Article
Environmental Studies
Anna Massfeller, Manuela Meraner, Silke Huttel, Reinhard Uehleke
Summary: Results-based agri-environmental schemes aim to overcome reluctance to adopt other forms of AES in the EU. This study investigates the acceptance and intensity of participation in a hypothetical results-based AES among arable farmers. The findings suggest that cognitive factors are positively correlated with participation willingness, while perceived lack of control is the main obstacle. Policies can mitigate barriers by reducing bureaucratic burden and being transparent over costs and benefits.
Article
Agronomy
Akshi Bajaj, S. P. Singh, Diptimayee Nayak
Summary: The unregulated use of groundwater for irrigation has led to declining water tables since the extraction rate is more than its recharge. There is a potential of introducing an organised groundwater irrigation market in Western Uttar Pradesh, India, where informal groundwater trading for irrigation has been prevalent. The study evaluates farmers' willingness to pay for groundwater irrigation and the factors determining the same.
AGRICULTURAL WATER MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zhihao Zhang, Shichun Wang, Maxwell Good, Siyana Hristova, Andrew S. Kayser, Ming Hsu
Summary: The quality of decisions heavily relies on the generation of options, a core aspect often neglected in classical decision-making models. By developing a neurally inspired cognitive model, researchers generated highly accurate predictions of choice across different categories of goods, surpassing models that solely consider valuation or retrieval. The results confirm the interaction between semantic memory retrieval and valuation processes, providing a mechanistic account of decisions with self-generated options.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Economics
Samir Thapa, Mark Morrison, Kevin A. Parton
Summary: Despite the potential benefits, uptake of biogas plants in developing countries like Nepal has been limited. By providing carbon revenue, households are willing to pay more for biogas digesters, indicating that environmental income has the potential to increase adoption of biogas plants.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Gladys Chigamba, Moses Limuwa, Emmanuel Kaunda
Summary: This study identified key factors that influence people's willingness to pay for the conservation of aquatic resources, including education level, household usage of resources, community support, household income, and distance from the river ecosystem. Additionally, the study found that pay-out levels were driven by household usage of resources, length of stay in the area, and household income.
Article
Health Policy & Services
Mohammad Abu-Zaineh, Olivier Chanel, Khaled Makhloufi
Summary: This study proposes to address the issue of protest attitudes in estimating the demand for a health insurance scheme in Tunisia by conducting a contingent valuation survey, distinguishing genuine null values from protest values and correcting potential selection issues. The results support the presence of self-selection and enable the computation of the true sample mean willingness-to-pay.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Thermodynamics
Ikram Yusuf Yarbasi, Ali Kemal celik
Summary: Residential areas in Turkey have a significant role in electricity consumption. Accurately determining the electricity consumption demand can contribute to energy efficiency in the country. This study examines the electricity consumption demand in residential areas based on various socio-economic and building variables. The results show that annual disposable income, demographic variables, house characteristics, and the presence of electrical appliances significantly affect electricity consumption. Providing informative brochures and incentivizing renewable energy sources can enhance efficiency and contribute to the country's economy.
Article
Engineering, Civil
Vishnu Baburajan, Joao de Abreu e Silva, Francisco Camara Pereira
Summary: The research explores the use of topic modeling techniques to extract information from open-ended responses, compared to closed-ended responses, finding that open-ended responses yield better information extraction results, especially when combined with both unsupervised and supervised methods. Open-ended questions can be used to measure attitudes, while topic modeling can be used to extract information.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS
(2021)
Article
Economics
Mattias Boman
Summary: This paper reviews the literature on hypothetical bias and valuation uncertainty, focusing on measures of central tendency suitable for applied welfare analysis. The findings suggest that median hypothetical willingness to pay (WTP) can be considered as an estimator of mean true WTP. Therefore, when there is a lack of data on valuation uncertainty, researchers should consider using the sample hypothetical median as an estimator of population mean true WTP.
Article
Business
Felipe Vasquez-Lavin, Moises Carrasco, Manuel Barrientos, Stefan Gelcich, Roberto D. Ponce Oliva
Summary: The study shows that allowing respondents to choose the payment schedule can significantly reduce the implicit discount rate. Additionally, when using all available information from valuation questions to bound the willingness to pay distribution, the highest reductions in discount rates were observed.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Wan-Yu Liu, Yo-Zheng Lin, Chi-Ming Hsieh
Summary: This study evaluated the ecological value of Sinhua Forest Park using questionnaires and the contingent valuation method, finding that visitors were willing to pay an average of $22.01 per year, which rose to $24.58 when protest responses were excluded. It also analyzed the influence of participants' socioeconomic background on their willingness to pay for ecological conservation, discovering that factors such as gender, age, education level, and frequency of visiting green spaces significantly impacted the WTP score.
