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Background This study aimed to survey the knowledge and use of mammals by the residents of the rural community of Capivara in the municipality of Solânea (Paraíba State, Northeast Brazil) and to propose a new method of using the use value as a tool for data analysis in ethnozoological surveys. Methods The uses attributed to mammals were recorded through semi-structured interviews conducted with the breadwinners (men and women) living in the community. The species were identified through guided tours, by descriptions made by the interviewees, and using specimens donated by them, as well as by comparison with the pertinent scientific literature (morphological and ecological). Through the use value differentiated analysis, it was possible to distinguish the current use value of the species (effective use) from their potential use value (knowledge, but no effective use) to determine their real importance related to the uses cited by the studied group. Results Nineteen species were cited; however, only 17 of them were identified and then distributed in 13 families. The other species were identified at the genus level Leopardus sp. and order Rodentia. The species were classified into 6 categories of use: food, captive breeding, zootherapeutic, artisanal, magic/religious, and veterinary purposes. Conclusions This article discusses possible conservation solutions, given the irregular exploitation of some species, warning about the biodiversity, and traditional knowledge conservation.

Understanding and evaluating the recreational value of a wetland park is important for the sustainability of wetland conservation and exploitation. This study evaluates the non-use and use values of the Haizhu National Wetland Park, China, using the choice experiment method (CEM) and individual travel cost method (ITCM) holistically. The CEM results showed that for conserving the non-use value, the total willingness to pay (WTP) amounted to 2.56 million CNY based on a per capita amount of 8.03 CNY. Tourists’ marginal WTP (MWTP) for each wetland attribute demonstrated a trend of “wetland popular science education” > “folk culture display and cultural inheritance” > “water visibility” > “open area of the park.” The results for ITCM showed that the per capita amount and total use values were 242.88 CNY and 77.48 million CNY, respectively. Thus, the total per capita amount and total recreational values were 250.91 CNY and 80.04 million CNY. This study contributes to the literature by demonstrating an integrated model for recreational value evaluation with CEM and ITCM applied simultaneously. It unveils tourists’ multifarious trade-offs of different wetland attributes. In addition, the sociocultural attributes, together with the natural ones, were integrated into the application of CEM. Several practical implications, including adjusting ticket price based on per capita non-use value, strengthening the management of tourists’ recreational behaviors, implementing environmental conservation activities, and enhancing Lingnan folk culture display and inheritance, were proposed.

This paper calls for re-focusing the analysis of existing results to evaluate whether there are stable ratios of use value to total willingness to pay for improvements in different types of environmental resources. The objective is to develop a screening tool to determine if decisions about the assumed number of users versus nonusers of a resource are likely to be important to aggregate benefit measures for changes in the amount or quality of different environmental resources. Four sets of applications involving different aspects of water resources are considered: nutrients in the Neuse River affecting the Albemarle-Pamlico Estuary; nutrients in the Chesapeake Bay; whitewater rafting on the Colorado River; and the Deepwater Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The findings suggest a need to add the evaluation of these ratios to the research agenda in benefits transfer.

Proponents of artificial reef (AR) deployment are often motivated by the usefulness of such structures. The usefulness of ARs is related to their capability of providing ecosystem services/additional functions. We present two distinct Portuguese AR case studies: (1) The Nazaré reef off the central coast of Portugal and (2) the Oura reef off the Algarve coast. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with local fishermen in the fishing towns of Nazaré and Quarteira pre-and post-AR deployment. The main focus of the interviews was to understand fishermen’s perception of AR usefulness (or lack thereof) in terms of nine ecosystem services/additional functions potentially provided by the ARs. We tested the null hypothesis that ARs do not provide additional ecosystem services/additional functions. When queried pre-AR deployment, fishermen indicated that ARs are most likely to provide three ecosystem services: “habitat and refuge,” “biodiversity preservation” and “food production.” Fishermen had similar perceptions post-deployment. For the Nazaré reef, fishermen tended to have a positive or neutral perception of ecosystem services/additional functions being provided by ARs. For the Oura reef, fishermen tended to have a mostly neutral perception of AR ecosystem services; however, there were also some positive and other negative perceptions. It was difficult for stakeholders to conceptualize some of the ecosystem services/additional functions provided by ARs prior to actively using them. As a result, some stakeholders changed their perception of the ecosystem services/additional functions after using the structures. These results indicate that stakeholders likely need to perceive ARs as useful in order for them to provide their support for AR installation. Likewise, their support is often needed to justify the use of public funds to install ARs, therefore making it imperative for resource managers to undertake similar interviews with fishermen when considering the use of ARs in other areas.

