The establishment of protected areas (PAs) has been the key national strategy in biodiversity conservation, through preserving the unique wildlife and ecosystems in Indonesia. As well as their status as sites rich in biodiversity, PAs are also important for socio-economic interactions. Hence the management of PAs has been fraught with technical, social and economic problems. To ensure greater local participation and support in tropical forest conservation initiatives, it is vital to understand how local stakeholders perceive them. This research was undertaken in Gorontalo Province by examining the views of local stakeholders through a combination of qualitative interviews and quantitative ranking exercises. The findings revealed that respondents only understood the concept of biodiversity on a general level. Most respondents defined biodiversity in terms of its elements; only a few were able to describe the interactional attributes, by which biodiversity functions within the ecosystems. Their appreciation of forest biodiversity was primarily due to economic and ecological benefits they derive from local forests. Accordingly, respondents ranked the provision of ecological services from the forests as the strongest reason for protecting it. Using Wood et al. (2000) analytical framework to examine the root causes of biodiversity loss, the findings indicated respondents’ familiarity with human-induced forces resulting in the degradation and loss of natural forests, and they understood how these affect local biodiversity, both within and beyond the forest. Some critical disconnections between national policy in forest conservation and the reality of the local use of forest resource became apparent. At the core of these disconnections was an unequal share of benefits of such policy to local stakeholders. They identified extraction of species and physical alteration of the forest ecosystem as direct drivers of forest loss; these were perceived as rooted in poverty, institutional failures in forest management, ignorance of the wider forest functions, and conflict of development policies at the local level. The main reason for biodiversity loss can be summed up as widespread and persistent failure to properly understand, quantify, or value the goods, services, functions and capital value of the natural forests, at both national and local levels. Overall, most respondents held negative attitudes towards protected forests and their positive attitudes towards conservation activities were linked with tangible benefits they enjoy from the forest. A key finding of this study is that the conservation of biodiversity cannot be considered in isolation from broader patterns of natural resource use and the socio-political context in which people carry out their lives. This study suggests that the implementation of the centrally-controlled and preservationist conservation approach in Gorontalo has been ineffective in achieving conservation goals. This is due to the lack of a clear connection between this policy and the reality of local forest users.

This habilitation thesis consists of seven published journal articles and one published book chapter. Part I, consisting of chapter 1, introduces the overarching theme of environmental policy instruments and discusses the current use of and prospects for economic instruments in conservation policies. A number of research gaps are identified which are addressed in the subsequent chapters. Part II, consisting of chapters 2–5, encompasses four papers focused on a single type of policy instrument: intergovernmental fiscal transfers. Although well documented in public finance literature, intergovernmental fiscal transfers remain a somewhat neglected instrument in environmental policy. Despite being well suited to address the spillover benefits that often accrue with conservation policies, there is scant research literature on ecological fiscal transfers compared to other economic instruments such as environmental taxes or tradable permits. In fact, very few countries make practical use of them to achieve conservation objectives. Thus intergovernmental fiscal transfers are an innovative instrument in conservation policies in particular, so that advances in both theory and applied research may prove especially beneficial here. Part III, consisting of chapters 6–9, combines a number of articles in integrative biodiversity research and applied biodiversity governance, themes that are often neglected in the economic analysis of environmental policy instruments. However, when implementing policy instruments in societal settings, interdisciplinary research bridging the natural and social sciences is as much a prerequisite as policy-relevant research that responds to the needs of decision makers and other stakeholders. Both policy design and policy evaluation yield the best outcomes when they involve ecologists, economists, legal and other social scientists, as this ensures that consideration is given to ecological effectiveness, economic efficiency, administrative feasibility, social acceptance, and perception by stakeholders. Policy-relevant research also responds to current societal developments and prospective changes in legislation which may provide windows of opportunity to propose new instruments. Meanwhile, sound empirical research and case study design are indispensable in making concrete policy recommendations, taking into account existing formal and informal institutions.

