This multidisciplinary work explores ways of making environmental policy decisions in managing public goods and natural parks with the goal of maximizing economic benefits to society. The contributors to the volume seek the best strategies for improving the environmental sustainability and...

"This timely book argues that the overcrowding of national parks in the United States represents a social problem in need of public sector action and a policy solution, as no systematic means to address this problem has been implemented either nationally or on a park-by-park basis. Throughout...

This important book highlights the conflicts between economic growth and the conservation of nature in the context of sustainable development. It places particular emphasis on biological diversity and examines possible policies for resolving conflicts which arise from the contrasting goals of...

The contingent valuation technique for measuring the economic value of environmental goods and services has become increasingly popular in recent years and has many advantages over other revealed or stated preference methods. It has been criticised, however, for being inconsistent with economic...

1. Introduction -- 2. Economic criteria for water allocation and valuation -- 3. Water as an economic good -- 4. Appraising flood control investments in the UK -- 5. Cost-benefit analysis and flood control policy in the Netherlands -- 6. Cost-benefit analysis of river restoration in Denmark --...

Introduction -- Investigating water 'scarcity' -- Access to water supply : achieving the Millennium Development Goal -- Sharing water peacefully : understanding transboundary water-resource conflicts -- An analysis of a river dispute : interaction of politics and economics -- Improving access to...

The increasing scarcity of water resources (in terms of quantity and quality) is one of the most pervasive natural resource allocation issues facing development planners throughout the world. This problem is especially prevalent in less developed countries where the management of this valuable...

1. Water challenge : an institutional diagnosis -- 2. Understanding institutions : nature, performance, and change -- 3. Existing literature : approaches, attempts, and limitations -- 4. Evaluating institutional linkages : towards an alternative methodology -- 5. Analytical framework and...

Water issues in the American West share many similarities with those seen elsewhere in the world as population growth exacerbates longstanding problems of inappropriate water use and management. The contributors to this timely volume examine the universal challenge of sustainable water...

Experts across a wide range of specialist fields including social sciences, informatics, ecology and hydrology are brought together in this truly multidisciplinary approach to water management. They provide the reader with integrated insights into water resource management practices that...