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Ecotourism has been identified as a low impact means to provide income generating opportunities that are complementary to nature conservation as well as the welfare of the local population. The Maya Biosphere Reserve in Peten, Guatemala is one of Central America's largest and most isolated protected areas. And although the area is contains a well-visited archeological site, it has not been developed for ecotourism. In this study choice experiments are used to analyze the preferences toward alternative scenarios of ecotourism of two important stakeholder groups: foreign tourists and educated local residents. Results demonstrate that these two populations of have unequal but similar preference orderings, especially toward: improved national park management and the presence of guides for wildlife viewing. These stakeholder groups had different opinions toward paved access roads and the presence of illegal colonists within the protected area. Both populations favored an entrance fee toward the absence of an entrance fee. These preferences were generally consistent across other socioeconomic indicators.

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Ahsl ructChile: is one of the few countrics that has cncouragcd the use of markets in watcr rcsourcc management. In order to assess the impact of Water markets and transactions costs in Chile, four river valleys, the Maipo, Elqui, Lirnari, and the Azapa wcrc sclectcd as case studios. Transactions from the Elqui and Lirnarî vallcys, during the ycars 19H6 to 1993, wcre analyzcd 10 determine the gains-fronHrade from markel transfers.ln the economie and Iinancial analysis of water markets, crop budgets were used 10 cstimate the value of water in agriculturn] rO(/lIClion. 111e value of watcr-use rights to urban watcr-supply companies was estimated using the avoided cost or an allernalive 1IlVestment in a water-storage reservoir. The analysis dcmonstratcd thal the market transfer of watcr-usc rights docs produce substanlial C<:onomic gains-Irom-tradc in both the Elqui and Liman Valleys. These economie gains produce rcnts for both buyers and sellcrs. BUI bUyers, especially farmers growing profitable crops who huy watcr-use rights ami indiv iduals buying watcr-use rghts for potable water SUPply, rccelve higher rents then sollers. Large tablc-grapc producers in the Limari Valley and individuals buying water for hum an COIlSlImption in the Elqui Valley rcceivcd the highest rcnts, In the Elqui Valley net gains·from-lrade pcr share were within the range of recentlransfer priees of US$1000. In the Limari Valley, gains-Irorn-tradc pcr share are).4 times the recent priees of US$)OOO for a sharc of Water l'rom the Cogoti Reservoir.Where trading was active, especially in the Limari Valley, Iransactions costs have not presentee an appreciable barrier to trading. Nonetheless, in the large canal systems with flxcd flow dividcrs in the Elqui and Maipo Valley thcre have bcen very fcw Iransactions. Van ous factors contributc to the lack of trading, hut the absence of trading in these large canal systems highlights the costs of Illodifying n~ed infrastructure, especially for trades bctwecn farmers.

Institutions are the rules and norms that guide societal behavior. As societies evolve-with more diverse economies, increased populations and incomes, and more water scarcity-new and more complex water management institutions need to be developed. This evolution of water management institutions may also be observed across different constituencies, with different societal needs, in the same time period. The Red River of the North basin is particularly well suited for research on water management issues. A key feature of water management in the Red River Basin is the presence of three completely different sets of water law. Minnesota's water law is based upon riparian rights. North Dakota's water law is based upon prior appropriation. Manitoba has a system of water allocation that features provincial control. Because the basin is fairly homogeneous in terms of land use and geographic features, its institutional diversity makes this an excellent case study for the analysis of local water institutions. This article reviews the local water management institutions in the Red River Basin and assesses the ongoing institutional evolution of local water management.

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Outbreaks of anthrax have diverse consequences on society. Establishing the appropriate control strategies is very important and crucial in reducing the socio-economic impact of the disease. Control measures are aimed at breaking the cycle of infection, and their implementation must be adhered to rigorously. The objectives of this paper were: (i) to review the control strategies currently used in management of anthrax in animals and (ii) to describe management strategies used by producers in North Dakota during the 2005 anthrax outbreak in livestock. Anthrax control strategies were divided in to strategies that apply before, during, and after an anthrax outbreak. This paper also highlights the problems or constraints faced by North Dakota producers in controlling anthrax during the outbreak of 2005.

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