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Modelling the Economic, Social and Environmental Components of Natural Resources...
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Modelling the Economic, Social and Environmental Components of Natural Resources for Sustainable Management

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2021) | Viewed by 16298

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Francesco Riccioli

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Guest Editor
Rural Economics group of the Department of Veterinary Science, University of Pisa.
Interests: Spatial econometrics; GIS for territorial planning; Analysis of ecosystem services from socioeconomic perspective
Dr. Mario Cozzi

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Guest Editor
School of Agricultural, Forestry and Environmental Sciences, University of Basilicata
Interests: Environment; Environmental Impact Assessment;Sustainable Development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The recognition of the multifunctional role of natural areas has resulted in a growing interest in sustainable natural resource management, in order to prevent degradation and depletion, ensuring income-generation activities, sustaining culture and employment, and increasing environmental benefits, such as carbon sequestration, hydrogeological protection, biodiversity enhancement, and many others.

Natural areas generate incomes in terms of flows of ecosystem goods and services that are directly related both to healthy ecosystems and to human well-being.

In this context, the correct use of natural areas and their resources, such as vegetation, water, soil, climate, represents the key to achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) and ensuring the promotion of an economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable future.

The scientific research on natural resource management has grown substantially over the past decade, highlighting the important role played by natural ecosystems in supporting human well-being.

Hence, quantitative or qualitative studies from all aspects of the sustainable management of forest, agriculture, and the environment are encouraged in order to promote knowledge and sustainable strategies for upgrading sustainable natural resource management.

This Special Issue will contribute to advancing and exchanging scientific knowledge of natural resource management systems. One purpose is also related to promoting social learning, contributing ideas and information regarding best practices on social innovations that are potentially helpful for the development of policy, as well as ideas that useful, in practice, for communities at various levels.

In consideration of all this, this Special Issue will explore the state of the art in its field and present a set of theoretical, methodological, and applied papers focusing on the analysis of sustainable natural resource management.

Dr. Mario Cozzi
Dr. Francesco Riccioli
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Natural resources and rural development
  • Ecosystem services
  • Soil erosion and protection
  • Sustainable land use, landscape management, and governance
  • Greenhouse gas emission and control
  • Sustainable natural resource management
  • Social–ecological systems
  • Conservation agriculture
  • Climate change adaptation
  • Vulnerability and resilience

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 172 KiB  
Editorial
Modelling the Economic, Social and Environmental Components of Natural Resources for Sustainable Management
by Francesco Riccioli and Mario Cozzi
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 8941; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13168941 - 10 Aug 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1223
Abstract
The recognition of the multifunctional role of natural areas has resulted in a growing interest in sustainable natural resource management, in order to prevent degradation and depletion, ensuring income-generation activities, sustaining culture and employment, and increasing environmental benefits, such as carbon sequestration, hydrogeological [...] Read more.
The recognition of the multifunctional role of natural areas has resulted in a growing interest in sustainable natural resource management, in order to prevent degradation and depletion, ensuring income-generation activities, sustaining culture and employment, and increasing environmental benefits, such as carbon sequestration, hydrogeological protection, biodiversity enhancement, and many others [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modelling the Economic, Social and Environmental Components of Natural Resources for Sustainable Management)

