Benefícios econômicos agregados às propriedades urbanas pelas paisagens naturais

Amenities value provided by green areas, sea, river and natural landscapes are hardly perceived and incorporated on urban planning and development. In this work, distance and view to protected and non-protected green areas, sea and river were evaluated as to how they increase the housing prices in Natal. Hedonic pricing methods were used with linear models to estimate the marginal implicit value of environmental, residential and neighborhood features. Results on Chapter 1 demonstrate the view to the sea and protected natural areas were largely capitalized on housing prices, while non-protected natural areas didn t display such effect. Housing prices also increase when close to the sea or to parks entrance. However, housing prices fall when houses are near non-protected natural areas. When estates with sea view were excluded, the protected natural areas view and a longer distance to non-protected natural areas increased dwelling prices. Results on Chapter 2 point the sea view as an hedonic variable the contributes strongly to the property selling prices, even though not always as the greatest contributor; furthermore, the property proximity to Dunas Park or City of the Park entrance increases its price, as does closeness to Dunas Park, view to City of the Park or Dunas Park. On the other hand, selling prices diminish if properties are close to City of the Park or Morro do Careca. Results on this study confirm the hedonic pricing methods is an important intrument, capable of revealing to popullation the importance of enviromental amenities and can be used by public managers for creating public policies for conservation and restoration projects

The use of contingent valuation for evaluating protected areas in the developing world: Economic valuation of Morro do Diabo State Park, Atlantic Rainforest, Sao Paulo State (Brazil)

The Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest is internationally recognised as one of the most biodiverse and threatened tropical forests in the world [Myers, N., Mittermeier, R.A., Mittermeier, C.G., da Fonseca, G.A.B., Kent, J., 2000. Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature 403, 853-858]. The Seasonal Semi-Deciduous Forest is among the most fragmented and threatened biomes of the Atlantic Rainforest Domain. The largest remnant of this biome (35,000 ha) is protected by the Morro do Diabo State Park (MDSP), situated in the area known as the Pontal do Paranapanema, in Sao Paulo State, Brazil. Despite its environmental importance, the park is under political, economic and demographic pressure. The main aim of our research was to estimate the population`s willingness to pay (WTP) for the conservation of MDSP and for the Atlantic Rainforest`s remnants in Sao Paulo State as a whole, by means of the contingent valuation method (CVM). The results featured a high incidence of null WTP and of protest votes. Nevertheless, the population is willing to pay US$ 2,113,548.00/year (R$ 7,080,385.00/year) for the conservation of the MDSP (use and existence values), or US$ 60.39 ha/year (R$ 202.30/ha/year). The results indicate that the preservation value is strongly associated to the population`s ability to pay, increasing with income levels. Qualitative research questions showed that the population considers protected areas to be very important. Still, the valuation of MDSP revealed a gap between the government budget allotted to the park and the value assigned to the area by the public. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Community based ecotourism as a panacea for protected areas: the use of common property theory in its analysis and development

Tourism is the worlds largest employer, accounting for 10% of jobs worldwide (WTO, 1999). There are over 30,000 protected areas around the world, covering about 10% of the land surface(IUCN, 2002). Protected area management is moving towards a more integrated form of management, which recognises the social and economic needs of the worlds finest areas and seeks to provide long term income streams and support social cohesion through active but sustainable use of resources. Ecotourism - 'responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well- being of local people' (The Ecotourism Society, 1991) - is often cited as a panacea for incorporating the principles of sustainable development in protected area management. However, few examples exist worldwide to substantiate this claim. In reality, ecotourism struggles to provide social and economic empowerment locally and fails to secure proper protection of the local and global environment. Current analysis of ecotourism provides a useful checklist of interconnected principles for more successful initiatives, but no overall framework of analysis or theory. This paper argues that applying common property theory to the application of ecotourism can help to establish more rigorous, multi-layered analysis that identifies the institutional demands of community based ecotourism (CBE). The paper draws on existing literature on ecotourism and several new case studies from developed and developing countries around the world. It focuses on the governance of CBE initiatives, particularly the interaction between local stakeholders and government and the role that third party non-governmental organisations can play in brokering appropriate institutional arrangements. The paper concludes by offering future research directions."

Determination of ecological efficiency in internal combustion engines: The use of biodiesel

This paper evaluates and quantifies the environmental impact from the use of some renewable fuels and fossils fuels in internal combustion engines. The following fuels are evaluated: gasoline blended with anhydrous ethyl alcohol (anhydrous ethanol), conventional diesel fuel, biodiesel in pure form and blended with diesel fuel, and natural gas. For the case of biodiesel, its complete life cycle and the closed carbon cycle (photosynthesis) were considered. The ecological efficiency concept depends on the environmental impact caused by CO(2), SO(2), NO(x) and particulate material (PM) emissions. The exhaust gases from internal combustion engines, in the case of the gasoline (blended with alcohol), biodiesel and biodiesel blended with conventional diesel, are the less polluting; on the other hand, the most polluting are those related to conventional diesel. They can cause serious problems to the environment because of their dangerous components for the human, animal and vegetable life. The resultant pollution of each one of the mentioned fuels are analyzed, considering separately CO(2), SO(2), NO(x) and particulate material (PM) emissions. As conclusion, it is possible to calculate an environmental factor that represents, qualitatively and quantitative, the emissions in internal combustion engines that are mostly used in urban transport. Biodiesel in pure form (B100) and blended with conventional diesel as fuel for engines pollute less than conventional diesel fuel. The ecological efficiency for pure biodiesel (B100) is 86.75%: for biodiesel blended with conventional diesel fuel (B20, 20% biodiesel and 80% diesel), it is 78.79%. Finally, the ecological efficiency for conventional diesel, when used in engines, is 77.34%; for gasoline, it is 82.52%, and for natural gas, it is 91.95%. All these figures considered a thermal efficiency of 30% for the internal combustion engine. Crown Copyright (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Environmental value, valuation methods, and natural disaster damage assessment

Includes bibliography

Technical report : Illinois natural areas inventory /

"Performed under contract to the Illinois Department of Conservation."

Cultural and natural areas of native North America,

Cover title.

Southeastern evergreen and oak-pine region ; inventory of natural areas and sites recommended as potential natural landmarks /

Mode of access: Internet.

A botanical survey of U.S. route 45 [FAP 332, section 31-1, 42-1], from Harrisburg to Eldorado [from IL route 13 to IL route 142], Saline County, Illinois, with emphasis on threatened and endangered plant species and natural areas /

Cover title.

Natural areas of Illinois /

Mode of access: Internet.

Natural areas programs, state reports : Fourteenth Annual Natural Areas Conference, 13-16 October 1987, Peoria, Illinois.

Cover title.

The Illinois natural areas plan to preserve and protect our heritage.

Cover title.

Preparing for the future : Forest Service research natural areas.

"FS-503."

Representativeness assessment of research natural areas on national forest system lands in Idaho /

"March 2000."

Beech-maple region : inventory of natural areas and sites recommended as potential natural landmarks /

Prepared under contract 14-10-9-990-186, Article II as revised 5 April 1970 with the U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National park Service.