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En España, al igual que en otros países del sur de Europa, las labores de resinación han ocupado un lugar importante en el desarrollo económico y social de numerosas áreas rurales. En este artículo se analizan las preferencias de resineros por un programa de potenciación de la actividad resinera en la meseta norte de la Península Ibérica. Para ello, se realiza un experimento de elección discreta que permite valorar diferentes características asociadas a programas de potenciación de la actividad resinera, ente ellas, los meses de contrato en trabajos forestales complementarios, el método de resinación y la dedicación a las labores de resinación. Los resultados muestran que la ejecución de un plan de contratación laboral para los meses de campaña fuera de la resina en labores forestales es la opción más valorada, mientras que la mecanización del oficio hoy en día todavía no es vista como una opción muy plausible por parte de los resineros consultados. Palabras clave: economía forestal, experimento de elección, métodos de preferencias declaradas, modelos de clase latente, pinares, Pinus pinaster. In Spain, as in other Southern European countries, the resin-tapping has occupied an important role in the economic and social development of many rural areas. In this paper, resin workers' preferences are analyzed by means of a program of development of resin tapping activities in the Northern plateau of the Iberian Peninsula. For this purpose, a discrete choice experiment is designed to value different characteristics of the program. Among them, the months of contract for complementary work on forestry activities, the method of resin tapping and the work-time commitment are considered. The results show that the implementation of a plan of employment for forestry activities outside the resin tapping period is the most popular choice, while mechanization of resin tapping is not yet seen as a very plausible option by of respondents. Keywords: forest economics, choice experiment, stated preference methods, latent class models, pine forests, Pinus pinaster., Introducción En España, al igual que en otros países del sur de Europa, las labores de resinación han ocupado un lugar importante en el desarrollo económico y social de numerosas [...]

Plant pest and disease outbreaks, which occur with increasing frequency and intensity, cause catastrophic losses and threaten food security in many areas around the world. These impacts are expected to be exacerbated by climate change. Tackling this challenge requires mechanisms that ensure the financial security of farmers while incentivizing private biosecurity efforts to prevent future outbreaks. This study explored crop producers’ preferences for a subsidized insurance scheme as an instrument to manage novel biotic risks. Specifically, we developed a choice experiment to evaluate Spanish growers’ willingness to pay for a crop insurance product that promotes compliance with best biosecurity management practices. Our results show that while growers are willing to pay more for high coverage products that increase the resilience of crops to potential catastrophic outbreaks, there is neither a strong demand nor widespread availability of such tools. Farmers required reductions in premiums before undertaking risk prevention measures; they are more willing to pay for schemes that link their eligibility to access to ad hoc funds in the eventuality of a catastrophic outbreak than they are to purchase insurance. Our findings also suggest that Spanish growers prefer expanding the eligible risks covered by insurance and envisage a role for insurance in offering biosecurity protection.

•Forest fires represent the main cause of natural capital damage in Mediterranean.•Forest fires cause negative effects in coastal areas and marine biodiversity.•People are sensitive to the biodiversity losses produced by forest fires.•Voluntary work is a way to engage the population in forests conservation programs.•Voluntary work proves to be a good way to reduce the hypothetical bias.

Public surveys can be valuable tools to collect information on wildlife distribution. Our objective was to improve the knowledge on the distribution and expanding areas of the Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) in central Spain by using an on‐line questionnaire to hunters. We assessed the reliability of information that hunters provided by comparing it with reports from wildlife professionals. Our results show a high overall congruence but significantly different information provided by hunters and professionals on the distribution of the Egyptian mongoose, suggesting that both sources provide unique data for the management of non‐game species. For example, hunters reported greater mongoose presence than professionals in areas to the east of Toledo and Ciudad Real provinces, for the whole distribution and core area of the species, suggesting that hunters could help to detect other areas where the species exists. Overall, our findings stress the importance of engaging hunters in wildlife conservation, as they can share valuable information on wildlife species, including those that are not hunted. Our results show a high overall congruence but significantly different information provided by hunters and professionals on the distribution of the Egyptian mongoose, suggesting that both sources provide unique data for the management of non‐game species. Our findings stress the importance of engaging hunters in wildlife conservation, as they can share valuable information on wildlife species, including those that are not hunted.

Abstract:One of the main issues on the research agenda regarding stated preference methods concerns the heterogeneity of preferences either within or between individuals. We present a multilevel mixed model (MMM) to capture heterogeneity in deterministic utility components, instead of simply leaving them to random components. MMM captures heterogeneity at different levels: individuals, locations, and groups of individuals sharing other characteristics. The results show that individuals’ surroundings help to capture heterogeneity, and that can be controlled by specifying these aspects as predictors for this behavioral model. Therefore, MMM may contribute to the identification of the underlying structure affecting environmental decisions. (JEL D62, Q51)