ASSESSING NATURAL RESOURCE DAMAGES FOR COMMERCIALLY AND RECREATIONALLY HARVESTED POPULATIONS

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (1) ◽  
pp. 959-984
Author(s):  
Jeff Wakefield ◽  
Andrew N. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Human Behavior ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Population Projections ◽  
Anthropogenic Factors ◽  
Basic Premise ◽  
The Public ◽  
Demographic Rates ◽  
Baseline Demographic ◽  
Compensatory Restoration

Abstract Resource Equivalency Analysis (“REA”) is often used to “right-size” (scale) or calibrate compensatory restoration projects implemented as part of Natural Resource Damage Assessments (“NRDAs”) conducted pursuant to the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (“OPA”). The basic premise underlying REA is that, if a spill results in the loss of individual members of a population, the public can be compensated via a restoration project which creates individuals that otherwise would not exist. This is because the ecological services provided by a population are proportional to the number of individuals in the population. For example, one could compensate the public for spill-related mortality among shrimp by creating wetland terraces which, the literature suggests, would increase the number of shrimp in the population. REA answers the question, “How many wetland terraces need to be created?” Implicit in the REA construct is the dynamic nature of the population projections. Even with density dependence, population levels fluctuate according to both biological and anthropogenic factors that combine to influence survival, reproductive and growth rates. Thus, if NRDA practitioners are to reliably identify compensatory restoration requirements using REA, it is necessary to: characterize baseline demographic rates; develop a model that uses those baseline demographic rates to project future population levels; and identify the mechanisms that cause post-spill rates to change relative to baseline expectations. One factor that can cause post-spill demographic rates to vary is a spill-related change in human behavior. For example, if a spill-related fishing closure results in the cancelation of 15,000 recreational shrimping trips, shrimp mortality due to fishing will decrease. In this paper we use prior OPA NRDA cases to: review the historical treatment of spill-related closures in REA models used by both DOI/USFWS and NOAA; and illustrate that the REA practitioners’ approach to these spill-related changes in human behavior can (and should) change the NRDA liability construct, particularly with respect to species which are commercially and recreationally harvested.

The Cost of Certainty in Natural Resource Damage Assessment Under the Oil Pollution Act of 19901

2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 (1) ◽  
pp. 231-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Robert Greene
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resources ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Hedonic Price ◽  
The Public ◽  
Hedonic Price Models ◽  
Habitat Equivalency Analysis ◽  
Natural Resource Damage Assessment ◽  
Scaling Methods ◽  
The Cost

ABSTRACT Pursuant to the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90), natural resource trustees are empowered to seek recovery for damages to natural resources caused by discharges of oil and/or certain threats of discharges of oil. To determine the proper amount of damages, trustees undertake the process of “scaling,” which is an attempt to calculate the size of restoration actions that would be required to expedite recovery of injured natural resources to baseline and compensate the public for interim lost resources and services. Trustees utilize various scaling methods, including service-to-service methods, such as habitat equivalency analysis, and value-to-value methods, such as hedonic price models and contingent valuation. Regardless of the method chosen, however, the scaling is directly dependent on the level of injury caused by a spill. Disputes between trustees and those parties designated as responsible for the spill (responsible parties or RPs) often occur in determining the level of injury. In many cases, as a result of either these disputes or the trustees' desire to determine the precise level of injury, trustees undertake costly and time-consuming injury studies. These studies oftentimes are inefficient because the resulting gains in certainty often are achieved through disproportionately expensive studies relative to the resulting gains in restoration. In certain instances, attempts to achieve greater certainty can destroy an otherwise efficient and cooperative restoration effort and run contrary to the OPA 90 regulations. Such attempts also can lead to costly litigation for both the public and the RP involved. Lastly, attempts to achieve greater certainty during injury assessment can unnecessarily increase the scale of compensatory restoration because of delays in implementing restoration actions. Both trustees and RPs must recognize those instances in which achieving greater certainty leads to increased costs to both the public and the RP. In such situations, stipulating to certain injury assumptions can lead to overall net gains for both the public and the RP. These stipulations can be used to induce RPs to increase other aspects of the restoration, thereby increasing overall gains for the public at less cost to the RP.

scholarly journals Habitat and Resource Equivalency Analysis: 30 Years of Lessons Learned and a Look to the Future

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Wakefield ◽  
Theodore Tomasi ◽  
Angeline Morrow ◽  
Christopher Pfeifer ◽  
Heath Byrd
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resource ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
The Public ◽  
Habitat Equivalency Analysis ◽  
Natural Resource Damage Assessment ◽  
Creative Solutions ◽  
The Future ◽  
Technical Basis

