Filtern
Erscheinungsjahr
- 2006 (1) (entfernen)
Dokumenttyp
- Research Paper (1) (entfernen)
Schlagworte
- Haftpflichtrisiko (1)
- Versicherung (1)
- biodiversity (1)
- ecosystem management (1)
- free-riding (1)
- insurance (1)
- public good (1)
- Öffentliches Gut (1)
- Ökosystem (1)
Institut
- Frühere Fachbereiche (1) (entfernen)
Abstract. The ecological literature suggests that biodiversity reduces the variance of ecosystem services. Thus, conservative biodiversity management has an insurance value to risk-averse users of ecosystem services. We analyze a conceptual ecological-economic model in which such management measures generate a private benefit and, via ecosystem processes at higher hierarchical levels, a positive externality on other ecosystem users. We find that ecosystem management and environmental policy depend on the extent of uncertainty and risk-aversion as follows: (i) Individual effort to improve ecosystem quality unambiguously increases. The free-rider problem may decrease or increase, depending on the characteristics of the ecosystem and its management; in particular, (ii) the size of the externality may decrease or increase, depending on how individual and aggregate management effort influence biodiversity; and (iii) the welfare loss due to free-riding may decrease or increase, depending on how biodiversity influences ecosystem service provision.