
Gianluca GrilliUniversity of Trento | UNITN · Department of Economics and Management
Gianluca Grilli
Ph.D. In "Modelling and Simulation"
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91
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Introduction
I am an environmental economist, with a main research interest on evaluation of public goods and natural resources. I am also interested in the economic aspects of natural resource management, public participation in natural resource management and applied econometrics.
Additional affiliations
Education
January 2014 - April 2017
October 2009 - January 2012
October 2005 - November 2008
Publications
Publications (91)
Recently, urban beekeeping has been recognized as an important activity capable of generating many environmental, economic, and social benefits for society. Urban beekeeping is considered a valuable activity that balances the increase in honey production and urban biodiversity conservation in a sustainable way. However, there is no available litera...
Disruption and mess associated with energy efficiency retrofits is one aspect that is rarely considered in studies investigating households' preferences for energy renovations. Using a choice experiment, we estimate a price for residential retrofit disruption, finding it represents a substantial proportion of associated energy cost savings among so...
Wildlife value orientations affect how people connect with animals. Traditionalists primarily consider wildlife as a source of sustenance. Societal values, however, are shifting toward mutualism, which sees wildlife as deserving of rights and care. This article examined factors that influence wildlife value orientations of tourists (n = 420) in an...
One of the assumptions in stated preference studies is the stability of respondents’ preferences. This assumption might be violated in situations of context dependence, i.e., when the contingent situation influences respondents’ choices. Ambient weather conditions (AWCs) are one element of the context that may influence stated preferences. The lite...
This paper explores systematic differences in preferences for food products labelled with environmental footprints resulting from the production of food. Specifically, we use survey data from Irish consumers and explore the relative importance of the potential risk to water quality in addition to other environmental attributes associated with the p...
Nature-based recreation provides benefits facilitating social interactions and cohesion, creating job opportunities, and stimulating the local economy. The aim of this study was to assess the recreational economic value of different forest areas considering two aspects: stand features and proximity of the forest to urban areas. An individual Travel...
The nature-based recreational activities can be considered one of the most
important cultural ecosystem services provided by forests. They provide
benefits to local economy, human health and well-being reducing depres�sion and mental illnesses risk and increasing social interactions. The aim
of the present study is to assess the socio-economic impo...
The EU Water Framework Directive’s (WFD) ambition to achieve good ecological status for waters is an ambitious target due to the complexity of water management governance. Usually, multiple institutions are responsible for water management, often operating within a hierarchical structure, in which each level has different responsibilities. It is es...
Pollution and environmental depletion are often caused by human behaviours, where if behaviours were modified, environmental pressure could be substantially reduced. Many public programmes aim to influence people to change their unsustainable behaviours but few undertake ex post evaluations of behavioural change programmes. This paper undertakes an...
The risk of incurring an injury may affect climbers' destination choices for rock climbing, depending on their perceptions about the associated risk and the likely gravity of injuries, and the extent to which they regard the level of protection as a key feature in determining the climbing site's attractiveness. In this study, we conducted a discret...
Scientific evidence suggests that emotions affect actual human decision-making, particularly in highly emotionally situations such as human-wildlife interactions. In this study we assess the role of fear on preferences for wildlife conservation, using a discrete choice experiment. The sample was split into two treatment groups and a control. In the...
Land use changes in the Alps over the last few decades have been characterised by a significant increase in forest coverage as a result of the abandonment of marginal agricultural sites. Natural afforestation and species protection laws affected the ecosystem, and therefore the services provided by the mountain environment, including landscape stru...
A study on tourists’ preferences for wildlife conservation in the Italian Alps using a choice experiment is presented. The study focuses on wolves, lynx and salamanders, which are in danger of extinction. Welfare analysis suggests that WTP for varying sizes of animal population increases up to 45–55 animals and then decreases. This indicates that t...
This paper presents a spatial-based decision support system (DSS) to assist public and private forest managers in the analysis of potential feasibility in payments for forest ecosystem services (PES) for the prevention of soil erosion. The model quantifies the maximum willingness to pay (WTP) of managers of a reservoir to prevent soil loss. The min...
This paper presents a methodology that uses fishery data collected for the purpose of administering and monitoring harvest quotas in a recreational fishery to give additional insights into effectiveness of various fishing methods, and expected catch rates associated with different licence types. The empirical application is based on the Atlantic sa...
Natural environments represent background settings for most outdoor recreation activities, which are important non-consumptive benefits that people obtain from nature. Recreation has been traditionally considered a non-market service because it is practiced free of charge in public spaces and therefore of secondary relevance for the economy. Althou...
