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The purpose of this paper is to analyse land allocation between competing agri-environmental contracts, taking into account institutional issues, the characteristics of the farm and farm household. Three types of agri-environmental contract are considered: a Biodiversity Protection Contract, a Landscape Management Contract and a Restriction on Intensive Practices Contract. The paper demonstrates that it is important to study the choices made between the different agri-environmental contracts. The reasons for this are that a unit of land can only be allocated to one contract (although the farm itself can choose to hold more than one contract) and the perceived relative marginal cost of a contract can change if the institutional setting, the farm household or the farm characteristics alter. The model uses a two-stage method. As a first stage, the probability of contract choice is determined. In the second stage these probabilities are linked to costs and the optimal contract choice is determined.

In many countries around the world impacts of climate change are assessed and adaptation options identified. We describe an approach for a qualitative and quantitative assessment of adaptation options to respond to climate change in the Netherlands. The study introduces an inventory and ranking of adaptation options based on stakeholder analysis and expert judgement, and presents some estimates of incremental costs and benefits. The qualitative assessment focuses on ranking and prioritisation of adaptation options. Options are selected and identified and discussed by stakeholders on the basis of a sectoral approach, and assessed with respect to their importance, urgency and other characteristics by experts. The preliminary quantitative assessment identifies incremental costs and benefits of adaptation options. Priority ranking based on a weighted sum of criteria reveals that in the Netherlands integrated nature and water management and risk based policies rank high, followed by policies aiming at ‘climate proof’ housing and infrastructure.

World wide, policymakers are looking for ways to use education and communication strategies to create a world that is more sustainable than the one currently in prospect. They often find themselves trapped between instrumental (behavior change) and emancipatory (human development) uses of such strategies. This study sheds light on this apparent divide by investigating four exemplary cases representing both orientations and mixes thereof. One outcome of the study is that EE policymakers but also EE professionals first need to reflect on the kind of change challenge that is at stake. Only then are they able to determine what kind of education, participation, communication, or mix thereof is most appropriate, what kinds of results can best be pursued, and what monitoring and evaluation system can best be employed.

We examine the impact of providing a 'no-choice' option in attribute-based valuation experiments. The aim of the experiment was to assess monetary values of cockle fishery management practices in the Dutch Wadden Sea for different stakeholder groups, namely Dutch citizens, local residents and tourists. The current policy debate about the management of the Wadden Sea stresses the fact that individual preferences with respect to cockle-fishery differ. The aim of this article is to analyse the individual preferences in a objective way. Special attention is given to the influence of including a 'no-choice option', which is analysed using a nested logit model. We test whether the full set of options can be considered as close substitutes. The estimation results show that the influence of including the no-choice option differs among the stakeholders considered.

Ruimtelijke inrichting van natuur en landschap is subjectief en grijpt in op zowel de ecologie als economie van een gebied. In Nederland staat kiezen voor natuur vaak tegenover kiezen voor economische ontwikkeling. Dit artikel beschrijft een ruimtelijke afwegingsmethode (RITA) waarmee inzicht wordt verschaft in de ecologische én economische waarden van groenblauwe netwerken. Het economisch nut dat individuen aan natuur en landschap toekennen én het rangschikken van verschillende ruimtelijke kenmerken van het landschap, staan hierbij centraal. Waarbj RITA staat voor: Ruimtelijk, Interactief en Transdisciplinair Afwegingsmodel

Om tot een vernieuwing van de kennisinfrastructuur te komen werken onderzoek, onderwijs en bedrijfsleven samen in kennisarrangementen die gestimuleerd worden door de overheid. In dit artikel vergelijken onderzoekers van Wageningen Universiteit Research deze arrangementen met een muziekuitvoering

This paper uses data envelopment analysis (DEA) to investigate the possibilities for improving the technical, economic and environmental performance of Dutch pig farms relative to currently applied technologies and relative to currently available but not yet applied technologies. First, the efficiency is computed relating observed pig farms to the current best practice frontier. This frontier is computed from a sample of observed pig farms, using DEA based on linear programming. Second, potential technological change is computed as the change of the frontier due to addition of virtual farms (based on technologies that are available but not applied in practice yet) to the dataset. It is found that the mean technical efficiency of farms is rather high relative to the currently available technologies. Overall technical performance increases slightly when new technologies are introduced. Environmental performance increases importantly when applying new technologies. In particular, the ammonia emissions can be reduced largely by utilising the up-to-date housing techniques.

