Commercial shrimpers in the Mississippi Sound frequently encounter marine debris in their nets, which results in loss of time, loss of catch, and added repair costs. Yet, the spatial and temporal distribution of this marine debris and the economic impact faced by shrimpers in the Mississippi Sound is not well known. This study measured the quantity and economic impact of marine debris by surveying 20 commercial shrimpers. Participants logged marine debris encounters, fishing data, and damage to fishing gear during the July 2020 through December 2020 shrimping season. It was found that shrimpers encounter marine debris 19% of all tows, and the majority of all marine debris encountered by shrimpers (79%) was derelict crab traps. Additionally, 10% of all tows reported direct impacts.

State Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs are often called on to demonstrate their impacts. While many studies demonstrate techniques for assessing various economic and environmental effects of IPM, the literature provides little guidance on incorporating the techniques to perform complete assessments of IPM programs. This thesis begins with a discussion of relevant economic and environmental techniques for IPM impact assessment. Next, impact assessment techniques that are widely accepted and analytically feasible are identified. These techniques are incorporated into comprehensive impact assessment frameworks for use by individuals charged with the assessment of state level IPM programs. The study concludes with case studies which show how the assessment protocols were applied to estimate and describe the impacts of the Pennsylvania and Massachusetts sweet corn IPM programs. / Master of Science

Drought is one of the most severe natural disasters and detrimentally impacts water resources, agricultural production, the environment, and the economy. Climate change is expected to influence the frequency and severity of extreme droughts. This dissertation evaluates drought conditions using a variety of hydrologic modeling approaches include short-term drought forecasting, long-term drought projection, and a coupled surface-groundwater dynamic drought assessment. The economic impacts of drought are also explored through a linked economic impact model. Study results highlight the need for various drought assessment approaches and provide insights into the array of tools and techniques that can be employed to generate decision-support tools for drought mitigation plans and water resource allocation. For short-term drought forecasting, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) models are used with a meteorological forecasting dataset. Results indicate that eight weeks of lead-time drought forecasting show good drought predictability for the Contiguous United States (CONUS). For the drought projection at a finer scale, both SWAT and VIC models are applied with Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) climate model outputs to derive multiple drought indices for the Chesapeake Bay watershed and five river basins in Virginia. The results indicate that current climate change projections will lead to increased drought in the entire Chesapeake Bay watershed and Virginia river basins because of increases in the sum of evapotranspiration, and surface and groundwater discharge. The impacts of climate change on future agricultural droughts and associated economy-wide implications are then evaluated using the VIC and IMPLAN (IMpact analysis for PLANning) model for the several congressional districts in Virginia. The result indicated that increases in agricultural drought in the future would lead to decreases in agricultural productions and job losses. Finally, a coupled framework using the VIC and MODFLOW models is implemented for the Chesapeake Bay and the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system, and the results of a drought index that incorporates groundwater conditions performs better for some drought periods. Hydrologic modeling framework with multiple hydrologic models and various scales can provide a better understanding of drought assessments because the comparisons and contrasts of diverse methods are available. / PHD / Drought is one of the most severe natural hazards and negatively impacts the water resources, agricultural production, the environment, and the economy. Climate change influences the frequency and severity of extreme droughts. This dissertation assesses drought conditions using various hydrologic-modeling methods, which are drought forecasting, climate change impacts on drought, economic influences of droughts, and a coupled model approach. Study results highlight the need for various drought evaluation techniques that can generate decision-support tools for drought mitigation plans and water resource management. For short-term drought forecasting, two hydrologic models are used with a meteorological forecasting dataset. Results indicate that eight weeks of lead-time drought forecasting show good drought predictability for the Contiguous United States (CONUS). For the drought projection at a finer scale, two models are also used with multiple climate models for the Chesapeake Bay (CB) watershed and five river basins in Virginia. The results indicate that current climate change projections will lead to increased drought in the entire CB watershed and Virginia river basins. The impacts of climate change on future agricultural droughts and associated economy-wide implications are then evaluated using the hydrologic and economic models for the several congressional districts in Virginia. The results indicate that increases in agricultural drought in the future would lead to decreases in agricultural productions and job losses. Finally, a coupled model is implemented for the CB and the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain (NACP) aquifer system, and the results of a drought index that incorporate groundwater conditions performs better for some drought periods. Hydrologic modeling framework with multiple hydrologic models and various scales can provide a better understanding of drought assessments because the comparisons and contrasts of diverse methods are available.