In this study, we combined virtual reality and electroencephalogram (EEG) methods in a lab setting to evaluate the restorative effects of forests on the mental state. In doing so, we compared forests in different vegetative seasons, varying types of forest stands, and forest densities. Twenty participants were exposed to videos of forests with diff...
Green spaces within cities are important oases of restoration and space for physical activities. Due to the health benefits provided by visits to urban green space, encouraging people to increase frequentation may be a public policy objective. To do this, individual attitudes should be considered because individuals may not respond in the same way...
Previous research finds that moving home can serve as a starting point for more sustainable living practices, specifically lower energy consumption. This research examines whether changes in occupancy or tenure at residential properties is also associated with decisions on overhauling a property’s heating system. Properties are almost twice as like...
A solution to cope with chaotic urban settlements and frenetic everyday life is refuging in nature as a way to reduce stress. In general—in recent years—it has been scientifically demonstrated how natural areas are an important environment for psycho-physiological health. As a consequence, it is important to plan dedicated spaces for stress recover...
Many urgent environmental problems can be mitigated with more sustainable use of resources. An acknowledgement of which is a growing interest among policy practitioners in encouraging pro-environmental behaviour change initiatives. In this contribution a review of the existing literature on behavioural change case studies is offered and a categoris...
Empirical evidence across several electricity markets reveals heterogeneous customer preferences for direct load control and other electricity service offerings but relatively little is understood concerning the drivers of this preference heterogeneity. Using a discrete choice experiment examining the potential role of domestic appliance curtailmen...
In this paper the scientific literature on the association between forests, stress relief and relaxation is reviewed with the purpose to understand common patterns of research, the main techniques used for analysis, findings relevant to forest-therapy-oriented management, and knowledge gaps. The database of studies was collected with a keyword sear...
Several large Irish lake fisheries target both pike Esox lucius L. and brown trout Salmo trutta L. Due to predation on trout, pike stocks are actively managed in several locations with the objective of enhancing the trout fishery, which is a policy strongly supported by some trout anglers but intensely opposed by pike anglers. There is a dearth of...
This research examines fuel choice for residential heating, with a particular focus on switching to natural gas from carbon intensive alternatives. In the context of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the residential sector, fuel switching from coal and oil to natural gas for space heating is assessed as a potential policy option using Ireland as...
The paper presents an integrated methodology to assess psychological and physiological responses of people when exposed to forests, with the main objective of assessing the suitability of different stands for stress recovery on the basis of tree species and density. From the methodological viewpoint, the study applies both a Restoration Outcome Sca...
This paper presents a decision support based on spatial analysis for the evaluation of payments for forest ecosystem services (PES). A focus on the payment range for protective services for shallow landslide is described. The maximum willingness to pay by real estate owners and the minimum willingness to accept by forest owners are computed. The mo...
In this paper we model recreational anglers' decisions to voluntarily release their catch to improve fish stock conservation. Using a random utility framework, we compare anglers' utility of retaining and consuming fish versus increased stock conservation achieved by fish releases. The analysis is based on a dataset of fish landings from anglers fi...
Wild Atlantic salmon and sea trout are in danger in several fisheries of the northern hemisphere due to anthropic activities. The pressures on fish stocks include excessive commercial and recreational harvests, as well as habitat depletion. In this paper, we present a choice experiment assessment of recreational anglers’ preferences for conservatio...
Bottom-up approaches to natural resource management are considered to be more effective for conservation than traditional top-down approaches because the policy-making process is legitimised by stakeholders. In particular, when decisions are shared with direct users of the resource, compliance with the law may be achieved more easily and potential...
In this paper we explore the role of the theory of planned behaviour in the context of preferences for a decentralized governance of natural resources. A choice experiment was carried out to elicit preferences of the tourists for alternative options of natural resource management in a case study in Italy and data were collected by means of personal...
Previous research suggests that landscape preferences vary systematically amongst people. While various sources of heterogeneity have been considered in landscape preference literature, the role of emotions on willingness to pay for landscape features has never been examined. This article presents results of a choice experiment carried out for elic...
Value orientations towards wildlife affect the way people perceive nature and their connection with animals. In particular, the social psychological literature within the environmental field suggests that there are two main orientations of people towards wildlife: mutualism and domination. This body of literature has shown how wildlife value orient...
The relationship between angling effort and catch is well-recognised, in particular that effort influences catch rates. But increased catch, which can be considered an attribute of fishery quality, may influence effort in terms of number of fishing trips. This suggests bi-directional feedback between catch and effort. In many travel cost applicatio...