In this article, we develop and implement a methodology for analyzing the sources of variation in environmental efficiency across producers. We formulate a two-stage model. In the first stage, we use stochastic frontier analysis to estimate both technical and environmental efficiency. In the second stage, we again use stochastic frontier analysis to regress estimated environmental efficiency scores against a variety of technology, physical environment, and management variables. In this stage we estimate the impact of each explanatory variable on environmental efficiency, and we derive conditional estimates of environmental efficiency from the one-sided error component. We illustrate our methodology with an empirical application to a panel of Dutch dairy farms. We find evidence of relatively low levels of environmental efficiency, and we find that environmental efficiency can be improved through a number of policy options, including the provision of farmers with more insight into the nutrient balance of their farms. Copyright 2002, Oxford University Press.

Een KMBA vereist inzicht in de maatschappelijke waarde van natuur en landschap. Hierbij is aggregatie van individuele baten noodzakelijk. Hoewel de manier van aggregatie van grote invloed is op de uitkomsten van de MKBA's, wordt dit in Nederland nauwelijks onderkend

In this paper, we develop a method for spatial decision support that combines economic efficiency â¿¿ measured by the concept op willingness to pay â¿¿ with a participatory planning tool, that allows for an active collaboration among the actors involved, in such a way that decision makers can draw on the outcomes in their spatial planning and design process. The method is called RITAM, a Dutch acronym for spatially explicit, participatory and interdisciplinary trade-off method, and combines features of three different approaches to achieve an â¿¿optimalâ¿¿ landscape. These three approaches are (i) choice experiment approach; (ii) consumer versus citizen approach; and (iii) participatory approach. As such, RITAM can be seen as a valuation technique that makes explicit use of a participatory approach, in which people managing the landscape â¿¿ in particular the representatives of the different stakeholder groups that use the landscape for different purposes â¿¿ are engaged. We applied this new method to a case study in the Frisian Lake District (the Netherlands). The result give an indication of the spatial preferences of the population living in and around the area. Although future works is required, RITAM appears to be a suitable method for landscape planning and design processes, taken into account the preferences of the different organised interest groups in an area

The area of leased land in The Netherlands has decreased from roughly50% of all agricultural land in 1966 to about 27% in 2005. In 1995, the Dutchgovernment introduced two new types of lease contracts in order to prevent the decline from continuing. The new types of lease contracts implied the possibility of transferring a smaller part of the bundle of property rights from landowner to tenant. However, the trend towards decreasing lease area did not stop. In 2007, a new reform was introduced implying, again, less restrictions on formal leasing (the so-called liberalised lease). According to contract theory, transferring fewer property rights from a landowner to a tenant-farmer will lead to an institutional change for land leasing. For policies regulating land leasing, it is therefore important to recognise the characteristics of contractual arrangements and the parties involved. In this paper we analyse contract choice using a Trivariate probit model and taking into account the type of landowner and farmer characteristics. Results show that an official contract is more likely to be chosen if public organisations are involved. In contrast, when farmers exchange land among themselves, they are more likely to use less explicit contracts in which trust and reputation play an important role for coordination.

