It appears that the Swedish environmental goal “Healthy Forests” (Levande skogar) might not reach its goal in 2020. CERE’s Göran Bostedt comments on this in “Ekonomisk Debatt” (Economics Debate) nr 5 2019. He considers other options and if it is not about time to turn our eyes to neighboring Finland.
“Insufficient goal fulfillment, poor cost-effectiveness and a low acceptance of forest policy – it might not be surprising that, as an economist, one starts to wonder if more market inspired instruments might be able to succeed better.” In Ekonomisk Debatt, Göran Bostedt discus using Green auctions, a successful concept that has been used for conservation in Finland. Similar instruments have been tried in Sweden, but with completely different results. Göran points out a number of flaws responsible for the lack of success in Sweden.
Read the entire article ”Naturskydd på anbud” in Ekonomisk Debatt nr 5 2019, 47. (Only in Swedish)
Using a linking indicator – a biophysical outcome that is meaningful or directly relevant to the public’s wellbeing can help to relate issues in the nature to a broader set of human concerns.
The importance of ecosystem services is often well known within natural scientists. However, communicating the value of this importance so that it resonates with the public or policy-makers can be challenging. Dr James Boyd visited CERE on 19 September 2019 to talk about how to relate nature to a broader set of human concerns. He is working on connecting knowledge between natural and social sciences through linking indicators. Linking indicators are biophysical outcomes that are directly relevant to social welfare. For instance, excess nitrogen in soils can affect the entire ecosystem in a multitude of ways. But by focusing on particular pieces of the ecosystem, such as an artic fox, the issues affecting human wellbeing become more obvious. In this example, the fox becomes a linking indicator, the biophysical outcome that is meaningful to the public and can embody the issues within an entire ecosystem.
Using a linking indicator – a biophysical outcome that is meaningful or directly relevant to the public’s wellbeing can help to relate issues in the nature to a broader set of human concerns.