Вопросы энергосбережения и повышения энергоэффективности являются одними из основных приоритетов государственной политики в деятельности органов исполнительной власти, как на федеральном, так и на региональном уровнях, т. к. Россия все еще принадлежит к группе стран с очень высокой энергоёмкостью ВВП. Цель диссертационного исследования заключается в разработке практических рекомендаций по повышению эффективности использования топливно-энергетических ресурсов в условиях реализации региональной политики энергосбережения. В работе рассмотрен топливно-энергетический комплекс Свердловской области, дана его характеристика и описаны его особенности. Проведен анализ использования энергоресурсов в различных сферах региональной экономики: рассмотрены энергоёмкость валового регионального продукта, объемы финансирования энергосберегающих мероприятий, удельные расходы топливно-энергетических ресурсов. Предложен проект по переводу автопарка транспортной компании с бензинового топлива на газомоторное с целью снижения потребления энергетических ресурсов и вредного воздействия на окружающую среду. Проведена оценка экономического и экологического эффектов реализации проекта. / Issues of energy conservation and energy efficiency are one of the main priorities of state policy in the activities of executive bodies, both at the federal and regional levels, since Russia still belongs to the group of countries with very high energy intensity of GDP. The purpose of the dissertation research is to develop practical recommendations to improve the efficiency of the use of fuel and energy resources in the context of the implementation of the regional energy conservation policy. The work considers the fuel and energy complex of the Sverdlovsk region, gives its characteristics and describes its features. The analysis of the use of energy resources in various areas of the regional economy is carried out: the energy intensity of the gross regional product, the volumes of financing energy-saving measures, the specific costs of fuel and energy resources are considered. A project is proposed to transfer the fleet of a transport company from gasoline to gas engine fuel in order to reduce the consumption of energy resources and harmful effects on the environment. An assessment of the economic and environmental effects of the project is presented.

<p>With the increased role of local authorities in creating cultural policy, gathering information on how successful and sustainable local heritage conservation programs are established will be very valuable in crafting future policies. This dissertation investigated the development of local government heritage conservation policies in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga in the Philippines in order to determine (1) predictors of community support for heritage conservation policy – why communities support heritage conservation policy and what characteristics or elements of communities lead them to support heritage conservation policies, (2) factors that lead to the adoption and implementation of heritage conservation policies or policy drivers of heritage conservation policy, and (3) given the deeper understanding of community support and policy drivers, the relationship between these predictors and drivers with heritage conservation policy management and sustainability. It did this by being cognizant of the lack of homogeneity across communities, with actors, factors, contexts, and nuances specific to each community.</p><p>Implementing two component studies, the dissertation used mixed methods, which interprets and integrates information drawn from the combined strength of both quantitative and qualitative data, following the convergent design (Creswell and Plano Clark, 2018; Harrison et al., 2020) and guided by the Rigorous Mixed Methods framework (Harrison, Reilly and Creswell, 2020). This first study used a self-administered online survey to collect data from stakeholders and ordinary residents of the City of San Fernando, Pampanga which was analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). In the second study, guided by the naturalist paradigm (Guba and Lincoln, 1982; Lincoln and Guba, 1985), transcripts of semi-structured interviews conducted by City Tourism and Investment Promotion Office (CTIPO) were coded and analyzed using the grounded theory approach. It combined several coding approaches, specifically a blended approach (Skjott Linneberg, and Korsgaard, 2006), with the the Gioia Methodology (Gioia et al., 2012) and Ünlü-Qureshi instrument (Qureshi and Ünlü, 2020)</p> <p>The integration of qualitative and quantitative data and results was guided by the dimensions of the mixed methods research integration trilogy (Fetters and Molina-Azorin, 2017). The dissertation identified predictors for community support for heritage conservation policy, policy drivers of the heritage conservation policy process, and the relationship between these predictors and drivers and within the heritage conservation policy process and produced three models: (1) predictors of community support for local heritage conservation policy, (2) heritage conservation policy drivers, and (3) managerial implications for heritage conservation policy sustainability, and a framework for heritage conservation, management, and sustainability. The data suggested that in the case of San Fernando, (1) knowledge and awareness, (2) sense of belonging and attachment, (3) place image and community identity, and (4) evaluation of value are predictors of support for heritage conservation policies, with evaluation of value as a mediator for the first three. It also identified two major policy drivers: (1) good governance, and (2) heritage consciousness, and six specific policy drivers: (1) understanding the dynamics of heritage conservation, (2) addressing program sustainability, (3) stakeholder integration in the policy process, (4) appreciation of process-oriented governance, (5) manifesting pride and attachment, and (6) awareness of long-term outcomes of policies, that serve as factors leading to the adoption and implementation of heritage conservation policies. The predictors and policy drivers were incorporated into a single framework for heritage conservation policy management and sustainability.</p>