The scope of the present investigation is to provide a description of final electricity prices development in the context of deregulated electricity markets in EU28, up to 2020. We introduce a new methodology to predict long-term electricity market prices consisting of two parts: (1) a self-developed form of Porter's five forces analysis (PFFA) det...
Fishing for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is a popular recreational activity in several northern hemisphere countries. This paper extends the empirical literature using the travel cost method to estimate the demand function for two of Ireland's premier salmon fisheries: the rivers Moy and Corrib. Data were collected by an on-site questionnaire and...
A choice experiment has been carried out to assess the preferred attributes of information points (called totems) to be installed in the city of Bolzano. Totems allow the acquisition, exchange and query of data in real time, as well as provide other services such as electricity or water supply. These infrastructures could be useful for both inhabit...
The concept of “co-benefit” is commonly adopted to define any additional positive impact of a policy, program, or project, arising alongside the desired primary goal. Co-benefits relate to human health and well-being, as well as environmental, economic, and social aspects. The concept, investigated beginning in the 1990s, is recognized today, as su...
The European Union is currently undertaking unprecedented efforts to increase its use of renewable energy sources by 20% with respect to 1990's levels. In this perspective, heat pumps represent a powerful low carbon energy resource towards achieving the 2009/28/EC Directive's targets. Despite their benefits, heat pumps are still being implemented b...
Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) should be able to produce an optimal level of bundle of Ecosystem Services (ES), thus ensuring more resilient forest ecosystems also creating benefits for local population and human well-being. Yet, choosing between alternative forest management practices is not straightforward as it necessarily involves ES trade...
The aim of the paper is to develop a method to assess the effect of forest biomass use for energy on
ecosystem services (ES). Such method has been in the GRASS GIS environment, by creating an Decision
Support System (DSS) called r.green.biomassfor. The method has been tested in the Triglav National Park
in Slovenia. The potential forest biomass was...
In Italy, the reintroduction of the brown bear (Ursus arctos) has created conflicts with people because bears may damage livestock, crops, or honey farms. These damages—and their financial costs—are sometimes used as an argument by those who oppose the presence of this carnivore. Despite such damages, bears can provide economic benefits, such as at...
This paper introduces a novel methodology for the optimal use of forest biomass for energy purposes, by means of GIS procedures. The method allows the identification of the most suitable area for a power plant, starting from the energy demand and the local availability of wood resources. After the site identification, the procedure conducts a cost-...
In the present paper, the relevant literature in the field of willingness to pay (WTP) for green electricity has been reviewed and collected. It was attempted to provide an overview of the research carried out so far and possible future areas of investigation. Globally, 34 papers, containing 151 observations, were gathered and included in a meta-re...
A multi-criteria analysis (MCA) was implemented to assess the best solutions for enhancing the production of renewable energy in the Alps. A set of criteria were selected based on the impacts of four renewable energy sources (forest biomass, hydropower, ground solar photovoltaic and wind power) on the three spheres of sustainability (environmental,...
The scope of this paper is to examine the European Union support in terms of research and development funding on the topic of Smart cities. A detailed literature review, based on a project-by-project investigation, and data analysis process identified these expenditures since the research on this topic was first funded. The portion of the Sixth and...
Renewable energy sources are vital to achieving Europe’s 2030 energy transition goals.
Technological innovation, driven by public expenditures on research and development, is a major
driver for this change. Thus, an extensive dataset on these expenditures of the European Member
States and the European Commission, dating back to the early 1970s, was...
The diffusion and integration of the information and communication technologies (ICT) in the urban environment is a pillar of the current smart city development approach. Sensors, monitors, and portable devices allow acquisition, exchanging and querying of data (or even big data) in real time. However, the technological and digital innovation in ou...
The present study offers a contingent valuation application to explore residents´ willingness to pay for renewable energy, in a case study in the Italian Alps. Data originated from onsite personal interviews and were analyzed with a Tobit model. Results show that respondents are willing to pay, on average, 5.1€ per month for a 100% of renewable ene...
Energy retrofit of existing buildings stock is today a major urban challenge and opportunity. Although a market appreciation of green buildings is generally recognized, specificities related to different countries, contexts and sectors still need further investigation. Moreover, the energy retrofit carries with it multiple elements, ranging from mo...
