Lehmann Bernard

Environmental promises of products from regional parks. The decision making process of environmental promises

Project Number: CH-5008

Project Type:	Master
Project Duration:	04/30/2005 - 08/31/2006 project completed
Funding Source:	other ,
Project Leader:	Prof. Bernard Lehmann

related to this project.

for which the project has a relevance.

Research Areas:

Economy

Disciplines:

Legal and Social sciences, Economics

Keywords:
Entlebuch, regional products, local products, environmental promises, UNESCO Biosphere Reserve

Abstract:
The Nature and Cultural Heritage Protection Act (NHG) is currently under revision. Due to discrepancies between Switzerland and other European Countries, it was perceived necessary to establish a legal framework for parks. This framework aims to improve the potential of marginal areas. This is, because hilly and mountain regions often suffer from economic problems. The revision of the NHG describes three types of parks. This thesis will concentrate on Regional Nature Parks. Once a park is registered on a federal level, it is possible to label products. Parks imply ecological or extensive production. Therefore, a park label would link both ecological criteria and place of production to the products. By linking symbolic capital to products it might be possible to get higher prices from consumers, which would, in turn, enhance marginal areas. National and park specific criteria for park products will be developed. National criteria will be decided on a federal level. Producers of park products will have to comply with these criteria. Each park must have park specific criteria aiming to enhance the region. Arising questions will be covered in this report. Questions such as: will park specific criteria include specific environmental requirements, for example organic production? Who will make the decision and how? To answer these questions, using theoretical results from economic sociology and political sciences, an in depth study of parks establishments was carried out, because the establishment will influence the decision making process of park specific criteria. Interviews carried out in the UNESCO Biosphere Entlebuch and Parc Ela showed that organic production is not feasible as park criterion for those regions, because it would lead to strong opposition. Furthermore, organic production is not necessarily the best way to increase park’s potentials when compared with extensive integrated production, what could be marketed to consumers as “local food”. Nevertheless, organic production may become more important. The implementation of the ecological quality decree (ÖQV) on one hand complies with many of the park aims and is on the other hand unlikely to evoke opposition. Therefore, for the two case studies the implementation of ÖQV is suggested as possible park specific criterion. Furthermore, the definition of park criteria has to be dynamic for which in both studied regions decision structures are present.

Publications:
Steinmann, Patricia. 2006. Environmental promises of products from regional parks The decision making process of environmental promises. ETH Zürich.
pdf Masterarbeit


Last update: 10/26/17
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