La protection des ressources naturelles marines est un enjeu fort pour les décideurs publics. Le développement récent des aires marines protégées (AMP) contribue à ces enjeux de préservation. Les AMP ont pour objectifs de conserver les écosystèmes marins et côtiers tout en favorisant les activités humaines. La complexité de ces objectifs les rend difficiles à atteindre. L’objectif de cette thèse est de mener une analyse ex ante d’un projet d’une AMP aux îles Kuriat (Tunisie). Cette analyse représente une aide aux décideurs pour une meilleure gouvernance en intégrant les acteurs impliqués (pêcheur, visiteur, plaisancier) dans le processus de gestion. Pour ce faire, nous appliquons la méthode d’évaluation contingente (MEC) à des échantillons des pêcheurs et des visiteurs aux îles Kuriat. Nous nous intéressons au traitement des biais de sélection et d’échantillonnage et à l’incertitude sur la spécification des modèles économétriques lors de la mise en œuvre de la MEC. Nous faisons appel au modèle HeckitBMA,qui est une combinaison du modèle de Heckman (1979) et de l’inférence bayésienne, pour calculer le consentement à recevoir des pêcheurs. Nous utilisons aussi le modèle Zero inflated ordered probit (ZIOP), qui est une combinaison d’un probit binaire avec un probit ordonné, pour calculer le consentement à payer des visiteurs après avoir corrigé l’échantillon par imputation multiple. Nos résultats montrent que les groupes d’acteurs se distinguent par leur activité et leur situation économique ce qui les amène à avoir des perceptions différentes. Cela permet aux décideurs d’élaborer une politique de compensation permettant d’indemniser les acteurs ayant subi un préjudice. / The protection of marine natural resources is a major challenge for policy makers. The recent development of marine protected areas (MPAs) contributes to the preservation issues. MPAs are aimed to preserve the marine and coastal ecosystems while promoting human activities. The complexity of these objectives makes them difficult to reach. The purpose of this work is to conduct an ex-ante analysis of a proposed MPA to Kuriat Islands (Tunisia). This analysis is an aid to decision makers for better governance by integrating the actors involved (fisherman, visitor, boater) in the management process. To do this, we use the contingent valuation method (CVM) to samples of fishermen and visitors to the islands Kuriat. We are interested in the treatment of selection and sampling bias and uncertainty about specifying econometric models during the implementation of the CVM. We use the model HeckitBMA, which is a combination of the Heckman model (1979) and Bayesian inference, to calculate the willingness to accept of fishermen. We also use the model Zero inflated ordered probit (ZIOP), which is a combination of a binary probit with an ordered probit, to calculate the willingness to pay of visitors after correcting the sample by multiple imputation. Our results show that groups of actors are distinguished by their activity and economic conditions that cause them to have different perceptions. This allows policy makers to develop a policy of compensation to compensate the players who have been harmed.

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