ABSTRACT Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA) is a process used to determine the amount of compensation due to the public for natural resource injuries arising from oil spills. Two models, Resource Equivalency Analysis (REA) and Habitat Equivalency Analysis (HEA), are used in essentially all OPA NRDAs to compute compensatory restoration requirements. REA is applied when members of wildlife populations are injured: usually mortality or a loss of reproduction among a species of bird, turtle, marine mammal, or fish. HEA is used when habitats are injured: usually oiling of beaches, wetlands, or sediments. The models are often implemented in a cooperative setting with input from both the Responsible Party and the Trustees. In this setting the models provide a structure for organizing negotiations and identifying the types of agreements that need to be reached before restoration can be identified and “right sized.” The models also have a technical basis in economic theory that is fully justified, but only in particular, limited circumstances. This technical basis is the only means of assuring the Trustees, RPs, and stakeholders that the NRDA process has identified an appropriate level of compensation. When the circumstances of a spill do not approximate those in which HEA and REA are defensible, creative solutions are needed to adjust the models to the circumstances of the case if they are to provide a convincing basis for scaling restoration and reaching resolution. This paper identifies the circumstances under which REA and HEA are fully defensible as well as 35 years of evolving adjustments designed to make them “work” when applied to real-world cases they do not quite fit. We also look to the future and how climate change may alter restoration scaling.

NET ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS ANALYSIS TO EVALUATE MITIGATION ALTERNATIVES FOR A PIPELINE SITING

2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 (2) ◽  
pp. 983-986 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Jo Kealy ◽  
Mark L. Rockel ◽  
Joseph P. Nicolette
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Forested Wetland ◽  
Environmental Benefit ◽  
Habitat Equivalency Analysis ◽  
Alternative Measures ◽  
Compensatory Restoration

ABSTRACT A net environmental benefits analysis (NEBA) approach offers a powerful set of tools for rigorously evaluating and comparing the natural resource benefits of alternative mitigation, restoration, enhancement, and preservation actions for compensating for natural resource damages, site remediation and pipeline-siting projects, for example. Combining the results of the NEBA with an assessment of the costs of the alternative measures shows which alternative(s) achieve a net environmental benefit at least cost. NEBA uses environmental or monetary metrics to measure the change in the value of ecological services from the site under alternative actions compared to the baseline condition. This presentation describes a NEBA application to a pipeline-siting project. The approach is equivalent to evaluating compensatory restoration as part of a natural resource damage assessment (NRDA) under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90). For example, under NRDA, a habitat equivalency analysis (HEA) model almost always is used in a two-sided NEBA, which sums the negative environmental benefits—interim losses—that result from the oil spill injury on the debit side and compares to the sum of the positive environmental benefits due to the compensatory restoration actions on the credit side. Most reports prepared as part of NRDAs are confidential. However, the NEBA used in the present pipeline-siting example is equivalent to how it has been applied in NRDA applications including two oil spills involving pipelines, the Colonial Pipeline Sugarland Run NRDA and the Colonial/Texaco Pipeline San Jacinto River Oil Spill. The present pipeline-siting example uses NEBA to determine the quantity of quality-adjusted acres of forested wetland that are needed to offset a loss in forested wetland acreage because of the construction and operation of the proposed pipeline.

CONJOINT ANALYSIS: A TECHNIQUE FOR DETERMINING COMPENSATORY RESTORATION

1997 ◽  
Vol 1997 (1) ◽  
pp. 1018-1019
Author(s):  
Richard W. Dunford ◽  
Kristy E. Mathews ◽  
F. Reed Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Conjoint Analysis ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
New Technique ◽  
The Public ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Compensatory Restoration

ABSTRACT Conjoint analysis is a survey-based technique for determining the public's preferences for the attributes of goods and services in a tradeoff context. Conjoint analysis can be used in natural resource damage assessments to determine compensatory restoration (i.e., the increase in natural resource services that the public considers equivalent to the services forgone as a result of an oil spill). Our poster describes conjoint analysis and discusses its advantages and disadvantages relative to other approaches for determining compensatory restoration. We believe that this new technique, when carefully applied, offers significant promise in natural resource damage assessments.

