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Publications
Publications (58)
Biodiversity conservation is increasingly recognized as a main challenge for the sustainability agenda. With humans at the epicenter of the biodiversity crisis, conserving nature requires changes in individual behavior. This study reveals gaps regarding the incorporation of behavior change into national biodiversity policy. A total of 1306 policy a...
Ökonomische Instrumente sind wichtige Elemente eines Instrumentenmixes zum Schutz der biologischen Vielfalt. Dabei gibt es eine Vielzahl umweltökonomischer Instrumente, die entweder zu einer Verringerung negativer Auswirkungen auf die biologische Vielfalt beitragen oder diese Vielfalt mittels gezielter Fördermaßnahmen erhöhen. Wie bei allen Politik...
The behavior of local natural resource users is not only affected by economic incentives but also by a diverse set of motivations and underlying values. These non-monetary drivers are crucial in safeguarding long-term positive conservation outcomes. However, measuring these factors still constitutes a significant challenge. Building on lessons lear...
Shifting agriculture onto a more sustainable trajectory requires significant changes in farmer behaviour in terms of implementing agri-environmental practices. Understanding the underlying factors influencing farmers' behaviour can provide guidance when it comes to targeting agricultural policies and ensuring that they are effective. This study bui...
Many discourses, both academic and public, assume that values, understood as principles (e.g. fairness, loyalty), lead to behavior. We analyze how 134 theories of human behavior treat values, which we define broadly to include value(s) related to both principles (e.g. moral values) and value(s) related to importance (e.g. cost or priorities). We fi...
There is broad agreement on the potential role of values to incite intentional transformative change toward sustainability. However, there is no proposed heuristic on how to mobilize values for sustainability transformation, especially in the context of multilevel decision-making. We aim to fill this gap based on a literature analysis conducted as...
Twenty-five years since foundational publications on valuing ecosystem services for human well-being1,2, addressing the global biodiversity crisis³ still implies confronting barriers to incorporating nature’s diverse values into decision-making. These barriers include powerful interests supported by current norms and legal rules such as property ri...
Native trees are central elements of sustainable agriculture, providing economic futures to rural populations while safeguarding biodiversity and ecosystem services. We present a diagnostic methodology for (i) identifying 'incentive opportunities' for farmers to plant and manage trees on farms; (ii) proposing targeted packages of incentive and fina...
The chapter assesses the role of nature's diverse values in supporting social-ecological transformations towards more just and sustainable futures. This is approached as a two-fold and mutually complementing task: a) assessing the diverse values that have been considered in developing and creating visions for, and scenarios of the future, particula...
Biodiversity conservation is increasingly recognized as a main challenge for the sustainability agenda. With humans are at the epicentre of the biodiversity crisis, conserving nature requires changes in individual behaviour. This study reveals gaps regarding the incorporation of behaviour change into national biodiversity policy. A total of 1306 po...
Global scientific assessments increasingly reach the conclusion that transformative change of global production and consumption systems is necessary to safeguard and maintain global commons, such as biodiversity, natural forests and the ocean. Against this background the present study analyses the conclusions of global assessments and derives recom...
In this paper, we operationalize the concept of Societal Relationships with Nature (SRN) as a framework for understanding nature‐related conflicts and multiple values.
Based on three dimensions knowledgescape, interactions and identity, we propose a set of questions for the empirical analysis of conflict situations.
We use two case studies—designat...
Whether payments for ecosystem services (PES) are effective and how they change the motivations of land and resource users in the long-term is still controversial. A study of a program in Ecuador provides encouraging results regarding what happens if payments stop.
Este libro presenta una guía paso a paso para la identificación de oportunidades de acción para lograr un cambio de comportamiento de los actores del territorio hacia una producción sostenible y la
conservación de los ecosistemas, a través de la planificación e implementación de instrumentos políticos y financieros.
Esta herramienta fue adaptada d...
With populations of wild carnivores growing in Europe, public debates on human-wildlife conflicts are becoming polarized around economic damages and risks to human safety. This article explores the state of knowledge on the broader socio-economic impacts of four European large carnivore species (wolf, bear, lynx and wolverine). We have developed a...
The energy transition requires policy makers to adopt a holistic view that also considers non-economic factors when developing cleaner technology deployment schemes. In particular, a broad knowledge base is required to ensure an efficient energetic use of the limited biomass potential. Energy system optimization models are widely used to inform dec...