The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires member states to take measures to ensure that bodies of water will be in good chemical and ecological condition by 2015. Important measures to achieve this goal include reducing emissions of nitrogen (N) and phosphate (P 2 O 5 ) from manure and mineral fertilizers into the environment. In regions with a high livestock density, this measure is expected to affect agricultural production and income. To quantify these effects, an environmental economic model is required that can assess alternatives capable of reducing N and P 2 O 5 potential emissions to water. In this paper, we develop a model that is capable of analysing changes in potential emissions to water of N and P 2 O 5 and apply it to the Netherlands, a country with large nutrient emissions. Compared to a 2015 reference scenario based on current efforts to reduce nutrient emissions, we found that the WFD measures will increase regional transport and export of manure and reduce the number of animals in the Netherlands. Fodder adjustments (defined as lower N and P 2 O 5 input in purchased fodder) to decrease nutrient excretion in manure were a less attractive option than amongst others export, transportation of manure to another region, land use changes or reduction of the number of livestock. Compared to the reference scenario in 2015, total agricultural income will decrease by about €81.5 million per year (about €49/ha per year), although the effects will differ among parts of the Netherlands and agricultural sectors. The average predicted decrease in N emissions from agricultural sites, vulnerable to leaching into bodies of water will be almost 20% or approximately 14.7 kg N/ha per year. The reduction in N emissions to air from animal sheds, manure storage systems, application of animal manure and mineral fertilisers to the crops and grazing animals equals 6.5% or 5 kg ammonia (NH 3 ) per hectare.

The chapters that make up this volume have shown that Dutch water management provides important lessons for other countries. Both developing and industrialized countries can benefit from the Dutch experiences and avoid some of the pitfalls that the Dutch have gone through

As a low-lying delta region with a high population density, the Netherlands have long served as a study of successes and pitfalls in water management. Water Policy in the Netherlands traces the history of water governance in the country, from technological innovations to prevent wide-scale flooding, to strategies focused primarily on improving water quality, to an interdisciplinary, integrated water management approach, which brings together perspectives from economics, hydrology, ecology, water law, and water technology. The book is grounded in the realization that both the technical and social sciences must play a key role in crafting policy in the face of serious environmental challenges, including climate change, sea level rise, and increasing soil subsidence.

The costs and reliability of two electronic identification and registration (I&R) systems for sheep and goats were estimated and compared to the current I&R system in the Dutch sheep and goat sectors. In the current system (farm individual registration or FIR), animals are identified with ear tags with an individual animal number, unique farm number and registered on-farm. In the central individual registration (CIR) system animals are identified with electronic ear tags and registered individually in a central database. In the central group registration (CGR) system animals are identified with electronic ear tags and registered individually on-farm, while group movements are registered in a central database. The net costs for the FIR system were 2.6 and 1.2 million Euros per year for sheep and goats, respectively. These net costs increased to a total of 11.8 and 6.0 million Euros per year for the CIR system and to 13.5 and 6.8 million Euros per year for the CGR system. The expected percentages of incorrect registrations were equal to an average of 7.2% and 3.4% for FIR and CIR, respectively, and a lower limit of 7.6% for CGR

In de afgelopen jaren is er veel veranderd in het kennissysteem. De interesse voor innovatie en de functie van kennis is daarbij sterk gegroeid. Met de veranderende uitdagingen en rollen van de spelers in het agrosysteem, veranderen ook de relaties tussen spelers. Er wordt gezocht naar een vorm van een kennissysteem waarin de spelers Onderwijs, Onderzoek, Ondernemers, Overheid en Omgeving samen kunnen werken waardoor kennisco-creatie, -circulatie en -doorstroming beter plaatsvindt

The chapters that make up this volume have shown that Dutch water management provides important lessons for other countries. Both developing and industrialized countries can benefit from the Dutch experiences and avoid some of the pitfalls that the Dutch have gone through

This report is the result of a study into the agricultural structure in the province of Noord-Holland. The study was undertaken on behalf of consultancy firm Decisio B.V., which works for the province. The aim was to supply building blocks for the provincial structural vision. In the framework of the new Spatial Planning Act, all provinces must produce a strong structural vision. The report describes the current situation and recent trends in the agricultural sector in Noord-Holland and the prospects for the coming decades. The emphasis here lies on the needfor space and how this can be provided within demands for spatial quality.