Research

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15 pages, 1385 KiB  
Article
The Landscape Change in the Alps—What Postcards Have to Say about Aesthetic Preference
by Clara Tattoni, Gianluca Grilli, Jorge Araña and Marco Ciolli
Sustainability 2021, 13(13), 7426; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137426 - 02 Jul 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2582
Abstract
Land use changes in the Alps over the last few decades have been characterised by a significant increase in forest coverage as a result of the abandonment of marginal agricultural sites. Natural afforestation and species protection laws affected the ecosystem, and therefore the [...] Read more.
Land use changes in the Alps over the last few decades have been characterised by a significant increase in forest coverage as a result of the abandonment of marginal agricultural sites. Natural afforestation and species protection laws affected the ecosystem, and therefore the services provided by the mountain environment, including landscape structure and aesthetics, changed. This work assess the changes in the ecosystem services offered by forests since 1954 in a region of the Italian Alps. Some ES were estimated in this work with GIS, and others were taken from the literature or the authors’ previous works. Since the 1950s, forest ecosystem services such as growing stock, protection from hydro-geological hazards and carbon storage have increased. Deer and other forest species have risen in number. On the other hand, there has been a depletion of open space for priority habitats and species such as black grouse and capercaillie. Old postcards were used to understand land use change and people’s aesthetic preferences. To determine people’s preferences for the landscape, we used records of over 300,000 postcards, sold during nearly two decades. The most often chosen postcard portrayed a landscape of the 1970s with a mix of forest and open space, different from the scenario that the buyers could observe. The sales records for over 20 years of postcard business and the dates of the postcards that we obtained in this research allowed us to perform a quantitative analysis of landscape preferences. The main subject of the photo was a good predictor of the number of postcards sold, according to generalised linear models (GLM); and postcards of overly exploited landscapes, dense forest coverage or buildings were significantly less likely to be chosen. Artificially reinstating open areas will boost biodiversity and could recreate a landscape that resembles the historical agro-ecosystem without interfering with the forest’s other functions. These findings will help managers and policy makers evaluate cultural ecosystem resources in the face of changing mountain landscapes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modelling the Economic, Social and Environmental Components of Natural Resources for Sustainable Management)
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26 pages, 2497 KiB  
Article
Economies of Scale and Perceived Corruption in Natural Resource Management: A Comparative Study between Ukraine, Romania, and Iceland
by Johanna Gisladottir, Sigurbjörg Sigurgeirsdottir, Kristín Vala Ragnarsdóttir and Ingrid Stjernquist
Sustainability 2021, 13(13), 7363; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137363 - 30 Jun 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2508
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to enhance understanding of factors that undermine sustainable management of renewable resources by identifying and analyzing the main drivers and dynamics involved, with a focus on the role of corruption perceptions and its implications. To shed light [...] Read more.
The aim of this paper is to enhance understanding of factors that undermine sustainable management of renewable resources by identifying and analyzing the main drivers and dynamics involved, with a focus on the role of corruption perceptions and its implications. To shed light on the research question, we chose to perform a comparative study of three different resource sectors in European countries that are ranked differently on the Corruption Perception Index by Transparency International, namely fisheries in Iceland, forestry in Romania, and arable soils in Ukraine. We conducted 40 in-depth semi-structured interviews with various stakeholders to explore assumptions on individual actions and behavior in the sectors. The interviews were analyzed using a qualitative coding procedure based on causal loop diagrams, a method from system dynamics. The results indicate that even though the cases are different, they share a similar outcome, in that privatization of the resource and consolidation of companies took place, along with perceived risk of both unsustainable resource management practices and corruption. Our findings suggest that the underlying similarities of the cases are that privatization occurred around the same time in early 1990s, when neoliberal economic ideology influentially held up the idea that private ownership meant better management. What followed was a transition to economies of scale that ultimately resulted in dominance of large vertically integrated companies in the sectors. The resulting inequalities between large and small actors in the renewable resource management systems serve to increase the risk for unsustainable management decisions as well as increase perceptions of corruption risks, especially amongst smaller actors in the sectors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modelling the Economic, Social and Environmental Components of Natural Resources for Sustainable Management)
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18 pages, 2086 KiB  
Article
Mapping the Recreational Value of Coppices’ Management Systems in Tuscany
by Francesco Riccioli, Roberto Fratini, Claudio Fagarazzi, Mario Cozzi, Mauro Viccaro, Severino Romano, Duccio Rocchini, Salomon Espinosa Diaz and Clara Tattoni
Sustainability 2020, 12(19), 8039; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12198039 - 29 Sep 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2759
Abstract
In recent decades the growing interest in forested areas has led to a higher level of appreciation and consideration regarding the various benefits and services provided by forests. Despite this, when it comes to acknowledging their economic value and their capacity to produce [...] Read more.
In recent decades the growing interest in forested areas has led to a higher level of appreciation and consideration regarding the various benefits and services provided by forests. Despite this, when it comes to acknowledging their economic value and their capacity to produce income, the production of timber seems to be the main or even the only function that is considered. However, by adopting a sustainable forest management approach, the value related to non-market forest functions could also be considered. The present paper aims to quantify the potential income related to the recreational value of coppice forest by considering three different management systems: traditional coppice, active conversion to high forest and the natural evolution of forest. In order to do so, a contingent valuation method was used, and 248 forest users were surveyed in the region of Tuscany, Italy. The surveys included a revised price-list method, and the results obtained showed the existence of willingness to pay (WTP) for the maintenance of forests. Users showed a strong preference for conversion to high forest, while natural evolution was the least preferred management option. People’s perception on this matter was also assessed based on their specific location, by georeferencing all of the respondents’ answers: considering this, it was observed that belonging to a municipality located in or close to the mountains (i.e., mountain and natural municipalities) influenced the users’ WTP to maintain natural evolution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modelling the Economic, Social and Environmental Components of Natural Resources for Sustainable Management)
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17 pages, 446 KiB  
Article
Methane Emission Characteristics of Naturally Ventilated Cattle Buildings
by Sabrina Hempel, Diliara Willink, David Janke, Christian Ammon, Barbara Amon and Thomas Amon
Sustainability 2020, 12(10), 4314; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12104314 - 25 May 2020
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2662
Abstract
The mandate to limit global temperature rise calls for a reliable quantification of gaseous pollutant emissions as a basis for effective mitigation. Methane emissions from ruminant fermentation are of particular relevance in the context of greenhouse gas mitigation. The emission dynamics are so [...] Read more.
The mandate to limit global temperature rise calls for a reliable quantification of gaseous pollutant emissions as a basis for effective mitigation. Methane emissions from ruminant fermentation are of particular relevance in the context of greenhouse gas mitigation. The emission dynamics are so far insufficiently understood. We analyzed hourly methane emission data collected during contrasting seasons from two naturally ventilated dairy cattle buildings with concrete floor and performed a second order polynomial regression. We found a parabolic temperature dependence of the methane emissions irrespective of the measurement site and setup. The position of the parabola vertex varied when considering different hours of the day. The circadian rhythm of methane emissions was represented by the pattern of the fitted values of the constant term of the polynomial and could be well explained by feeding management and air flow conditions. We found barn specific emission minima at ambient temperatures around 10 °C to 15 °C. As this identified temperature optimum coincides with the welfare temperature of dairy cows, we concluded that temperature regulation of dairy cow buildings with concrete floor should be considered and further investigated as an emission mitigation measure. Our results further indicated that empirical modeling of methane emissions from the considered type of buildings with a second order polynomial for the independent variable air temperature can increase the accuracy of predicted long-term emission values for regions with pronounced seasonal temperature fluctuations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modelling the Economic, Social and Environmental Components of Natural Resources for Sustainable Management)
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Review