A nationwide survey was conducted to estimate welfare associated with large-scale wetland restoration in coastal Louisiana. Binary- and multinomial-choice survey instruments were administered via Knowledge Networks, using the latter to estimate willingness to pay (WTP) for increments in three ecosystem services: wildlife habitat provision, storm surge protection, and fisheries productivity. Results indicate that confidence in government agencies, political leanings, and “green” lifestyle choices were significant explanatory factors. All three ecosystem services significantly affected project support, with increased fisheries productivity having the largest marginal effect, followed by improved storm surge protection and increased wildlife habitat. Mean household WTP, in the form of a one-time tax, is estimated to be $909 (confidence interval $732–$1,185), with resource users being willing to pay substantially more. This figure implies a mean aggregate willingness to pay of $105 billion (confidence interval $84–$136 billion) in excess of the State of Louisiana’s estimated $50 billion cost for a statewide restoration program similar to the hypothetical restoration in this study.

Early applications of wilderness economic research demonstrated that the values of natural amenities and commodities produced from natural areas could be measured in commensurate terms. To the surprise of many, the economic values of wilderness protection often exceeded the potential commercial values that might result from resource extraction. Here, the concepts and tools used in the economic analysis of wilderness are described, and the wilderness economic literature is reviewed with a focus on understanding trends in use, value, and economic impacts. Although our review suggests that each of these factors is trending upward, variations in research methods plus large gaps in the literature limit understanding of long-run trends. However, as new data on wilderness use, visitor origins, and spatially referenced features of landscapes are becoming increasingly available, more robust economic analysis of both onsite and offsite wilderness economic values and impacts is now becoming possible.

West Africa, the largest cocoa‐producing region globally, has experienced significant deforestation in recent decades, leading countries to implement large‐scale agroforestry policies; however, most studies on farmers' adoption of agroforestry fail to consider the social (Who?), historical (When?), geographical (Where?), and ecological (What?) factors that influence their motivations to value trees. Drawing from a sample of 150 farmers responsible for the management of 12,096 trees, we quantified the motivations of farmers for 10 material and immaterial uses of trees and used a Bayesian modelling framework to explore the relative importance of the 4 W framework in explaining general motivations, specific to each use, as well as the varying levels of specialization in tree management strategies among farmers. The distribution of use values by category shows that the highest values are associated with (i) agronomic uses (such as shade for cocoa trees and soil fertilization), (ii) food for human consumption, (iii) social purposes, and (iv) medicinal uses. All four aspects of the 4 W framework significantly contribute to understanding farmers' deep motivations, while the influence of each 4 W determinant varies based on the specific material and immaterial uses being considered. The level of specialization or diversification in cocoa farmers' motivations is significantly influenced by their knowledge of tree species and cocoa tree density, with knowledgeable farmers exhibiting greater diversification, while higher cocoa tree density and the presence of remnant trees lead to more specialized strategies that hinder agroforestry adoption. From a political perspective, it is urgent that stakeholders involved in the promotion of agroforestry consider all dimensions of the farmer‐field system. The diversity of farmers' life histories (Who), of cultivated landscapes (Where), of field systems (What), and of time trajectories (When) present both constraints and opportunities with which farmers must contend to transition to much‐desired agroforestry systems. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Résumé L'Afrique de l'Ouest, principale région productrice de cacao au monde, a connu une déforestation massive au cours des dernières décennies, poussant les pays à mettre en œuvre des politiques agroforestières à grande échelle. Cependant, la plupart des études sur l'adoption de l'agroforesterie par les agriculteurs ne prennent pas en compte les facteurs sociaux (Who?), historiques (When?), géographiques (Where?) et écologiques (What?) qui influencent leurs motivations à valorizer les arbres. En nous basant sur un échantillon de 150 agriculteurs responsables de la gestion de 12,096 arbres, nous avons quantifié les motivations des agriculteurs pour 10 usages matériels et immatériels des arbres. Nous avons ensuite utilisé un cadre bayésien de modélisation pour explorer l'importance relative du cadre des « 4 W » dans l'explication des motivations générales, spécifiques à chaque usage, ainsi que les niveaux de spécialisation des stratégies de gestion des arbres chez les agriculteurs. La répartition des valeurs d'usage par catégorie montre que les valeurs les plus élevées sont associées à (i) des usages agronomiques (tels que l'ombrage des cacaoyers et la fertilization des sols), (ii) l'alimentation humaine, (iii) des fonctions sociales et (iv) des usages médicinaux. Les quatre aspects du cadre des « 4 W » contribuent de manière significative à la compréhension des motivations profondes des agriculteurs, bien que l'influence de chaque déterminant varie selon les usages matériels ou immatériels spécifiques. Le niveau de spécialisation ou de diversification des motivations des producteurs de cacao est. significativement influencé par leur connaissance des espèces et par la densité des cacaoyers. Les agriculteurs ayant une plus grande connaissance des arbres tendent à diversifier leurs motivations, tandis qu'une plus grande densité de cacaoyers et la présence d'arbres rémanents favorisent des stratégies plus spécialisées, freinant ainsi l'adoption de l'agroforesterie. D'un point de vue politique, il est. urgent que les acteurs impliqués dans la promotion de l'agroforesterie prennent en compte toutes les dimensions du système champ‐agriculteur. La diversité des histoires de vie des agriculteurs (Who), des paysages cultivés (Where), de leurs systèmes de culture (What) et des trajectoires historiques (When) représentent à la fois des contraintes et des opportunités auxquelles les agriculteurs doivent faire face pour initier une transition vers les systèmes agroforestiers tant désirés. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