The coastal section of the London to Penzance railway line (Dawlish-Teignmouth) lies very close to sea level and has been susceptible to frequent closure during high seas and storm events. As the main railway connection for the southwest of England to the rest of Great Britain, it is a vital transport link for the Devon and Cornwall economy. Current understanding of future sea-level rise in the region is compromised by a lack of reliable geological data on which to establish accurate future sea-level projections. Furthermore, the impacts – in engineering and economic terms – of potential sea-level change on the long-term functioning of the main railway are unclear, and future policy making and planning are compromised by a similar gap in scientific knowledge. The central aim of this thesis is to establish the extent to which future sea-level changes will impact upon the Southwest’s main railway line. This aim carries three objectives: (1) to establish accurate sea-level trends over the last 4000 years (late Holocene) in order to validate geophysical models used in current future sea-level projections in the southwest of England; (2) to establish the likely impacts of future sea-level change on the functioning of the Dawlish-Teignmouth railway line; and (3) to integrate climate and socio-economic futures (scenarios) in an internally consistent manner for future use in regional policy debates. In addressing these objectives, we estimate that during the last 2000 years the coast of south Devon has subsided at a rate of ~1.1 mm/yr, generating a relative sea-level rise of ~0.9 mm/yr. The geophysical model (used to determine regional sea-level projections) underestimates the geologically estimated coastal subsidence rate by only 17%, which would generate an additional sea-level rise, compared to predicted values, of 0.014 m by 2100. Based on an empirical trend between increases in sea-level changes and rail functioning during the last 40 years, the corrected sea-level projections provide input for establishing future days with line restrictions due to overtopping on the Southwest Mainline. Impacts to both the Southwest economy (e.g., rail users) and the infrastructure owners have been determined, and integrating these forecasts with socio-economic scenarios (SES) has highlighted the important interaction between climate and socio-economic trends and future vulnerability. In a worst case scenario (e.g., high emissions), rail services are predicted to be disrupted (on average) for around 35% of the winter by 2060. By this stage, the cost of these disruptions will have exceeded the capital needed for constructing a new alternative inland route.

Tourism is expected to be the world's future. The most important aspects of tourism are particularly the effects on GDP, employment, capital investment and the balance of payments. The important role of tourism in European economies is acknowledged by the European Union itself, which seeks to create a common tourism policy. The purpose of this work is to define the EU tourism policy, primarily in the terms of legal instruments and regional policy, and determine whether and to what extent that policy has its impact on tourism in the Czech Republic. The first chapter will explain the basic concepts and definitions of tourism and its economic importance for the economy. The second section will describe the development of European tourism policy; for better understanding this part will also define EU institutions responsible for tourism, their competencies and used instruments to promote tourism, including the Structural Funds. The third part of the thesis will provide basic information about legislation and strategic documents in tourism in the Czech Republic, but the central part of the chapter will be devoted to the influence of the European Union to the tourism policy in the Czech Republic. The fourth chapter presents the EU's regional policy as a tool to influence the tourism policy in the Czech Republic and its regions.