Article
Plant Sciences
Wan-Yu Liu, Yu-Chou Chuang
Summary: This study used the contingent valuation method (CVM) to assess the economic value of QWG, a thousand-year-old urban heritage tree in Taiwan, and analyzed the effect of protest responses. The results showed that excluding protest responses did not lead to significant sample selection bias, but the Tobit model underestimated the economic values of QWG.
URBAN FORESTRY & URBAN GREENING
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Weijing Luo, Chongxian Chen, Haiwei Li, Yongqi Hou, Yu Xia, Jingyi Liu, Longfeng Wu, Jing Yao
Summary: Recent evidence suggests that residential open space (ROS) has multiple health benefits for urban residents. However, there has been limited exploration of the general public's understanding and demand for these health benefits. This study examines the influence of residents' socioeconomic status and perceptions of landscape health benefits on their willingness to pay for ROS and evaluates the monetary value attributed to different residential landscape elements. The findings highlight the importance of perceived landscape health benefits and income in determining willingness to pay for ROS.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Health Policy & Services
Ziping Ye, Fuyao Liu, Jia Ma, Ziyang Zhou, Chen Wang, Lihua Sun
Summary: By comparing the payment card format and the open-ended format in eliciting the monetary value of a quality-adjusted life year, it was found that these two formats produced significantly different mean WTP values for various scenarios, but no significant difference was observed in the mean and median values across all scenarios. The open-ended format tended to elicit lower or higher values for different severity conditions, showing a certain level of effectiveness.
COST EFFECTIVENESS AND RESOURCE ALLOCATION
(2021)
Article
Economics
Sebastian Neumann-Boehme, Iryna Sabat, Carolin Brinkmann, Arthur E. Attema, Tom Stargardt, Jonas Schreyoegg, Werner Brouwer
Summary: Given the initial shortage of COVID-19 vaccines, many countries established priority lists for vaccination. We conducted a survey to determine the willingness to pay for immediate access to the vaccines. The results showed that most respondents were willing to pay for faster access, which is significant for future outbreaks and vaccination efforts.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Maria Martinez-Jauregui, Miguel Delibes-Mateos, Beatriz Arroyo, Mario Solitio
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Maria Martinez-Jauregui, Julia Touza, Piran C. L. White, Mario Solino
Summary: The study shows that the use of biodiversity indicators such as the area of land covered by conservation projects, the status of keystone ecosystem components, and the number of native species generally delivers more benefits to society. However, indicators related to invasive alien species and genetic diversity are less preferred and may not be as helpful in garnering public support.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Cynthia Salas-Garita, Mario Solino
Summary: This tool was designed for assessing the sustainability of managed natural forest units in Costa Rica, based on a set of economic, social, ecosystemic, and institutional conditions, using a hierarchical structure of principles, criteria and indicators. The ecosystemic dimension and attributes are essential for sustainability, while the institutional dimension is seen as a challenge for the evaluation of sustainability.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Jorge A. Valenciano-Salazar, Francisco J. Andre, Mario Solino
Summary: Consumers' awareness of environmental certifications is closely related to factors such as age, household income, education level, and participation in community groups, with consumers who are more aware being more willing to pay higher prices for certified coffee or products from certified companies.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
M. Montero-Botey, M. Solino, R. Perea, M. Martinez-Jauregui
Summary: Natural corridors are crucial for wildlife conservation, and the involvement of local communities is essential to ensure human-wildlife coexistence, especially in areas with elephants. Wildlife rangers play a key role in promoting coexistence and community awareness, as they have extensive experience in dealing with elephants and are closest to local communities. Their knowledge and preferences for strategies to enhance human-elephant coexistence can help in planning and implementing effective mitigation measures.