This paper presents the first application of ethnobotanical studies to screen for allelopathic species among medicinal plants for sustainable weed management. This study assesses the possible relationship between ethnobotanical indices and allelopathy of medicinal plants. Ethnobotanical data were collected in 2016 by using semi-structured interviews with 140 informants in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality, Ghana. Data were analysed using statistical tool and ethnobotanical indices including use value (UV), Fidelity Level (FL), Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC). The Sandwich and Dish pack methods were respectively used to evaluate allelopathy through leachates and volatiles of collected samples. Ninety-five species belonging to 43 families are reported in this study, with leaves (52%) cited the most utilised plant part. Cleistopholis patens (UV = 0.54; FL = 90.7%; RFC = 0.37) and Ocimum gratissimum (UV = 0.37; FL = 38.4%; RFC = 0.35) were among the most cited species. Thirty-two species showed inhibition (≥49.3%) by leachates, while twenty-four species were found with potential volatile inhibitory compounds against lettuce radicle growth. There was a significant positive correlation (Pearson) between the UV and RFC of medicinal plants and allelopathy by leaf leachates (r = 0.639 **; p = 0.01 and r = 0.653 **; p = 0.01 respectively). This systematic documentation of medicinal plants in Ejisu-Juaben Municipality shows medicinal plants with ethnomedicinal values and potential allelopathy that can be utilised in sustainable weed control.

Understanding what determines the size and composition of fruit, grain and seed in response to the environment and genotype is challenging, as these traits result from several linked processes controlled at different levels of organization, from the subcellular to the crop level, with subtle interactions occurring at or between the levels of organization. Process-based simulation models (PBSMs) implement algorithms to simulate metabolic and biophysical aspects of cell, tissue and organ behaviour. In this review, fruit, grain and seed PBSMs describing the main phases of growth, development and storage metabolism are discussed. From this concurrent work, it is possible to identify generic storage organ processes which can be modelled similarly for fruit, grain and seed. Spatial heterogeneity at the tissue and whole-plant level is found to be a key consideration in modelling the effects of the environment and genotype on fruit, grain and seed end-use value. In the future, PBSMs may well become the main link between studies at the molecular and whole-plant levels. To bridge this phenotype-to-genotype gap, future models need to remain plastic without becoming overparameterized.

This study explored how farmers’ motivation in terms of use values and/or non-use values to work with farm animal welfare are associated with the economic outcome for the farm. Use values in farm animal welfare refer to economic value derived from productivity and profitability considerations. Non-use values in farm animal welfare refer to economic value derived from good animal welfare, irrespective of the use the farmer derives from the animal, currently or in the future. The analysis was based on detailed information about the income statements of a sample of Swedish dairy farmers, obtained from the Swedish Farm Economic Survey, complemented with survey information about their perceived use and non-use values in farm animal welfare. The findings suggest that farm economic outcome is significantly associated with motivation in terms of use values, but not so much with motivation in terms of non-use values. This is interesting from a policy point of view, because it indicates that farmers with different approaches to farm animal welfare may experience different economic outcomes for their farms. Findings can, for instance, be used to strengthen farmers’ engagement in various private quality assurance standards, which generally focus on values of non-use type, by pointing to that realisation of such values will not impair the economic outcome of the farms. Moreover, findings also suggest that farmers’ economic incentives for engagement in such standards may need to be further strengthened in order to become more attractive, as findings point to that a focus on non-use values generally is not associated with more favourable economic outcomes.