Este trabalho analisa quais os efeitos que o cumprimento do antigo e do novo Código Florestal trariam à economia do país e de seus estados. A partir da base de dados do projeto AgLue (Agricultural Land Use and Expansion Model) são obtidos os déficits de APP (Área de Preservação Permanente) e RL (Reserva Legal) na agricultura e na pecuária para cada microrregião do país. Essas informações são agregadas e compatibilizadas com os dados do Censo Agropecuário de 2006, resultando numa matriz que contém o percentual que cada cultura agropecuária teria que reduzir de sua área colhida (ou de pastagem) para se adequar a legislação. Para calcular os impactos econômicos utilizou-se o modelo de equilíbrio geral computável TERM-BR, a partir do qual se podem obter os resultados regionais e nacionais e os efeitos econômicos das restrições impostas pelo cumprimento da APP e da RL isoladamente. Os resultados obtidos mostram que as recentes mudanças alteram, mesmo que em pequena escala, os impactos econômicos do Código Florestal. Em sua versão anterior, o efetivo cumprimento da lei implicaria redução de 0,37% do Produto Interno Bruto (PIB) do país, enquanto que no novo Código esta retração seria de 0,19%. Para ambos os casos, o instrumento da APP é o maior responsável pelas variações. Ademais, verificaram-se impactos distintos entre os setores econômicos e as unidades da federação, sendo os segmentos agropecuários os mais afetados pelas restrições legais e os estados da região Norte os mais beneficiados economicamente pelas mudanças na legislação. / This research analyses the effects of the implementation of the Forest Law, both in its new and its previous version, on economy of Brazil and its states. The deficits of APP (Permanent Preservation Area) and RL (Legal Reserve) on agriculture and livestock, by region, are obtained from AgLue (Agricultural Land Use and Expansion Model) database. This information is aggregated and matched with Agricultural Census of 2006 database, resulting in a matrix that indicates for each agricultural sector what percent of harvested or pasture area has to be reduced due to legislation. An applied general equilibrium model TERM-BR was used to measure the economic impacts. This model allows the analysis of regional and national results and economic effects of APP and RL restrictions individually. The results indicated that recent changes on legislation modify, although in a small scale, the economic impacts of the Forest Law. In its previous version, the compliance of the law would imply a reduction of 0,37% of Brazilian GDP while in its new version this impact is a reduction of 0,19%. In both cases, the APP is the major responsible for GDP variations. Furthermore, different impacts between the economic sectors and the states were observed. The agricultural sectors were the most negatively affected by legal restrictions while states in the North region benefited the most, in economic terms, from changes in the legislation.

O objetivo desta tese é avaliar os impactos regionais de longo prazo da política tarifária do setor elétrico brasileiro. As reformas estruturais neste setor determinaram o surgimento de duas diferentes tendências de distribuição espacial das tarifas de energia elétrica entre os estados brasileiros: uma de convergência e outra de dispersão espacial. A disparidade regional das tarifas no período recente vem sendo influenciada pelas características espaciais da economia brasileira, dentre as quais a elevada concentração espacial e distribuição hierárquica de grandes mercados no espaço. Nesse sentido, os diferenciais de preços de energia elétrica tendem a ser causados pelos diferenciais de tamanho de mercado, os quais fornecem diferentes condições para a obtenção de economias de escala pelas companhias de distribuição de energia elétrica. Com base nesses elementos e na evidência de que o produto energia elétrica é um insumo importante no processo produtivo, foi construído um modelo Interregional de Equilíbrio Geral Computável para análise de política energética. As simulações mostraram evidências de que as ligações de insumo-produto, a heterogeneidade espacial da intensidade de energia elétrica e os diferenciais regionais de substituição energética estão entre os principais determinantes dos impactos espaciais da variação no preço da energia elétrica. Por outro lado, a recente tendência de dispersão espacial nas tarifas de energia elétrica pode estar contribuindo para reduzir o PIB real nacional e aumentar as desigualdades regionais no Brasil. / The objective of this dissertation is to evaluate the long-run regional impacts of tariff policy of the Brazilian electric power sector. The structural reforms carried on this sector determined the emergence of two different spatial distribution trends of the electric power tariffs among the Brazilian states: one of convergence and another of spatial divergence. The regional dispersion of tariffs is being influenced by the spatial features of the Brazilian economy, which is marked by the high degree of spatial concentration and the hierarchical distribution of large markets on the space. In spite of this, the electric power price differentials in Brazil tend to be determined by the market size differentials, which provide different conditions for gains from economies of scale by the electric power distribution companies. Based on these elements and in the fact that electric power is an important input for the production process, an Interregional Computable General Equilibrium model for energy policy analysis was built. The simulations showed that the input-output linkages, the spatial heterogeneity of the electric power intensity and the regional energy substitution differentials are the main determinants of spatial impacts of electric power price changes in Brazil. On the other hand, the recent trend of spatial divergence of the electric power prices may be contributing to reduce the national real GDP and to increase the regional inequalities in Brazil.