ANIMAL CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Maria Martinez-Jauregui, Mario Solino
Summary: This study quantifies a conflict related to population control of the Iberian ibex in the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park in Spain, where the design of management program plays a crucial role in the acceptance by surveyed population. Better ecological and health levels, as well as avoiding killing animals, increase the program's acceptance.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Jorge A. Valenciano-Salazar, Francisco J. Andre, Mario Solino
Summary: The study found that Costa Rican consumers are willing to pay a 30% price premium for environmental certifications like Carbon Neutral, Fairtrade, and ISO 14001. Factors such as household income, education level, and environmental activism increase the likelihood of consumers paying price premiums, with women being more willing to pay than men. The willingness to pay for the Carbon Neutral certification stands out among the three certifications.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Enrique Munoz-Ulecia, Alberto Bernues, Daniel Onde, Maurizio Ramanzin, Mario Solino, Enrico Sturaro, Daniel Martin-Collado
Summary: This study highlights the importance of ecosystem services provided by mountain agroecosystems and reveals different attitudinal dimensions among people regarding the agrifood system. Most respondents support increasing the delivery of ecosystem services, but disagreements may arise in the steps taken to achieve this increase.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Maria Montero Botey, Mario Solino, Ramon Perea, Maria Martinez-Jauregui
Summary: The study demonstrates how a choice experiment can be used to understand local farmers' preferences for farm-based measures to mitigate African elephant crop damage. The results show that farmers' preferences are influenced by their experience and socioeconomic situation, with significant differences among respondents in different areas. This methodology is applicable to other areas where wildlife competes with local communities for resources and can help identify stakeholders' preferences in each specific context.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Rosa Mato-Amboage, Julia Touza, Mario Solino
Summary: Plant pest and disease outbreaks cause catastrophic losses and threaten food security globally, a challenge that may be intensified by climate change. This study found that Spanish farmers have a weak demand for subsidized insurance schemes, preferring lower premiums and eligibility for ad hoc funds over purchasing insurance. The farmers also expressed a preference for expanding the risks covered by insurance and foresee insurance playing a role in providing biosecurity protection.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DISASTER RISK SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Development Studies
Dolores Agundez, Sitou Lawali, Ali Mahamane, Ricardo Alia, Mario Solino
Summary: This study investigates the management approaches and preferences of Nigerien farmers in different agroecological zones. The results highlight the willingness of farmers to improve natural resources and take actions for their conservation. The study emphasizes the importance of considering agroecological zones and socio-economic factors in designing agroforestry policies.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Maria Martinez-Jauregui, Miguel Delibes-Mateos, Beatriz Arroyo, Jenny Anne Glikman, Mario Solino
Summary: The EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 is based on a whole-of-society approach to biodiversity protection and aims to tackle the main drivers of biodiversity loss through commitments and actions. A survey conducted in six European countries revealed a common culture in wildlife management principles among citizens, regardless of rural or urban areas. The findings suggest that payments for environmental services, managing scarce species, prioritizing management in certain habitats, and focusing on protected areas are all acceptable and preferred methods for wildlife conservation.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Esther Descalzo, Pablo Ferreras, Maria Martinez-Jauregui, Mario Solino, Anne Glikman Jenny, Francisco Diaz-Ruiz, Miguel Delibes-Mateos
Summary: Public surveys are valuable in collecting information on wildlife distribution. This study used an online questionnaire to hunters to improve knowledge on the distribution and expanding areas of the Egyptian mongoose in central Spain. Comparisons between hunters' information and reports from wildlife professionals revealed a high overall congruence but also significant differences, suggesting that both sources provide unique data for non-game species management. The findings highlight the importance of engaging hunters in wildlife conservation efforts and utilizing their valuable information on non-hunted species.
JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Economics
L. Diaz-Balteiro, O. Alfranca, R. Voces, M. Solino
Summary: The demand for quality wild fungi has been increasing in recent years. However, modeling this demand is challenging due to the lack of precise data on their origin or value chain and the preferences of consumers. This study analyzed the influence of internet search engines on the demand for porcini mushrooms and found that searches improved the classic demand model and indicated an increase in demand over time. Additionally, there were no complementarity relationships or substitutions for other emblematic mushrooms or cultivated fungi.
FOREST POLICY AND ECONOMICS
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Dolores Agundez, Wubalem Tadesse, Tatek Dejene, Pablo Martin-Pinto, Mario Solino
Summary: This study investigates the preferences of mushroom producers in rural areas and urban consumers in supermarkets. The results suggest that farmers are willing to participate in sustainable programs with cash compensation through long-term contracts, while urban consumers are interested in purchasing Ethiopian wild mushrooms and sustainable mushroom production.
