@article{35e5d4ffa0944485b5be0529a9798d2b,
title = "The roles of ownership, ecology, and economics in public wetland-conservation decisions",
abstract = "Scholars have studied the problem of optimal reserve-site selection. However, the actual conservation choices made by government decision makers may yield reserve networks that are far from optimal. This paper uses data on patterns of wetland conservation in Austria in order to identify patterns in government decisions regarding which wetlands to protect. We find that conservation decisions are guided at least in part by variation in ecological value and economic cost. However, there is also a marked bias against conserving lands that happen to be privately owned. This bias against protecting private land is likely to be cost-ineffective, driven by asymmetric information and political pressure.",
keywords = "Conservation, Ecosystem services, Ownership, Priorities, Reserve-site selection, Wetland",
author = "Ando, {Amy W.} and Michael Getzner",
note = "Funding Information: This material is based upon work supported in part by the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under Project number ILLU-05-0305, and in part by the Jubil{\"a}umsfonds of the Austrian Central Bank under Project number 11216. We would like to thank G.M. Steiner (Department for Vegetation Ecology and Nature Conservation, University of Vienna) for providing us with the database on Austrian wetlands without which the current examination of conservation policies would not have been feasible. Marian Weber made a number of critical and useful comments. We also thank Tony Endress for insight on ecological degradation and restoration, and Michael Jungmeier for his ecological expertise and his help in exploring the ecological characteristics of wetlands. All remaining errors are, of course, the responsibility of the authors.",
year = "2006",
month = jun,
day = "15",
doi = "10.1016/j.ecolecon.2005.07.013",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "58",
pages = "287--303",
journal = "Ecological Economics",
issn = "0921-8009",
publisher = "Elsevier B.V.",
number = "2",
}