Going International

Italy

The first international trial was undertaken in late 2010 in Italy, in partnership with researchers from the University of Florence, on the 1180 hectare Lucciola Bella nature reserve, south east of Siena. The reserve is farmed by 13 individual farmers and is home to 11 species of endangered steppic birds. The primary habitat for these birds is pasture on hilltops yet in recent years, these areas have been converted to cropping, resulting in the total loss of available habitat. The INFFER project investigated the technical possibility, potential cost, potential farmer participation and overall value for money of different scenarios for reverting from cropping to pasture in 100 hectares of hilltops, to re-establish vital bird habitat. A scenario involving subsidising farmers for lost production during transitional years plus contribution towards new infrastructure for their grazing regime had the highest likelihood of securing farmer involvement and proved to be the most cost-effective. The Siena Province is pursuing the project and aims to secure funding to enable its implementation.

Canada

Excerpt from Media release of May 2010: “Department of Primary Industries (DPI) scientist Anna Roberts recently travelled to Canada to share her award-winning Victorian scientific research to better design and prioritise environmental policies and investments. Dr Roberts was invited by the Canadian federal government and the three prairie provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, to present on the Australian experience in applying the Investment Framework for Environmental Resources (INFFER).Governments in Canada (both provincial and national) are considering conducting an INFFER pilot”. In May 2011, Geoff Park from the team went to Canada to run further training and workshops in Edmonton and Winnipeg, and in June/July 2011, Anna Roberts and David Pannell delivered further training in the same cities. INFFER’s role in Canada will grow over the coming year.

Read an article about the trip in the FFI CRC News.

The Netherlands

Researchers have used the Public: Private Benefits Framework to investigate the public and private benefits of different land-use alternatives in a dairy-farming region. Their work resulted in an estimate of the gain or loss of social benefit of different options and the identification of appropriate policy mechanisms to support the implementation of land-use alternatives that satisfy social demands.

Abstract on line here.

Spain

A group of researchers at the Department of Agricultural Economics and Sociology, Andalusian Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Granada, Spain, has applied the Public; Private Benefits Framework (a key component of INFFER).

United Kingdom

Discussions are continuing with various organisations across England and Ireland regarding potential trials of the framework.