Pankaj Lal

Economics of intercropping loblolly pine and switchgrass for bioenergy markets in the southeastern United States

The main objective of this study was to assess the economics of alley cropping of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) in the southern United States. Assuming a price range of switchgrass between

Evaluation of the role of risk perception in stakeholder engagement to prevent lead exposure in an urban setting.

15 and

Modelling the impacts of bioenergy markets on the forest industry in the southern United States

50xa0Mg−1 and yield of 12xa0Mgxa0ha−1 year−1, we investigated the effect of switchgrass production on the optimal forest management for loblolly pine stands under different stumpage prices. We considered the following potential scenarios: no competition between species for resources; reduced loblolly pine productivity due to competition with switchgrass; and reduced productivity of both species due to competition for nutrients, water and light. Findings also suggested that the optimal system would depend on the competitive interactions between switchgrass and loblolly pine crops, and the expected prices for each crop. Loblolly pine monoculture would be the most profitable option for landowners compared to intercropping systems with switchgrass below

Financing the sustainable management of Rwanda's protected areas

30xa0Mg−1. However, when switchgrass prices are ≥

Valuing visitor access to forested areas and exploring willingness to pay for forest conservation and restoration finance: The case of small island developing state of Mauritius

30xa0Mg−1, landowners would be financially better off adopting intercropping if competitive interaction between crops were minimal. In order to realize higher economic returns for intercropping system, forest landowners must make some efforts in order to diminish the decline of productivity.

Delhi Metro Rail Travel Behavior Analysis: Impact of Individual and Trip Characteristics

Stakeholder engagement is a vital sustainable remediation practice for obtaining useful feedback and identifying societal needs. Evaluating and integrating risk perception of stakeholders into remediation and outreach efforts allows for greater insight, increases the likelihood of success and ultimately, benefits the community by protecting its members from environmental hazards. In this study, we identified risk perception factors that influenced residents level of concern for mitigating their exposure to elevated concentrations of lead in household paint and historic fill material. Risk perception factors were assessed by an in-person survey conducted in public green spaces. The analysis of survey participants responses indicated that their perception of risk to exposed lead was mostly influenced by the presence of hazardous materials in close proximity to their residence, the ability to address pollution, and awareness, interest, and individual accountability in mitigating environmental risks. Responses also revealed that residents considered risk of lead and soil pollution as less menacing than the presence of more immediate and perceptible risks posed by factors such as air and water pollution. In addition, the community seemed to exhibit optimism bias and did not identify itself at high risk to susceptible and immediate hazards, including lead exposure. This lack of concern over lead exposure created a significant obstacle to community participation in state-led education and outreach programs. By integrating risk perception analysis and increasing stakeholder engagement, we can bring more attention to this issue, educate the public about the threat of lead pollution, and efficiently use financial resources to implement a more sustainable solution.

Soil and water conservation using the socioeconomics, sustainability concerns, and policy preference for residual biomass harvest

The main objective of this article was to analyse the impacts of emerging bioenergy markets on traditional forest product sector markets in the USA. An econometric model was developed to obtain the equilibrium estimates for the bioenergy and traditional forest markets. The results from the econometric model, using data-set for the state of Florida, suggested that biomass for bioenergy and pulpwood and biomass for bioenergy and sawtimber act as substitutes while sawtimber and pulpwood act as complements to each other. A price subsidy policy scenario was considered to simulate a 30% increase in the demand for biomass for bioenergy. The simulation results suggested that inclusion of this policy scenario might generate additional benefits to forest landowners and bioenergy sector, while sawmill and pulpmill sectors might face adverse financial impacts.

Economics of carbon sequestration under fluctuating economic environment, forest management and technological changes: An application to forest stands in the southern United States

ABSTRACT Rwandas Nyungwe National Park is a biodiversity hotspot with the most endemic species in the ecoregion and the highest number of threatened species internationally. Nyungwe supplies critical ecosystem services to the Rwandan population including water provisioning and tourism services. Tourism in the Park has strong potential for financing enhanced visitor experiences and the sustainable management of the Park. This paper explores quantitatively the economic impacts of adjustment in Park visitation fees and tourism demand as a source of revenues to improve Park tourism opportunities and ongoing operations and maintenance. The methods developed in this paper are novel in integrating the results of stated preference techniques with a regional computable general equilibrium modelling approach to capture multisectoral, direct, indirect and induced impacts. Such methods have strong potential for assessing revenue generation alternatives in other contexts where park managers are faced with the need to generate additional revenue for sustainable park management while facing diminishing budget allocations. Results of this analysis demonstrate that adjustment of Park fees has a relatively small impact on the regional economy and well-being when compared with a strategy aimed at generating increased tourism demand through investment in improving the visitor experience at Nyungwe National Park.

Quantifying Global Impacts to Society from the Consumption of Natural Resources during Environmental Remediation Activities

Small island developing states share as common constraints their small size, geographical dispersion, greater vulnerability to rapid and drastic environmental change, and limited administrative and technical resources. Within these, they have to cater for urban and agricultural areas, as well as enough natural landscape for ecosystem services. Funding for conservation of forest ecosystems on these islands has received relatively less attention and national park systems are chronically underfunded. We used Mauritius as a case study to investigate the willingness to pay for conservation of state and privately owned forests. It is part of a biodiversity hotspot with highly threatened forest ecosystems, but has known some conservation successes. We designed and administered survey based contingent valuation approach to estimate the willingness to pay entry fees to visit forest areas across the island. Study results suggest international and domestic tourists have a mean willingness to pay of USD 7.73 and USD 3.74 respectively, for conservation. These values represent amounts visitors are willing to pay every time they visit a public or private forested site. Results show that mid-level supervisory roles positively influence willingness to pay values. Results also show that people aged 50 and above, not having any supervisory role, married with one child or less, tend to have lower willingness to pay for conservation.

Modeling nonindustrial private forest landowner behavior in face of woody bioenergy markets

Mass rapid transit systems (MRTS) in cities can potentially reduce congestion, decrease energy consumption, improve air quality, and contribute toward job creation and development. Rail transit, even though with lower flexibility and higher capital and operating costs than bus transit, has gathered support from the public and policymakers for its high capacity, environmental benefit, comfort, and security. However, for an improved understanding of rail riders, it is necessary to explore individual, household, and trip characteristics that affect the travel behavior to rail stations. This study analyzes the effects of rider characteristics on the mode choice using a multinomial logit model. The study found that certain factors that attributed to the increased share of walking to reach stations relative to other transit modes were commuters who belonged to low-income households and who were traveling to school, or college, whose total trip distance was not too large, and those who had Master’s degree or higher level qualification. Females are more likely to use an auto- or cycle-rickshaw to reach the metro station. Students are more likely to be dropped off. Bus availability showed that riders who have a direct bus connection were more likely to use the bus. Private vehicle ownership and availability was strongly associated with increased probability of using non-walk modes when connecting to metro rail. The study results provide important information for the use of geographers, urban planners, and transportation policymakers that can be used to facilitate rider-oriented transport development.