In deze studie is een evaluatiekader ontwikkeld om de economische en sociale gevolgen van natuur- en milieubeleid in kaart te brengen. Gebruikmakend van diverse handleidingen voor evaluatie- en impact-assessments zijn allereerst negen economische en zes sociale impactvelden geïdentificeerd. Onderscheiden economische impactvelden zijn onder andere concurrentiepositie, kosten, opbrengsten, rentabiliteit en administratieve lasten voor bedrijven. Onderscheiden sociale impactvelden zijn werkgelegenheid en arbeidsmarkt, verdeling en bescherming specifiek groepen, en governance en uitvoerbaarheid. Voor alle vijftien impactvelden zijn vragen en (operationele) indicatoren ontwikkeld. Het ontwikkelde evaluatiekader is toegepast op vier cases, te weten de mestwetgeving, het gewasbeschermingbeleid (Nota Gewasbescherming), de Europese Kaderrichtlijn Water en de Ecologische Hoofdstructuur. Bestaande evaluaties zijn naast het hier ontwikkelde kader gelegd. Ten slotte is een checklist ontwikkeld, waarin in tien stappen de centrale keuzes en stappen die moeten worden genomen in een beleidsevaluatie worden aangegeven en toegelicht.Trefwoorden: evaluatie, impactanalyse, sociale gevolgen, economische gevolgen, milieu- en natuurbeleid

The Less Favoured Areas (LFAs) Directive (75/268) which was introduced in 1975, was the first common European instrument of regional agricultural structural policy. LFAs are areas where agriculture is hampered by permanent natural handicaps. The major objectives were to ensure the continuation of farming, thereby maintaining a minimum population level and preserving scenic landscapes and environmentally valuable habitats. In the Netherlands, the LFA measure is used as an additional payment, to compensate farmers for negative economic effects due to the conservation of these natural handicaps. It was not implemented as a stand alone policy, but is linked to measures aiming at active nature and landscape conservation management. In this paper, the effects will be examined of the regulations aiming at the conservation of natural handicaps on farm businesses within LFAs, when comparing them to farm businesses outside LFAs, where these regulations and handicaps do not exist. The main data source that was used is the Farm Accountancy Data Network. Reference groups of farms were compiled with the use of the simple and multiple imputation approach in Stars (Statistics for Regional Studies). Both analyses were tested with the use of a parametric and a nonparametric test. When comparing the results of both analyses, it can be concluded that there is no evidence that there is a statistical difference in family farm income corrected for and not corrected for LFA payment between the LFA farm businesses and the reference groups. Based on these findings it can be concluded that the size of the compensatory allowances is small and there is no evidence that it has a significant effect on the family farm income of LFA farm businesses. The main purpose of the Dutch LFA policy is to compensate farm businesses for negative economic effects due to the conservation of natural handicaps. Although this may be true for some individual farms, based on the methods used in this paper, it appears not to be the case for the collectivity of LFA premium beneficiaries as a whole.

Het landelijk gebied beslaat circa 70% van het grondoppervlak van Nederland. Om de biodiversiteit en de landschappelijke waarden te beschermen, heeft het Rijk de Ecologische Hoofdstructuur en Nationale Landschappen aangewezen. Buiten deze rijksprioritaire gebieden komen echter ook belangrijke natuur- en landschapswaarden voor. Dit werkdocument beschrijft de natuur en landschapswaarden in het agrarisch gebied. Dit onderzoek is uitgevoerd in het kader van de Natuurbalans 2009. Op verzoek van het ministerie van LNV is het thema ‘Biodiversiteit en het landelijk gebied’ uitgewerkt.

In de afgelopen jaren is er veel veranderd in het kennissysteem. De interesse voor innovatie en de functie van kennis is daarbij sterk gegroeid. Met de veranderende uitdagingen en rollen van de spelers in het agrosysteem, veranderen ook de relaties tussen spelers. Er wordt gezocht naar een vorm van een kennissysteem waarin de spelers Onderwijs, Onderzoek, Ondernemers, Overheid en Omgeving samen kunnen werken waardoor kennisco-creatie, -circulatie en -doorstroming beter plaatsvindt

LNV heeft het LEI opdracht gegeven voor 3 analyses van de effecten van KRW-maatregelen op de landbouw. Ten eerste is de landelijke KRW-maatregelendatabase (versie november 2008) geanalyseerd met het SMART-raamwerk. SMART staat voor de mate, waarin maatregelen Specifiek, Meetbaar, Acceptabel, Realistisch en Tijdsgebonden zijn. Daarnaast is er een inschatting gemaakt van de gevolgen van de maatregelen voor de landbouw. Tot slot is er ook gekeken hoe groot de gevolgen van KRW-maatregelen zijn op bedrijfsniveau met als voorbeeld de mogelijke invoering van bufferstroken