The paper introduces and discusses an open-source spatial-based model (called r.green.solar) able to quantify the energy production from solar photovoltaic (PV) ground-mounted panels. Socio-economic and environmental impacts can be evaluated by the model. The model starts from the theoretical quantity of solar PV potential energy and estimates a re...
Mixed forests are thought to provide a wide range of ecosystem services for human well-being and their effectiveness, compared to monocultures, is broadly recognized in the literature. Mixed forests may increase the multifunctionality, providing a wide range of ecosystem services such as hazard protection, carbon sequestration, nature conservation...
The conflicts between humans and wildlife are often an issue for conservation projects, especially those dealing with large mammals in highly anthropic landscapes. The sustainability of a conservation project in the long term is possible only when both scientific and socio-economic evaluations are taken into account. In the Autonomous Province of T...
In European countries, current forest use aims to enhance goods and services supplied by forest ecosystems, taking into account the multiple needs and interests of society through a participatory process. A successful participatory process requires a thorough analysis of stakeholders’ perceptions and preferences. The aim of this paper is to investi...
Renewable energies - such as solar photovoltaic power, hydropower, wind power and forest biomass - have a key role in the European Union (EU) policy aimed at enhancing energy security and mitigating climate change. The new target established by European Commission for 2030 is a 30% improvement in energy efficiency, 40% less greenhouses gas (GHG) em...
The values of goods and services by natural resources are not included in the political decision making process concerning natural resources management. This gap is due to the fact that many ecosystem services are not marketed. In order to overcome this gap in the management of natural resources, it is necessary to apply some environmental economic...
Background and Purpose: In the EU political agenda, the use of forest biomass for energy has grown rapidly and significantly, in order to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions and reduce the energy dependence on fossil fuels of European member countries. The target of the EU climate and energy package is to raise the share of renewable energy consumpti...
Estimating non-market values of forest ecosystem services is very important for a sustainable forest management, so that productive and non-productive functions of forest may be compared with the same unit of measure. This contribution presents an economic valuation of several ecosystem services of the Zywiec Beskid forests, a case study located in...
In the last decades, the international energy demand has risen greatly due to the world’s population
growth and the economic development of some big countries (e.g. China, India, Indonesia). The
intensive use of fossil fuels is recognized as unsustainable in the long-term period. In this framework,
renewable energies represent important sources in...
Alpine environments provide several ecosystem services (ESs) essential for human life and well-being. Albeit the benefits they yield, ESs’ value is often underestimated because it is not reflected in a market price. ESs yield very high economic value largely enjoyed by the stakeholders who live in their surroundings. Hence, in order to make an effe...
The present study offers a contingent valuation application to explore residents´ willingness to pay for renewable energy, in a case study in the Italian Alps. Data originated from onsite personal interviews and were analyzed with a Tobit model. Results show that respondents are willing to pay, on average, 5.1€ per month for a 100% of renewable ene...
The paper presents a method for identifying and classifying local stakeholders involved in renewable energy development. The method is based on the expert assessment and comprises three main steps: (1) identification of the independent experts considering their expertise and knowledge of the local context; (2) identification of the local stakeholde...
The Alps, with their long cultural history and unique geographic and geological particularities, are a biodiversity hotspot. This extraordinary biodiversity,and the ecosystem services resulting from it, is being threatened by various anthropogenic pressures, including climate change. Climate change mitigation measures such as the increased use of r...
One of the aim of the European directive 2009/28/EC is the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources in order to decrease the fossil fuel dependency. In the Alpine region the application of this directive is particularly relevant because of the complex morphology of the territory with a high renewable energy potential due to the presenc...
The spatially explicit Decision Support System (DSS) r.green, developed in the frame of the Alpine Space program recharge.green financed by EU, is able to identify the areas suitable for the installation of the main renewable energy systems based on criteria of sustainability and land conservation. The DSS is composed by a set of GRASS GIS modules...
In the last decades in Europe, the importance of renewable energy is increasing since it could help to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions and to reduce the fossil fuel dependence of European Member States (Directive 2009/28/EC). In the European Alpine region, the main renewable source of energy is hydropower. On the other hand, one of the priorities...
In energy planning, there is an increasing request to produce future scenarios to guide decision making. Park managers in alpine areas must deal with the growing demand of forest biomass to produce bioenergy. It is difficult to quantify the real biomass availability respecting technical economical and environmental constraints. During the project r...
In the last decades, the international energy-demand has risen greatly due to the world’s population growth and the economic development of some big countries (e.g. China, India, Indonesia). The intensive use of fossil fuels is recognized as unsustainable in the long-term period. In this framework, renewable energies represent important sources in...