António C. Pinheiro

Forest property insurance: an application to Portuguese woodlands

Fire is the biggest forest hazard, especially in Mediterranean climate countries, leading to desertification and collapse (Naveh, 2007). Wildfire is among the most dramatic threats to forests (Goldammer, 2004). In many countries, it is not easy to find companies that want to insure forests stands. This can be explained by the following reasons. Firstly, in many countries, forest insurance is not mandatory; so many farmers do not make it. Secondly, insurance companies need to have models based on desegregated and reliable data to estimate the probability of fire occurrences. Finally, it is very difficult for the insurer to estimate the real value of the stands because their values vary with the species, the stand age and market prices. The main objective of this paper is to present simple models that help to estimate ‘fair’ insurance risk premiums, contributing, in this way, to make forest business more appealing and sustainable.

Distorted agricultural prices cause hunger and resources dilapidation

The main objective of this paper is to present facts and arguments trying to prove that price distortion has been the main reason for the dilapidation of human and physical resources all over the world. In some countries, farmers sell their products at prices below their real cost. In these countries, most often, family labour and equipment depreciation are not accounted as real costs. The expected increase in world population will demand for levels of production much higher than those that are been produced. So, if we want to feed the world in a sustainable way, maintaining the production potential of human and natural resources, a new set of trade and rural development policies have to be implemented across the world, based on regional common markets. To promote these policies, regional organisations (that include several countries) and a new international trade organisation must be created.

Valor económico do solo: perspectivas pública e privada

Having in mind that the majority of human beings do not take consciousness how fundamental soil is for their survival, nor how men action can lead to soil dilapidation, this works tries to call attention for its real value. Concisely, the main objectives of this paper are: to show clearly the most relevant soil functions; to analyzehow soil management can influence positive or negatively soil capacity of production; to present a methodology for private soil assessment , making clear that privates valuate almost exclusively the soil capacity to produce market goods and services; to stress that many goods and services have global public effects; to emphasize that society ought to recognize soil multifunctionality and must try to impute some value to all those goods and services although some of them have no market value, at present. The paper concludes that: (1) without productive soil life on earth, as we know it, would be impossible; (2) although it is almost impossible to assess the real value of all goods and services produced by the soil, it is of great importance to develop appropriate methodologies to do so, in order to improve cost-benefit analysis helping to take correct decisions regarding the sustainable use of the soil.