With the continuing loss of landscape elements and open space, landscape management is gaining importance in tandem with the design of acceptable private and voluntary financing arrangements. Here, we analyze the awareness, involvement, socio-demographic characteristics and the contribution of citizens regarding the landscape. The contribution of citizens has been classified into three fields of activities. Data analysis is based on a survey among 1.060 inhabitants in and around three designated peri-urban areas in the Netherlands. The results show that these areas are well known, albeit on a limited scale. Most of the stated willingness of the inhabitants to contribute to the landscape has been related with their socio-demographic characteristics and to a less extent with their involvement with the landscape. To increase the willingness of citizens to contribute to the landscape the communication strategy may be improved.

In deze studie is een evaluatiekader ontwikkeld om de economische en sociale gevolgen van natuur- en milieubeleid in kaart te brengen. Gebruikmakend van diverse handleidingen voor evaluatie- en impact-assessments zijn allereerst negen economische en zes sociale impactvelden geïdentificeerd. Onderscheiden economische impactvelden zijn onder andere concurrentiepositie, kosten, opbrengsten, rentabiliteit en administratieve lasten voor bedrijven. Onderscheiden sociale impactvelden zijn werkgelegenheid en arbeidsmarkt, verdeling en bescherming specifiek groepen, en governance en uitvoerbaarheid. Voor alle vijftien impactvelden zijn vragen en (operationele) indicatoren ontwikkeld. Het ontwikkelde evaluatiekader is toegepast op vier cases, te weten de mestwetgeving, het gewasbeschermingbeleid (Nota Gewasbescherming), de Europese Kaderrichtlijn Water en de Ecologische Hoofdstructuur. Bestaande evaluaties zijn naast het hier ontwikkelde kader gelegd. Ten slotte is een checklist ontwikkeld, waarin in tien stappen de centrale keuzes en stappen die moeten worden genomen in een beleidsevaluatie worden aangegeven en toegelicht.Trefwoorden: evaluatie, impactanalyse, sociale gevolgen, economische gevolgen, milieu- en natuurbeleid

Cost–benefit analysis is a common method for evaluating the social economic impact of transport projects, and in many of these projects the saving of human lives is an issue. This implies, within the framework of cost–benefit analysis, that a monetary value should be attached to saving human lives. This paper discusses the ‘Value of a Statistical Life’ (VoSL), a concept that is often used for monetising safety effects, in the context of road safety. Firstly, the concept of ‘willingness to pay’ for road safety and its relation to the VoSL are explained. The VoSL approach will be compared to other approaches to monetise safety effects, in particular the human capital approach and ‘quality adjusted life years’. Secondly, methods to estimate the VoSL and their applicability to road safety will be discussed. Thirdly, the paper reviews the VoSL estimates that have been found in scientific research and compares them with the values that are used in policy evaluations. Finally, a VoSL study in the Netherlands will be presented as a case study, and its applicability in policy evaluation will be illustrated.

Recentelijk zijn enkele rapporten verschenen waarin mogelijkheden en beperkingen voor de financiering van het Nederlandse landschap de revue passeren: van het bureau Berenschot (2008, 2009), van NovioConsult en Triple E (McCarthy et al. 2009), en van het LEI (Overbeek & De Graaff 2009). Deze notitie is bedoeld om deze mogelijkheden te structureren en er enige kanttekeningen bij te maken. Hierbij is ook gebruik gemaakt van andere recente literatuur over het thema financiering van landschap.

