Enhancing ecosystem services through afforestation: How policy can help

Abstract

We employ an integrated spatial economic model to assess the net private and public benefits of converting marginal agricultural land into forest plantations (afforestation) in New Zealand. For numerous locations, we conduct policy analysis considering the magnitudes of net private and public benefits of land-use changes to determine whether a policy response is justified and, if so, to identify the appropriate policy instruments to encourage adoption of afforestation. Net private benefit is commonly negative, so much so, that in most cases no policy response is justified. However, in certain cases, net private benefits are slightly negative and public benefits are significantly positive justifying the use of positive incentives as the most appropriate policy instrument to encourage afforestation in New Zealand. The most commonly used policy instruments for afforestation in New Zealand, extension and awareness training, are found to be appropriate in only a minority of situations.

Assessing drivers of plantation forest productivity on eroded and non-eroded soils in hilly land, eastern North Island, New Zealand

“…The values of avoided erosion through afforestation and the other ecosystem services that forestry provides have been quantified (Barry et al 2014) but these services are currently not reflected by market prices in New Zealand. Barry et al (2014) concluded that where benefits to society outweigh costs to the forest owner, positive incentives should be legislated to promote afforestation of marginal land.…”

“…Barry et al (2014) concluded that where benefits to society outweigh costs to the forest owner, positive incentives should be legislated to promote afforestation of marginal land. In the current project, forest growth on erosion-prone soils was compared with tree growth in non-eroded soils in a plantation forest in mainly hilly land and steepland near Napier.…”

Land-Use Modelling in New Zealand: Current Practice and Future Needs

“…o For each forest, the NPV of forestry in perpetuity is determined using discounted cashflow analysis, with the goal to estimate the land expectation value (Bettinger et al, 2008), as described in Barry et al (2014).…”

Learning from agri-environment schemes in Australia: Investing in biodiversity and other ecosystem services on farms

“…The quality of the prioritisation process can make a major difference to the natural resource outcomes delivered (e.g. Barry et al 2014).…”