Die vorliegende Publikation ist die Kurzversion der englischsprachigen Studie „Transformative change for a sustainable management of global commons. Recommendations for international cooperation based on a review of global assessment reports and project experience“ (im Erscheinen) und wurde im Rahmen des Projekts „Transformativer Wandel zum Schutz...
Appeals to companies to adopt more sustainable practices are typically either framed as a request to assume ‘responsibility’ towards society and the future of the planet, or as a ‘business case’ (BC) for sustainability. The business case discourse emphasizes how sustainable practices can enhance (financial) business performance. We conducted a surv...
Conservation efforts are increasingly supported by ecosystem service assessments. These assessments depend on complex multidisciplinary methods, and rely on a number of assumptions which reduce complexity. If assumptions are ambiguous or inadequate, misconceptions and misinterpretations may arise when interpreting results of assessments. An interdi...
Many international studies and initiatives have contributed to mainstreaming Natural Capital Valuation (NCV) in scientific and political advice. However, NCV is neither a clear-cut concept, nor does its application meet unconditional enthusiasm.
The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the debate on NCV, sharpen its
understanding, and provide...
Energy system optimization models (ESOM) are widely used to inform about energy transition strategies. The heterogeneity of consumers, especially in the heat sector, is rarely considered in these model types. Integrating consumer heterogeneity and behavioral factors into ESOMs may generate new insights for energy policy. In this study a literature...
There is a momentum towards finding financing solutions for halting deforestation at the landscape level for the benefit of climate, biodiversity and delivery of ecosystem services. The Unlocking Forest Finance (UFF) project has, between 2013 and 2018, worked on the development of innovative financing mechanisms for sustainable landscapes in three...
The trend in the discourse around environmental protection towards arguments based on ecosystem services and monetary valuation has prompted considerable controversy among academics and practitioners concerned with conservation. This paper informs the debate by exploring which arguments are most effective in garnering support for environmental prot...
The financial resources needed for globally implementing the Aichi Biodiversity Targets have been estimated at US$ 150–440 billion per year (CBD COP11, 2012) – of which only a fraction is currently available. Significant efforts have been undertaken in many countries to increase funding for biodiversity conservation. Nonetheless, this funding short...
This article contributes to an understanding of the nature of sustainability transformation experiments. We compare these experiments with classical experiments in the natural and social sciences along three central dimensions: 1) aims related to knowledge production, 2) roles of experimenters and participants, and 3) unpredictability of outcomes....
Key messages:
• Financial resource mobilisation needs to go hand in hand with efforts to slow the drivers of conservation costs and to improve effective spending capacity.
• Constraints to financial sustainability of biodiversity conservation are highly diverse and need to be better understood at country level.
• Innovative financing mechanisms can...
Economic instruments that promise “win-win” solutions for both biodiversity conservation and human livelihoods have become increasingly popular over recent years. There however remains a gap in terms of practical and policy-relevant guidance about appropriate approaches that take into account the local needs and the specific cultural, legal, and ec...
The contribution of biodiversity to human well-being and the economy is multifaceted. Functioning ecosystems contribute goods and services that can satisfy many human needs, with the poorest groups in developing countries often depending the most on biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides (TEEB, 2012).
The interdependency between biodiv...
Abstract: Nature conservation scientists and practitioners have voiced the concern that a conservation discourse based on economic arguments and monetary valuation may undermine conservation efforts by eroding (“crowding out”) the influence of other arguments for nature conservation. This paper presents the results of a decision experiment in which...
We propose an ethical analysis as a method to reflect on how companies' decisions promote sustainable development. The method proceeds by first identifying the choice according to financial business interests, and by then scrutinizing this choice according to consequentialist and deontological ethics. The paper applies the method to the choice of a...
Acknowledgements: This synthesis report complements the 'ValuES collection of case studies: Experiences with ecosystem service assessment processes'. It would not have been possible without the willingness of experts and practitioners to share their inside views of assessment processes with the research team of the ValuES project: Cross are gratefu...
Practitioners in the fields of sustainable development, land management, and biodiversity conservation are increasingly interested in using economic instruments that promise “win-win” solutions for conservation and human livelihoods. However, practitioners often lack guidance for selecting and implementing suitable economic approaches that take the...