Commercial wetlands can contribute to different policy objectives simultaneously. The aim of this study is to investigate the opinion of the Dutch population with respect to commercial wetlands. The commercial wetland functions valued the most by the Dutch population are water treatment and water storage

De landbouw is voor een belangrijk deel drager van het landschap in Nationale Landschappen. Dit rapport verkent de betekenis van groene diensten door de landbouw, tegen de achtergrond van verschillende ontwikkelingsrichtingen in die landbouw (schaalvergroting - verbreding). Twee kwalitatieve visies worden ontwikkeld aan de hand van al bestaande scenariostudies (de zogenaamde CPB-scenario’s), een analyse van instrumenten van groene diensten in nationaal en internationaal verband en een discussiemiddag. Beide visies laten ontwikkelingsrichtingen van Nationale landschappen zien en werken de rol van groene diensten door de landbouw verder uit. Deze rol wordt uitgewerkt aan de hand van een raamwerk over de organisatie van groene diensten en een analyse van de te realiseren kernkwaliteiten in Nationale Landschappen.

LNV heeft het LEI opdracht gegeven voor 3 analyses van de effecten van KRW-maatregelen op de landbouw. Ten eerste is de landelijke KRW-maatregelendatabase (versie november 2008) geanalyseerd met het SMART-raamwerk. SMART staat voor de mate, waarin maatregelen Specifiek, Meetbaar, Acceptabel, Realistisch en Tijdsgebonden zijn. Daarnaast is er een inschatting gemaakt van de gevolgen van de maatregelen voor de landbouw. Tot slot is er ook gekeken hoe groot de gevolgen van KRW-maatregelen zijn op bedrijfsniveau met als voorbeeld de mogelijke invoering van bufferstroken

Commercial wetlands can contribute to different policy objectives simultaneously. The aim of this study is to investigate the opinion of the Dutch population with respect to commercial wetlands. The commercial wetland functions valued the most by the Dutch population are water treatment and water storage

Het landelijk gebied beslaat circa 70% van het grondoppervlak van Nederland. Om de biodiversiteit en de landschappelijke waarden te beschermen, heeft het Rijk de Ecologische Hoofdstructuur en Nationale Landschappen aangewezen. Buiten deze rijksprioritaire gebieden komen echter ook belangrijke natuur- en landschapswaarden voor. Dit werkdocument beschrijft de natuur en landschapswaarden in het agrarisch gebied. Dit onderzoek is uitgevoerd in het kader van de Natuurbalans 2009. Op verzoek van het ministerie van LNV is het thema ‘Biodiversiteit en het landelijk gebied’ uitgewerkt.

A monetary valuation study of marine management in the Dutch Wadden Sea, the largest natural area of the Netherlands, is presented. The study is motivated by a conflict between shellfisheries and large populations of birds that forage on cockles. Different management scenarios are valued using multiple stakeholders, namely Dutch citizens, local residents, tourists, policy makers, and natural scientists. A considerable difference in willingness to pay (WTP) between these groups is found. In addition, the influence of motivational profiles is examined. Estimates confirm the presence of two such motivations, namely, material and moral warm glow. These allow for decomposition and correction of the WTP estimates.

This report is the result of a study into the agricultural structure in the province of Noord-Holland. The study was undertaken on behalf of consultancy firm Decisio B.V., which works for the province. The aim was to supply building blocks for the provincial structural vision. In the framework of the new Spatial Planning Act, all provinces must produce a strong structural vision. The report describes the current situation and recent trends in the agricultural sector in Noord-Holland and the prospects for the coming decades. The emphasis here lies on the needfor space and how this can be provided within demands for spatial quality. Dit rapport is het resultaat van een onderzoek naar de landbouwstructuur in de provincie Noord-Holland. Het onderzoek was ondernomen in opdracht van het adviesbureau Decisio B.V., dat in opdracht van de provincie werkt. Doel was om bouwstenen aan te leveren voor de provinciale structuurvisie. In het kader van de nieuwe Wet ruimtelijke ordening moeten alle provincies een dergelijke structuurvisie maken. Het rapport beschrijft de huidige situatie en recente trends inde Noord-Hollandse landbouwsector, en de perspectieven voor de komende decennia.Het accent ligt daarbij op de behoefte aan ruimte, en hoe deze kan worden ingevuld binnen eisen van ruimtelijke kwaliteit.

