Threshold ambiguity and sustainable resource management: A lab experiment

IF 6.6 2区经济学 Q1 ECOLOGY

Ecological Economics Pub Date : 2024-08-24 DOI:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2024.108353

Katharina Hembach-Stunden , Tobias Vorlaufer , Stefanie Engel

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Overexploitation of ecosystems can cause drastic shifts to unfavourable states once ecosystems reach critical thresholds. Experimental studies have shown that the knowledge of such thresholds helps to foster sustainable resource management. However, warning resource users of a regime shift is difficult since knowledge about critical thresholds is often associated with considerable ambiguity. We conducted a continuous-time common pool resource lab experiment (N = 360; 90 groups of four participants) to assess how different levels of ambiguous information regarding the location of thresholds affect cooperation amongst resource users. Results show that groups informed only of the threshold's existence cooperate similarly to those provided with a range for the threshold, indicating that ambiguity levels do not significantly influence cooperation amongst resource users for sustaining resources at optimal levels. In addition, we analysed treatment differences once the ambiguity about the threshold location is resolved. We do not find lasting impacts of different ambiguity levels on the likelihood of avoiding crossing the threshold once the threshold location is communicated with certainty. Overall, our results suggest that the scope of providing imprecise threshold information which reduces the level of ambiguity may be limited in fostering more sustainable natural resource management.

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阈值模糊性与可持续资源管理：实验室实验

一旦生态系统达到临界阈值，过度开发生态系统就会导致生态系统急剧转变为不利状态。实验研究表明，了解这些临界值有助于促进可持续资源管理。然而，由于临界阈值的相关知识往往具有很大的模糊性，因此很难向资源使用者发出制度转变的警告。我们进行了一个连续时间共用资源实验室实验（N = 360；90 组，每组 4 人），以评估有关临界点位置的不同模糊信息水平如何影响资源使用者之间的合作。结果表明，只知道阈值存在的小组与知道阈值范围的小组的合作情况类似，这表明模糊程度并不会显著影响资源使用者之间为使资源维持在最佳水平而进行的合作。此外，我们还分析了阈值位置模糊性消除后的处理差异。一旦阈值位置被确定，我们没有发现不同的模糊程度对避免跨越阈值的可能性有持久的影响。总之，我们的研究结果表明，提供不精确的阈值信息以降低模糊程度，在促进更可持续的自然资源管理方面可能作用有限。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Ecological Economics 环境科学-环境科学

CiteScore

12.00

自引率

5.70%

发文量

313

审稿时长

6 months

期刊介绍： Ecological Economics is concerned with extending and integrating the understanding of the interfaces and interplay between "nature''s household" (ecosystems) and "humanity''s household" (the economy). Ecological economics is an interdisciplinary field defined by a set of concrete problems or challenges related to governing economic activity in a way that promotes human well-being, sustainability, and justice. The journal thus emphasizes critical work that draws on and integrates elements of ecological science, economics, and the analysis of values, behaviors, cultural practices, institutional structures, and societal dynamics. The journal is transdisciplinary in spirit and methodologically open, drawing on the insights offered by a variety of intellectual traditions, and appealing to a diverse readership. Specific research areas covered include: valuation of natural resources, sustainable agriculture and development, ecologically integrated technology, integrated ecologic-economic modelling at scales from local to regional to global, implications of thermodynamics for economics and ecology, renewable resource management and conservation, critical assessments of the basic assumptions underlying current economic and ecological paradigms and the implications of alternative assumptions, economic and ecological consequences of genetically engineered organisms, and gene pool inventory and management, alternative principles for valuing natural wealth, integrating natural resources and environmental services into national income and wealth accounts, methods of implementing efficient environmental policies, case studies of economic-ecologic conflict or harmony, etc. New issues in this area are rapidly emerging and will find a ready forum in Ecological Economics.