The paper seeks to advance our understanding of the extent to which the use of economic incentives can undermine (“crowd out”) or reinforce (“crowd in”) people's intrinsic motivations to engage in biodiversity and ecosystem conservation. We first synthesize and classify the psychological mechanisms behind motivation crowding effects. Then we conduc...
There are many different approaches to, and methods for, doing an assessment. This online navigator guides through possible purposes for doing an assessment before suggesting a sub-set from the 60+ method profiles available online. Diverse scoping tools, and qualitative, quantative and monetary assessment methods are being covered. Profiles come wi...
Seriously engaging with the needs, hardships, and aspirations of future generations is an emotional experience as much as an intellectual endeavor. In this essay we describe a guided visualization exercise used to overcome the emotional barriers that often prevent us from dealing effectively with intergenerational decisions. The meditation and drea...
Recent research on the dynamics of moral behavior has documented two contrasting phenomena-moral consistency and moral balancing. Moral balancing refers to the phenomenon whereby behaving ethically or unethically decreases the likelihood of engaging in the same type of behavior again later. Moral consistency describes the opposite pattern-engaging...
The Guidance Manual is an output of the "TEEB National Implemention Project: Reflecting the Value of Ecosystems and Biodiversity in Policymaking" which is financially sup-ported by the European Commission. The project is a re-sponse to the interest and demand expressed by developing countries, including Least Developed Countries, to build national,...
Recent research on the dynamics of moral behavior has documented two contrasting phenomena - moral consistency and moral balancing. Moral balancing refers to the phenomenon whereby behaving (un)ethically decreases the likelihood of doing so again at a later time. Moral consistency describes the opposite pattern - engaging in (un)ethical behavior in...
We study the influence of decision power on fairness in the division of gains from productive activity. In an experimental setting, two actors are involved in generating a gain, but only one contributes actively by completing a task. In three treatments, decision power to divide the gain is assigned to (1) the inactive, (2) both the inactive and th...
We study how the main business actor in the Inambari hydropower project in Peru (EGASUR) treats the biodiversity impacts of its planned operations. Selecting the choice of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as the crucial decision, we complement an analysis of expected business interests with an ethical analysis. The analyses reveal that fol...
The paper analyses the results of a Communication Game in a cooperative or a competitive context. In this game, decision makers face uncertainty about the consequences of their choice, but can rely on recommendations from advisors. Financial incentives between alternatives are not aligned for the two players, which produces an incentive to lie. Whi...
The dissertation employs laboratory experimental methodology to study decision-making when people face trade-offs between ethical and economic values. More explicitly, the three chapters investigate 1) consumer behaviour when a substantially equivalent version of a product is more expensive because it was produced without child labour, 2) the inter...
The paper presents an experimental study of truth telling and trust in communication under asymmetric information. In a two-player Communication Game (cf., Gneezy, 2005), an informed “advisor” sends a message to an uninformed “decision maker”, who then has to decide whether to follow the advice. The advisor may gain more by lying in the message. In...
Corruption in the public sector erodes tax compliance and leads to higher tax evasion. Moreover, corrupt public officials abuse their public power to extort bribes from the private agents. In both types of interaction with the public sector, the private agents are bound to face uncertainty with respect to their disposable incomes. To analyse effect...
Does ethical differentiation of products affect market behavior? We examined this issue in triopolistic experimental markets where producers set prices. One producer's costs were higher than the others. In two treatments, the additional costs were attributed to compliance with ethical guidelines. In the third, no justification was provided. Many co...
In an experiment we study market outcomes under alternative incentive structures for third-party enforcers. Our transactions resemble anonymous credit transactions where lenders can give loans and borrowers can repay them. When borrowers default, judges are free to enforce repayment but are themselves paid differently in each of three treatments. F...
In an experimental laboratory setting two types of actors are involved in the generation of economic gain - Actives and Inactives. Only Actives have to complete a real-effort task to generate the gain; payments to Actives reflect the wage for their work. In three treatments, the decision power to allocate payments from the economic gain is assigned...
The dissertation employs laboratory experimental methodology to study decision-making when people face trade-offs between ethical and economic values. More explicitly, the three chapters investigate 1) consumer behaviour when a substantially equivalent version of a product is more expensive because it was produced without child labour, 2) the inter...