As a low-lying delta region with a high population density, the Netherlands have long served as a study of successes and pitfalls in water management. Water Policy in the Netherlands traces the history of water governance in the country, from technological innovations to prevent wide-scale flooding, to strategies focused primarily on improving water quality, to an interdisciplinary, integrated water management approach, which brings together perspectives from economics, hydrology, ecology, water law, and water technology. The book is grounded in the realization that both the technical and social sciences must play a key role in crafting policy in the face of serious environmental challenges, including climate change, sea level rise, and increasing soil subsidence.

Recentelijk zijn enkele rapporten verschenen waarin mogelijkheden en beperkingen voor de financiering van het Nederlandse landschap de revue passeren: van het bureau Berenschot (2008, 2009), van NovioConsult en Triple E (McCarthy et al. 2009), en van het LEI (Overbeek & De Graaff 2009). Deze notitie is bedoeld om deze mogelijkheden te structureren en er enige kanttekeningen bij te maken. Hierbij is ook gebruik gemaakt van andere recente literatuur over het thema financiering van landschap.

Land use includes those human activities that exhibit a spatial dimension and that change the bio-geophysical conditions of land. Land use policy making at European level aims at fostering sustainability pathways of natural resource use and rural development through the decoupling of economic growth from environmental degradation while supporting social cohesion in rural areas. Targeted policy making requires tools for the ex ante assessment of impacts of policy driven land use changes on sustainable development opportunities in European regions. These tools have to cover all relevant land use sectors and impact issues including their interrelations. They have to be spatially explicit, allow scenario analysis of possible future developments, be based on reproducible analyses, and be transparent and easy to use. The European Commission funded Integrated Project SENSOR is dedicated to develop such ex-ante Sustainability Impact Assessment Tools (SIAT) for land use in European regions. SIAT is designed as a meta modelling toolkit, in which global economic trend and policy scenarios are translated into land use changes at 1km2 grid resolution for the area of Europe. Based on qualitative and quantitative indicator analyses, impacts of simulated land use changes on social, environmental and economic sustainability issues are assessed at regional (NUTS2/3) scale. Valuation of these impacts is based on the concept of multifunctionality of land use. It is conducted through expert and stakeholder valuations leading to the determination of sustainability choice spaces for European regions. This paper presents the analytical approach in SENSOR and describes the impact assessment framework.

Kern van een waterpark is een rietmoeras, ook wel helofytenfilter genoemd. Daarmee wordt het water gezuiverd, maar er zijn ook andere functies. Met het gezuiverde water wordt de kwaliteit van de omliggende natuur verbeterd zodat er meer verscheidenheid komt in flora en fauna. Een waterpark draagt bij aan een aantrekkelijk landschap voor recreatie en het biedt ook nog de mogelijkheid voor het bergen van piekwater om wateroverlast te voorkomen.

The Water Economic Modelling for Policy Analysis (WEMPA) project aims to develop and operationalize an integrated water and economy model framework to enable the analysis of the economic effects of measures to reach the Water Framework Directive objectives. This framework is developed on both a national and regional scale. This report presents the first results of the development of a regional-economic optimization model, the ‘WFD-RegiOptimizer’, linked to the water quality model WFD Explorer. The demonstration model presented in this report aims to clarify and demonstrate the purpose and usefulness of an integrated regional water-and-economy model that can serve as a decision support tool for the selection of a cost-effective program of measures in the context of the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD)

De Directie Platteland van het ministerie van LNV wil aan de hand van de case 'Toegankelijkheid platteland' meer inzicht te krijgen in de rol die MKBA kan spelen in de beleidsvoorbereiding (interactie LNV en provincies). In dit rapport wordt een indicatieve maatschappelijke kosten-batenanalyse (MKBA) en een beperkte financiële analyse uitgevoerd voor wandelpaden op boerenland. De ontwikkelde methodiek is toegepast op twee regio's, de Hoeksche Waard en het Land van Wijk en Wouden (omgeving Stompwijk - Hazerswoude). In het geval van het Land van Wijk en Wouden overtreffen de maatschappelijke baten de kosten. Echter, voor de Hoeksche Waard zijn de maatschappelijke kosten hoger dan de baten. Uit de financiële analyses volgt dat de lusten en lasten ongelijk verdeeld zijn over de actoren in de regio's