Sobre la función de los montes y su planificación

2014 ◽  
pp. 1833-1841
Author(s):  
Mikel Mari KARRERA EGIALDE
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resource ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Forest Policy ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
The Public ◽  
Sustainability Criteria ◽  
Territorial Planning ◽  
The Future

LABURPENA: Gaur egun, mendien kudeaketa eta baso-politika ingurumeneko eta jasangarritasuneko irizpideetan oinarritzen dira, eta lurraldeko baliabide natural nagusiaren aprobetxamenduari buruzko erabakiak bideratzen dituzte. Hori dela-eta, lurralde-antolamendu ororen markoan, nekazaritzaren, basogintzaren eta abeltzaintzaren arloan jarduten duten eragile publiko eta pribatu guztiek egindako plangintza oinarrizkoa izango da hurrengoa bermatzeko: egun mendia behar bezala aprobetxatuz etorkizuneko belaunaldiei balio sozial eta ekonomiko bera transmititzen dien kudeaketa. RESUMEN: La gestión de los montes y la política forestal se fundamentan, actualmente, en criterios medioambientales y de sostenibilidad que dirigen las decisiones sobre el aprovechamiento del principal recurso natural del territorio. Por ello, en el marco de toda ordenación territorial, la planificación mediante la participación de todos los agentes públicos y privados que operan en el ámbito agrosilvopastoral se erige en instrumento esencial de las orientaciones garantizadoras de una gestión que, aprovechando óptimamente el monte en el presente, transmita ese mismo valor social y económico a las futuras generaciones. ABSTRACT: The management of forests and the forest policy are presently based on enviromental and sustainability criteria which are addressed to the decisions regarding the exploitation of the main natural resource of the territory. Because of it, in the framework of the whole territorial planning, the planning by the participation of all the public and private agents that operate within the agrarian, forest and herding field becomes an essential instrument of the guidelines that guaratee the management which using ideally the forest nowadays give that same social and economic value to the future generations.

Subject of Economic Science

2015 ◽  
pp. 115-120
Author(s):  
D. Egorov
Keyword(s):  
Human Behavior ◽  
Classical Theory ◽  
Adam Smith ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Economic Science ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Consciousness ◽  
Wealth Of Nations ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Relationship

Adam Smith defined economics as “the science of the nature and causes of the wealth of nations” (implicitly appealing – in reference to the “wealth” – to the “value”). Neo-classical theory views it as a science “which studies human behavior in terms of the relationship between the objectives and the limited funds that may have a different use of”. The main reason that turns the neo-classical theory (that serves as the now prevailing economic mainstream) into a tool for manipulation of the public consciousness is the lack of measure (elimination of the “value”). Even though the neo-classical definition of the subject of economics does not contain an explicit rejection of objective measures the reference to “human behavior” inevitably implies methodological subjectivism. This makes it necessary to adopt a principle of equilibrium: if you can not objectively (using a solid measurement) compare different states of the system, we can only postulate the existence of an equilibrium point to which the system tends. Neo-classical postulate of equilibrium can not explain the situation non-equilibrium. As a result, the neo-classical theory fails in matching microeconomics to macroeconomics. Moreover, a denial of the category “value” serves as a theoretical basis and an ideological prerequisite of now flourishing manipulative financial technologies. The author believes in the following two principal definitions: (1) economics is a science that studies the economic system, i.e. a system that creates and recombines value; (2) value is a measure of cost of the object. In our opinion, the value is the information cost measure. It should be added that a disclosure of the nature of this category is not an obligatory prerequisite of its introduction: methodologically, it is quite correct to postulate it a priori. The author concludes that the proposed definitions open the way not only to solve the problem of the measurement in economics, but also to address the issue of harmonizing macro- and microeconomics.

A New Vigilance: Identifying and Reducing the Risks of Environmental Terrorism

2002 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth L. Chalecki
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Environmental Degradation ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Resource Base ◽  
Proximate Cause ◽  
The Public ◽  
The World ◽  
Political Controversy ◽  
Previous Decade ◽  
Distribution Of Resources

Terrorism is a constant and fearful phenomenon, as America has learned to its recent and terrible cost, and like the nine-headed hydra of ancient mythology, as soon as one group or method is terminated, more spring up to take its place. Environmental terrorism adds a new dimension to this phenomenon, identifying the target as a natural resource or environmental feature. At a time when populations all over the world are increasing, the existing resource base is being stretched to provide for more people, and is being consumed at a faster rate. As the value and vulnerability ofthese resources increases, so does their attractive ness as terrorist targets. History shows that access to resources has been a proximate cause of conflict, resources have been both tools and targets of conflict, and environmental degradation and disparity in the distribution of resources can cause major political controversy, tension, and violence. The purposeful destruction of a natural resource can now cause more deaths, property damage, political chaos, and other adverse effects than it would have in any previous decade. The choice of environmental resources as targets or tools ofterrorism is consistent with both the increasing lethality ofterrorism and the growing envi ronmental awareness on the part of the public.

