Between Conservation and Development: Concretizing the First World Natural Heritage Site in the Alps Through Participatory Processes

This article presents an empirical interdisciplinary study of an extensive participatory process that was carried out in 2004 in the recently established World Natural Heritage Site “Jungfrau–Aletsch– Bietschhorn” in the Swiss Alps. The study used qualitative and quantitative empirical methods of social science to address the question of success factors in establishing and concretizing a World Heritage Site. Current international scientific and policy debates agree that the most important success factors in defining pathways for nature conservation and protection are: linking development and conservation, involving multiple stakeholders, and applying participatory approaches. The results of the study indicate that linking development and conservation implies the need to extend the reach of negotiations beyond the area of conservation, and to develop both a regional perspective and a focus on sustainable regional development. In the process, regional and local stakeholders are less concerned with defining sustainability goals than elaborating strategies of sustainability, in particular defining the respective roles of the core sectors of society and economy. However, the study results also show that conflicting visions and perceptions of nature and landscape are important underlying currents in such negotiations. They differ significantly between various stakeholder categories and are an important cause of conflicts occurring at various stages of the participatory process.

Contractual Difficulties in Environmental Management and the Protection of Biodiversity: The Case of Conservation and Mitigation Banking

This paper offers a principal-agent model of feasible private contracting in mitigation and conservation banking aimed at the protection of natural habitat and bio-diversity of US wetlands and uplands. It is shown that while it is straightforward to design an incentive contract, such a contract may not achieve the federally mandated objective of no net loss of habitat. This is because the minimum payment required as an economic incentive to private agents may be greater than what they should receive for the habitat values that they actually created in the field. This possible problem is shown to derive from nonconvexity in the production possibility set between the biological value of land as natural habitat and in non-habitat uses such as in urban development. The paper concludes with a consideration of several institutional devises that may promote the convergence of private contracting and the attainment of no net loss. These include the payment of subsidies, greater accuracy in the identification of actual quality by the principal, and the use of several incentive alignment devises.

Land subdivision in New Jersey, its extent, quality, and regulation.

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Complete army and navy register of the United States of America, from 1776 to 1887 : containing the names of all officers of the army and navy ; together with the volunteer general staff, during the war with Mexico, and a register of all appointments by the President in the volunteer service during the rebellion ; also, a military history of the Department of War and of each staff department of the army /

Mode of access: Internet.

Southeastern New England study of water and related land resources; plan of study.

Mode of access: Internet.

Annual report of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to the Congress of the United States on services provided to handicapped children in Project Head Start.

Title from cover.

Energy related inventions program : a joint program of the Department of Energy and the National Bureau of Standards : status report.

"October 1985."

The birds of New Jersey.

Mode of access: Internet.

The milk supply of the New Jersey portion of the New York metropolitan area (containing some comments upon its utilization). A preliminary release made for the information of cooperating dealers

Mode of access: Internet.

Publications of the Michigan Geological Survey, Department of Conservation : for sale.

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Department of Fish and Game, Sacramento, California; report on survey. Report to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee.

Mode of access: Internet.

Biennial report of the Department of fish and game.

Mode of access: Internet.

A strategic plan for the Illinois Department of Conservation /

"October 1993."

Conservation C.O.N.G.R.E.S.S. : Department of Conservation analysis of recommendations.

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