paper, was missing in the list of references. Below the full reference is provided.
... inputs. A farmer may have to pay more for inputs or spend more time to obtain equip-ment repa... more ... inputs. A farmer may have to pay more for inputs or spend more time to obtain equip-ment repairs (Lynch and Carpenter 2003; Lynch 2006). Competition for labor from non-agricultural sectors may raise farmers' labor costs. ...
A hioeconomic model is used to explore the potential impacts of price policies on land use under ... more A hioeconomic model is used to explore the potential impacts of price policies on land use under shifting cultivation. The model is calibrated with household level and agroecological data from Yucatan. Mexico. Be.sides the direct effect of the liberalization of maize prices, the results indicate that changes in real wages in post-NAFTA Mexico may have non-expected effects on the labor diversification and land-u.%' decisions of households. Further, it is shown that income may well be inversely related to both the .suboptimal level of forest clearing, and the state of soil fertility, albeit in a non-monotonic (U-shape) way. {JEL 013, Q24)
Nature is perceived and valued in starkly different and often conflicting ways. This paper presen... more Nature is perceived and valued in starkly different and often conflicting ways. This paper presents the rationale for the inclusive valuation of nature's contributions to people (NCP) in decision making, as well as broad methodological steps for doing so. While developed within the context of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), this approach is more widely applicable to initiatives at the knowledge-policy interface, which require a pluralistic approach to recognizing the diversity of values. We argue that transformative practices aiming at sustainable futures would benefit from embracing such diversity, which require recognizing and addressing power relationships across stakeholder groups that hold different values on human naturerelations and NCP.
This paper examines climate change adaptation and gender issues through an application of a femin... more This paper examines climate change adaptation and gender issues through an application of a feminist intersectional approach. This approach permits the identification of diverse adaptation responses arising from the existence of multiple and fragmented dimensions of identity (including gender) that intersect with power relations to shape situation-specific interactions between farmers and ecosystems. Based on results from contrasting research cases in Bihar and Uttarakhand, India, this paper demonstrates, inter alia, that there are geographically determined gendered preferences and adoption strategies regarding adaptation options and that these are influenced by the socio-ecological context and institutional dynamics. Intersecting identities, such as caste, wealth, age and gender, influence decisions and reveal power dynamics and negotiation within the household and the community, as well as barriers to adaptation among groups. Overall, the findings suggest that a feminist intersect...
Most current approaches focused on vulnerability, resilience, and adaptation to climate change fr... more Most current approaches focused on vulnerability, resilience, and adaptation to climate change frame gender and its influence in a manner out-of-step with contemporary academic and international development research. The tendency to rely on analyses of the sexdisaggregated gender categories of 'men' and 'women' as sole or principal divisions explaining the abilities of different people within a group to adapt to climate change, illustrates this problem. This framing of gender persists in spite of established bodies of knowledge that show how roles and responsibilities that influence a persońs ability to deal with climate-induced and other stressors emerge at the intersection of diverse identity categories, including but not limited to gender, age, seniority, ethnicity, marital status, and livelihoods. Here, we provide a review of relevant literature on this topic and argue that approaching vulnerability to climate change through intersectional understandings of identity can help improve adaptation programming, project design, implementation, and outcomes.
For full list of co-authors see link. Twenty-five years since foundational publications on valuin... more For full list of co-authors see link. Twenty-five years since foundational publications on valuing ecosystem services for human well-being addressing the global biodiversity crisis still implies confronting barriers to incorporating nature’s diverse values into decision-making. These barriers include powerful interests supported by current norms and legal rules such as property rights, which determine whose values and which values of nature are acted on. A better understanding of how and why nature is (under)valued is more urgent than ever4. Notwithstanding agreements to incorporate nature’s values into actions, including the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, predominant environmental and development policies still prioritize a subset of values, particularly those linked to markets, and ignore other ways people relate to and benefit from nature. Arguably, a ‘values crisis’ underpins the intertwined crises of biodiversity loss and climate change, pandemic emergence and socio-environmental injustices. On the basis of more than 50,000 scientific publications, policy documents and Indigenous and local knowledge sources, the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) assessed knowledge on nature’s diverse values and valuation methods to gain insights into their role in policymaking and fuller integration into decisions. Applying this evidence, combinations of values-centred approaches are proposed to improve valuation and address barriers to uptake, ultimately leveraging transformative changes towards more just (that is, fair treatment of people and nature, including inter- and intragenerational equity) and sustainable futures.
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Papers by Unai Pascual