Veronica Dujon

Valuing ecological systems and services

Making trade-offs between ecological services and other contributors to human well-being is a difficult but critical process that requires valuation. This allows both better recognition of the ecological, social, and economic trade-offs and also allows us to bill those who use up or destroy ecological services and reward those that produce or enhance them. It also aids improved ecosystems policy. In this paper we clarify some of the controversies in defining the contributions to human well-being from functioning ecosystems, many of which people are not even aware of. We go on to describe the applicability of the various valuation methods that can be used in estimating the benefits of ecosystem services. Finally, we describe some recent case studies and lay out the research agenda for ecosystem services analysis, modeling, and valuation going forward.

Transport and health: a look at three Latin American cities

Transport is associated with environmental problems, economic losses, health and social inequalities. A number of European and US cities have implemented initiatives to promote multimodal modes of transport. In Latin America changes are occurring in public transport systems and a number of projects aimed at stimulating non-motorized modes of transport (walking and cycling) have already been implemented. Based on articles from peer-reviewed academic journals, this paper examines experiences in Bogotá (Colombia), Curitiba (Brazil), and Santiago (Chile), and identifies how changes to the transport system contribute to encourage active transportation. Bus rapid transit, ciclovias, bike paths/lanes, and car use restriction are initiatives that contribute to promoting active transportation in these cities. Few studies have been carried out on the relationship between transport and physical activity. Car ownership continues to increase. The public health sector needs to be a stronger activist in the transport policy decision-making process to incorporate health issues into the transport agenda in Latin America.

Communal property and land markets: Agricultural development policy in St. Lucia

Abstract Communal land tenure in St. Lucia was targeted for privatization in 1986 on the premise that its undercapitalization and low productivity could be corrected by establishing an efficient land market. This article takes the neoclassical analysis which was used to support this policy to task. With empirical evidence from St. Lucia, it argues that the inefficiencies attributed to communal land only are not justified. Many of these inefficiencies are, in fact, also shared with freehold tenure. In addition, family land performs socioeconomic functions that cannot be achieved with freehold tenure and fulfills a critical function in the development process.

Local Actors, Nation States, and Their Global Environment: Conceptualizing Successful Resistance to the Anti-Social Impacts of Globalization

Nation-states are faced with multiple contradictions as they mediate the insertion of their domestic economies into the global economy. Drawing on a case study from the Caribbean country of St. Lucia, this paper explores how local community resources may infl uence the terms of their integration in the global economy. It is argued that socially embedded economic institutions that are typically neglected in discussions of economic development are in some ways better suited to the task of infl uencing the terms of globalization than state policy-making.

Transporte e saúde: um olhar sobre três cidades latino-americanas

O transporte esta associado a problemas ambientais, perdas economicas, de saude da populacao e as desigualdades sociais. Em cidades da Europa e da America existem esforcos para promover o transporte multimodal. Na America Latina, ha projetos em andamento para mudar os sistemas de transporte e incentivar o transporte nao motorizado (caminhar e andar de bicicleta). Com base em uma revisao de artigos publicados em revistas academicas identificou-se como as mudancas no transporte contribuiram para promover o transporte ativo em Bogota (Colombia), Curitiba (Brasil) e Santiago (Chile). Apesar de que nestas tres cidades se estejam implementando iniciativas para promover o transporte ativo (sistema de onibus articulado, ciclovias, pistas de ciclismo e restricoes ao uso do automovel particular), poucos estudos tem sido desenvolvidos sobre a relacao entre transporte e atividade fisica utilitaria. O uso de carro particular continua aumentando. O setor da saude tem de ser um ativista forte para incorporar a saude publica na agenda de transportes na America Latina.