The paper deals with the measurement of the benefits provided by natural resources, with particular reference to the tourist development of mountain areas. In fact, the possibility of measuring some of the benefits produced by the natural resources allows appropriate development strategies to be formulated. The second part of the paper presents possible solutions suggested for sustainable tourism in an area of the Pre-Alps between Veneto and Trentino. These solutions are a result of research carried out using the contingent valuation method. Critical information was gathered that enabled the adjustment of interventions in relation to both the actual opportunity and the benefits deriving from the natural resources studied.

In the increasing scientific debate about sustainable forest management, a crucial role is played by the development of adequate instruments of evaluation and survey. The current system of national accounts (SNA) underestimates the full value of forest resources and does not permit a correct evaluation of the total contribution of forests to economic welfare. The SNA reflects, partially, the consumption of forest natural capital or the costs of loss of forest quality. This is due to the fact that it registers only the value of produced outputs that are traded in the marketplace. The non-market functions provided by forests (recreational, aesthetic, ecological and protective) are definite ''non-SNA functions'' and are not taken into account. As many studies have demonstrated, forests have a higher value than that solely connected to production aspects. This paper focuses on the results of an attempt to correct the accounting system in order to estimate and integrate the benefits of non-traded-goods and services provided by forests ARTICLE IN PRESS www.elsevier.de/jfe 1104-6899/$ -see front matter

No abstract

Forest ecosystems produce environmental services from which individuals benefit. In recent decades, interest in these services has significantly increased to meet the demand for new products and services related to landscape use and recreational activities. These new products and services are defined as Non-Wood Forest Products and Services (NWFP&Ss). There is the possibility, and in certain cases the need, to introduce a system of payment for these NWFP&Ss. However, the transformation of forest environmental goods and services into commercial products and services is not a straightforward process. This paper reviews a number of successful payment mechanisms for NWFP&Ss in order to examine the elements which contribute to transforming these externalities into sources of income for people living near forests

Abstract:The promotion of sustainable tourism models has been widely debated; many pages have been devoted to the attempt to provide the subject with a strong theoretical base and coherent structure. This said, it is still the case that, although such frameworks are crucial for the development of appropriate planning and policy instruments, their actual implementation continue to be fraught with difficulties. These problems are exacerbated when sustainable tourism entails development opportunities which require the support of the local community and the management of natural resources which are typically common goods. Under these circumstances, new management structures, which can both satisfy the needs of the local community and ensure the appropriate stewardship of the natural resources, must be created. Management solutions are not always easy to define and often need to be considered within a general framework, based on which individual cases are then formulated. This study analyses the connections between models of sustainable tourism and natural resource management considering the forest landscape case. This relationship is first examined from a theoretical perspective and then within a case study, in order to highlight the dual approach-both general and within a specific context.

The Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) can be a useful tool for the ex ante evaluation of service innovations in the forestry sector, in particular for transforming a recreational forest function from a free to a payment-based utilisation. In presenting the case study results, the superiority of CVM to other evaluation techniques is discussed.

No abstract

This article highlights the potential for collecting and processing territorial data in order to facilitate planning and programming that respond to real local problems and include the political and regulatory framework in force. A case study is explored that involves the joint use of two databases with institutional functions: the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) and the National Information System for Water Management in Agriculture (SIGRIAN). Both databases are managed by the Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA). Those data were used to calculate economic-structural indicators for irrigated and livestock farms located in the Po River Basin District and to run the socioeconomic analysis required to update the Water Management Plan. The updating of plans is governed by the Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC), which establishes the community framework for water and requires all Member States to review and update their Plan every six years. The first update deadline was December 2015 and the second one will be December 2021. The integrated use of two databases made it possible to identify farms according to two types of irrigation: collective or self-supplied. With collective irrigation (Irrigation Water Service), the farm is a user of a Local Agency for Water Management (LAWM) that collects and distributes irrigation water. With self-supplied irrigation, the individual farmers collect and distribute water themself. The analysis carried out demonstrates the need and opportunity to develop coordinated data collection and management systems, thereby strengthening and refining the monitoring and programming of water use in line with the real needs of the territory.