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22 pages, 1253 KiB  
Review
Innovative Contract Solutions for the Provision of Agri-Environmental Climatic Public Goods: A Literature Review
by Matteo Olivieri, Maria Andreoli, Daniele Vergamini and Fabio Bartolini
Sustainability 2021, 13(12), 6936; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13126936 - 20 Jun 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3606
Abstract
Lack of public funding and environmental deterioration are promoting the search for innovative mechanisms enabling to boost farmers’ provision of agri-environmental climate public goods. This work aims to contribute to the current debate by highlighting the role of innovative contractual solutions through a [...] Read more.
Lack of public funding and environmental deterioration are promoting the search for innovative mechanisms enabling to boost farmers’ provision of agri-environmental climate public goods. This work aims to contribute to the current debate by highlighting the role of innovative contractual solutions through a systematic review of more than 60 articles. The review analyses the potential of result-based and collective contracts as innovative solutions compared to action-based instruments, which are those currently most used. The design of innovative contracts and other mechanisms, e.g., auction and screening contracts, can reduce the policy failures due to asymmetric information. The paper emphasises the trade-off between an accurate design of agri-environmental schemes and the related administrative burden, highlighting the need for a better understanding of the role of mechanisms design into the policy cycle. Some new instruments were not analysed in the review, due to the scarcity of literature, and there is the need of more case studies providing information on the effectiveness of instruments when implemented in different contexts. We fill the gap in empirical evidence through a SWOT analysis that evaluates the effectiveness and acceptability of innovative instruments for policy purposes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modelling the Economic, Social and Environmental Components of Natural Resources for Sustainable Management)
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