The Economic Evaluation of Forest Protection Service Against Rockfall: A Review of Experiences and Approaches

Bianchi, Ettore; Accastello, Cristian; Trappmann, Daniel; Blanc, Simone; Brun, Filippo

doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2018.08.021

Cited by 15 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…Once the essential prerequisite (1) has been satisfied and the objectives to be pursued with the risk management strategy (2) have been set, the problem is framed by collecting the necessary information concerning the various factors involved in the framework: risks, forests, protection measures, and stakeholders (3). Successively, the demand and supply aspects of the ES are investigated, analysing the risks using models, testing the potential effectiveness of nature-based Once the essential prerequisite (1) has been satisfied and the objectives to be pursued with the risk management strategy (2) have been set, the problem is framed by collecting the necessary information concerning the various factors involved in the framework: risks, forests, protection measures, and stakeholders (3). Successively, the demand and supply aspects of the ES are investigated, analysing the risks using models, testing the potential effectiveness of nature-based solutions, and ensuring that the need for protection of the stakeholders is satisfied.…”

Section: Structure Of the Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Among these challenges, natural hazards have always proved to be particularly threatening due to their potential to cause fatalities and substantial damages to goods, infrastructure, assets, and economic activities [3]. Considering, for instance, the Swiss territory alone, over the last 70 years, more than 1000 people have died as a consequence of natural hazard [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Framework for the Integration of Nature-Based Solutions into Environmental Risk Management Strategies

2019

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Mountainous areas are expected to face increasing societal pressure due to mass tourism and the rising intensity and frequency of natural hazards triggered by climate change. Therefore, the development of proper strategies for the management of environmental risks will be crucial to ensure their liveability. Against this backdrop, concepts such as territorial resilience and Social–Ecological Systems (SES) can support the prioritisation of protective efforts. This paper presents a conceptual framework to be applied to areas subject to natural hazards. Its aim is to support the integration of different measures, with a special focus on protection forests and other Nature-based Solutions, into current risk management strategies. The framework considers (i) the definition of SES boundaries; (ii) the identification of the main goals to be achieved; (iii) the quantification of the supply and demand of the ecosystem protection service; and (iv) the development of risk management strategies able to include the management of protection forests among the adopted solutions. This framework is intended as a tool to be adopted by local and regional decision-makers as a tool to identify the areas at risk, to recognise the potential role of protection forests, and to operationalise the concept of resilience through the deployment of “grey-green” strategies.

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Section: Structure Of the Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Framework for the Integration of Nature-Based Solutions into Environmental Risk Management Strategies

2019

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“…Consequently, their evaluation could help draw attention to their management and thus support the integration of Eco-DRR into risk management strategies [20,21]. Several studies have already been conducted, mainly in the alpine space, concerning the economic evaluation of the protective service of forests against the different natural hazards influenced by its presence [22]. Among those, the study from Notaro and Paletto [23] represents a seminal example of the application of the Replacement Cost approach at landscape level.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There, the methodological limitations of upscaling this method to areas larger than single protection forest stands were bypassed by involving a focus group of experts, in order to evaluate the influence of several forest features in providing protection from natural hazards in general. This study was followed by several other researches carried out in Italy, Switzerland, and France, where this approach was applied at forest stand-level [11,22,24]. Conversely, a more limited number of studies adopted other indirect evaluation methods, such as the Avoided Damages method, in which the protection service of a forest is valued in relation to the damages it prevents [12,25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, their replicability is low, since the results are the consequence of the relation between the considered protection forest stand and its beneficiaries. In a nutshell, these studies showed a large variability of both the available methods and the units of measure of the results, which were alternatively presented as values, i.e., a lump sum of money, or incomes, often expressed as money ha −1 year −1 [22]. This heterogeneity leads to a general lack of consensus on the most suitable methodology to be applied in the evaluation of this ES, undermining its wider adoption in a standardized and replicable way.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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ASFORESEE: A Harmonized Model for Economic Evaluation of Forest Protection against Rockfall

Accastello¹,

Bianchi²,

Blanc³

et al. 2019

Forests

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Gravitational hazards, such as rockfall, constitute a major risk in mountainous areas, threatening dwellers, goods, and infrastructures, and ultimately posing a challenge to their development. Ecosystem-based solutions for Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR), such as protection forests, can play a significant role in mitigating these risks by integrating the protective structures currently adopted, which are often costly and could entail higher environmental impacts. This study develops an economic model called ASFORESEE (Alpine Space FORest Ecosystem Services Economic Evaluation) to assess the protective service forests provide against rockfall within a standardized framework adopting a precautionary approach. The Replacement Cost approach was adopted, measuring the protection effectiveness, the need for protection of the stakeholders and defining a harmonized method for the design of the defensive structures. Applying the model to a case study in the Italian Alps, the results show the forest has a relevant protective effect able to fulfil the stakeholders’ needs, with a value of 30,440 € ha−1, equal to 950 € ha−1 year−1, within the 25-year timespan considered. ASFORESEE could feasibly be adopted in other mountainous contexts, due to its harmonized structure reliant on minimal assumptions. Its adoption would foster the acknowledgment of the forest role and to further support the inclusion of Eco-DRR in local risk management plans.

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The Protective Role of Forests to Reduce Rockfall Risks and Impacts in the Alps Under a Climate Change Perspective

Lingua¹,

Bettella²,

Pividori³

et al. 2020

Climate Change Management

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Among the functions provided by forests, protection has always been considered one of the preeminent in mountain areas. In order to fulfil, maximize, and sustain this function, specific forest structures should be obtained and maintained through properly designed forest management. A specific management goal should be defined with a well-defined forest target against each natural hazard, based on the protection potentially provided by the forest stands, in either an active (e.g. against avalanches) or passive way (e.g. against rockfall). Climate change is forecast to affect both disturbance regimes and forest ecosystems, leading to new challenging issues concerning protection forest management. This paper describes how a forest stand exerts its protective role against rockfalls and the target profile to be reached for sustaining this function. Potential consequences of climate change on forest ecosystems that management will have to face in the near future are also addressed. New perspectives are provided taking into account the knowledge coming from recent research studies and specifically the results obtained in the RockTheAlps project (ASP462), dealing with the assessment of protection forests against rockfall in the Alps.

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The Economic Evaluation of Forest Protection Service Against Rockfall: A Review of Experiences and Approaches

Cited by 15 publications

References 76 publications

A Framework for the Integration of Nature-Based Solutions into Environmental Risk Management Strategies

A Framework for the Integration of Nature-Based Solutions into Environmental Risk Management Strategies

ASFORESEE: A Harmonized Model for Economic Evaluation of Forest Protection against Rockfall

The Protective Role of Forests to Reduce Rockfall Risks and Impacts in the Alps Under a Climate Change Perspective

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