Tendo em vista a importância da cadeia produtiva do milho para a economia de diversas regiões do Brasil e a liberalização do cultivo de milho geneticamente modificado (GM) no país, em 2007, esta dissertação tem por objetivo analisar os impactos econômicos de longo prazo da adoção do milho Bt11 nos setores inter-relacionados na cadeia produtiva do milho. Além disso, pretende-se analisar as conseqüências da proibição deste cultivo apenas no estado do Paraná, caso a lei estadual nº14162/03 entrasse em vigor. Para tal, utiliza-se um modelo computável de equilíbrio geral inter-regional estático, do tipo bottom-up, denominado TERM-BR. O modelo abrange os 27 estados e o Distrito Federal, conseguindo analisar os impactos sobre a economia do país, sem perder os detalhes regionais e setoriais. Os efeitos da adoção do milho Bt11 são transmitidos ao longo da sua cadeia produtiva, gerando aumento do PIB, das exportações e do consumo das famílias. Todavia, os resultados são mais expressivos nos setores e regiões diretamente relacionados com a cadeia de comercialização do milho, tais como os setores de criação animal e carnes, localizados em sua maioria no Sul do país. Ao analisar a adoção ou não no estado do Paraná as principais diferenças encontram-se na origem e no destino dos fluxos de capital e mão-de-obra entre as regiões brasileiras. Na primeira simulação, ao admitir que o estado do Paraná adote milho Bt11, observa-se um deslocamento de estoque de capital e mão-de-obra para a região Sul, apesar do PIB do Centro-Oeste e Sudeste também aumentar. Considerando que o Paraná não adote milho Bt11, observa-se que tanto a mão-de-obra, quanto o estoque de capital se deslocam para o Centro-Oeste, contudo é possível observar um pequeno aumento no PIB e no consumo das famílias da região Sul. Os resultados mais expressivos ocorrem no próprio estado do Paraná, onde não apenas o setor de milho, como também os setores a jusante perdem competitividade, reduzindo o nível de atividade, emprego e consumo das famílias. Como esses setores possuem grande representatividade no PIB do estado, este também apresenta redução. / Due to the importance of the productive chain of corn to the economy of different regions of Brazil and the liberalization of genetically modified (GM) corn cultivation in the country in 2007, this study aims to analyze the long-run economic impacts of the adoption of Bt11 corn in the inter-related sectors of the productive corn chain. Moreover, it is intended to analyze the consequences of banning Bt11 corn cultivation only in Paraná State, if the state law nº14162/03 was legalized. For this purpose, an interregional static general equilibrium computable model, kind of bottom-up, called TERM-BR was used. This model embraces 27 states plus the Federal District and can analyze the impacts on the economy without losing the regional and sectorial details. The adoption effects of the Bt11 corn are transmitted along its supply chain generating the increase of GDP, exports and household consumption. However, the results are more expressive in sectors and regions directly related to the supply chain of corn, sectors such as animal breeding and meat, mostly located in the south of the country. By analazing the adoption or not in Paraná State, the main results of the study are found on the origin and destination of the flows of capital and labor among the brasilian regions. In the first simulation, it was admitted that the Paraná State adopts Bt11 corn. A displacement in stock of capital and labor for the southern region was observed, despite the GDP increase of the West-Center and Southeastern regions. In the second simulation, it was admitted that Paraná State doesnt adopt the Bt11 corn. It was observed that both the labor force as well as the stock of capital move to the West-Center, and even so it is possible to see an increase in GDP and consumption of households in the Southern region. The most serious consequences happen in Paraná State, where not only the industry of corn, but also corn downstream industries lose competitiveness, reducing the level of activity, employment and household consumption. As these sectors have a considerable weight in GDP of the state, they also present reduction.

Tourism has become a tool for many developing countries to achieve economic growth and alleviate poverty. However, even though tourism is contributing to positive impacts, it also stresses infrastructure and changing local communities. For many African countries, tourism plays an important role, which is the case with the growing tourist destination Mozambique. This research is examining how tourism is affecting the local community in Tofo, and furthermore how involved they are in the development. The study is based on interviews, participant observations, questionnaire and documents. Findings show that the development is forced upon the community in Tofo, although leading to various economic and socio-cultural impacts, such as improved living standard, change in behaviors and infrastructure development, but the greatest impacts remain employment and income. The development is unplanned and do not involve the community to extent it should and could, leaving the residents powerless and dependent on foreign investors.

Thesis (M.Com. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.