Human Psychomotor Performance Under the Exposure to Mobile Phones-Like Electromagnetic Fields

2019 ◽  
pp. 923-936
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Curcio
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Electromagnetic Fields ◽  
Human Behavior ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
The Public ◽  
Human Volunteers ◽  
Biologic Effects ◽  
Sham Exposure ◽  
Ionizing Radiations

The first studies on humans addressing cognitive functioning changes as a consequence of radiofrequency (RF) EMFs exposure date back to almost 20 years ago. The effects on human behavior showed in those pioneering works indicated an improvement of performance under the exposure to the signal, compared with sham exposure. These first and striking results were not fully replicated by subsequent studies that were characterized by a more methodological robustness and attention to exposure aspects. In accordance with this view, latest reviews and metanalyses have confirmed the paucity of evidence and the lack of reliability of psychomotor and cognitive effects of acute RF EMF exposure on human volunteers, particularly when assessed in well controlled laboratory settings. Thus, despite the public opinion about potential biologic effects of acute RF EMFs irradiation, it can be concluded that to date there is substantial lack of evidence about a negative influence of non-ionizing radiations on cognitive functioning in humans.

scholarly journals Erosi Pantai, Ekosistem Hutan Bakau dan Adaptasi Masyarakat Terhadap Bencana Kerusakan Pantai Di negara Tropis (Coastal Erosion, Mangrove Ecosystems and Community Adaptation to Coastal Disasters in Tropical Countries)

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Aji Ali Akbar ◽  
Junun Sartohadi ◽  
Tjut Sugandawaty Djohan ◽  
Su Ritohardoyo
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resources ◽  
Human Behavior ◽  
Coastal Erosion ◽  
Mangrove Ecosystem ◽  
Sand Mining ◽  
The Public ◽  
Community Adaptation ◽  
Public Facilities ◽  
Mangrove Ecosystems ◽  
The Government

ABSTRAK Tulisan ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji terjadinya kerusakan lingkungan pantai di negara tropis dan sebagian negara subtropis akibat perilaku manusia. Perilaku manusia yang menyebabkan kerusakan lingkungan adalah memanfaatkan sumberdaya alam pesisir tanpa memperhatikan keberlanjutan sumber daya alam dan daya dukung lingkungannya. Kerusakan lingkungan pantai yang umum terjadi di negara tropis dan sebagian subtropis adalah erosi pantai dan degradasi ekosistem hutan bakau. Kerusakan lingkungan pantai ini akibat alih fungsi lahan menjadi jaringan jalan, permukiman, lahan pertanian/ perkebunan, pertambakan, dan pertambangan pasir. Kerusakan lingkungan pantai mempengaruhi kondisi sosial ekonomi masyarakat setempat seperti hilangnya badan jalan, permukiman, lahan pertanian, dan fasilitas umum akibat abrasi pantai. Upaya penanggulangan kerusakan lingkungan pantai sebagai bagian dari adaptasi manusia mempertahankan kehidupannya berupa pembangunan pemecah gelombang (breakwaters) dan rehabilitasi ekosistem hutan bakau. Upaya penanggulangan bencana tersebut tentunya membutuhkan biaya yang besar dan waktu lama daripada upaya pencegahan. Oleh karena itu, perubahan pola pikir baik pemerintah dan masyarakat dalam memanfaatkan, mengelola dan melestarikan sumber daya alam perlu ditingkatkan melalui perbaikan informasi, ilmu pengetahuan, dan strategi perencanaan yang holistik.Kata kunci: erosi pantai, kerusakan ekosistem hutan bakau, alih fungsi lahan, pemecah gelombang, rehabilitasiABSTRACTThis paper aims to assess the coastal degradation in tropical and subtropical countries in part due to human behavior. Human behavior is causing coastal degradation is to utilize natural resources without regard to the sustainability of coastal natural resources and the carrying capacity of the environment. Degradation of coastal common in most tropical and subtropical countries are coastal erosion and degradation of mangrove ecosystems. This coastal degradation as a result of land conversion into roads, settlements, agricultural/ plantation, aquaculture, and sand mining. Coastal degradation affects the socio-economic conditions of local communities such as loss roads, settlements, land and public facilities as a result of coastal erosion. Efforts to cope to the coastal degradation as part of human adaptation to sustain life in the form of construction of breakwaters and rehabilitation of mangrove ecosystems. The disaster relief certainly require a plenty of cost and time than prevention. Therefore, changes in the mindset of both the government and the public in using, managing and conserving natural resources should be increased through improvement of information, knowledge, and holistic planning strategies.Keywords: coastal erosion, mangrove ecosystem degradation, land use, breakwaters, rehabilitationCara sitasi: Akbar,A.,A., Sartohadi., J., Djohan, T.S. and Ritohardoyo, S. (2017). Erosi Pantai, Ekosistem Hutan Bakau dan Adaptasi Masyarakat Terhadap Bencana Kerusakan Pantai Di negara Tropis. Jurnal Ilmu Lingkungan,15(1),1-10, doi:10.14710/jil.15.1.1-10

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