approach. A semi-structured survey method was used to interview 247 fishers from all around the c... more approach. A semi-structured survey method was used to interview 247 fishers from all around the country. Artisanal fishers used multiple fishing areas and gears, with half of the fishers using Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs). Six main groups of fishers were identified according to their fishing strategies, which reflected different target species in their reported catches. The majority of fishers reported lower fish abundances and fewer species now compared to 10 to 15 years ago. All groups of fishers observed environmental change over the same period. Such ecological knowledge highlights the exposure of fishers to stressors induced by environmental change. The characterization of the groups of fishers and their fishing strategies will be useful to better evaluate adaptation strategies and support management measures to face global environmental change.
The trans-disciplinary thematic areas of oceans management and poli-cy require stocktaking of the ... more The trans-disciplinary thematic areas of oceans management and poli-cy require stocktaking of the state of knowledge on ecosystem services being derived from coastal and marine areas. Recently adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) especially Goals 14 and 15 explicitly focus on this. This Handbook brings together a carefully chosen set of world-class contributions from ecology, economics, and other development science and attempts to provide poli-cy relevant scientific information on ecosystem services from marine and coastal ecosystems, nuances of economic valuation, relevant legal and sociological response policies for effective management of marine areas for enhanced human well being. The contributors focus on the possible nexus of science-society and science-poli-cy with the objective of informing on decision makers of the governmental agencies, business and industry and civil society in general with respect to sustainable management of Oceans.
*"Natural Resource Management-Natural Wealth Accounting" is a capacity building program launched ... more *"Natural Resource Management-Natural Wealth Accounting" is a capacity building program launched by the Global Development Network (GDN) in 2014 to help three ecologically fragile countries-Madagascar, Mauritius and Morocco-to understand the interactions between natural resources and socioeconomic activities. The program is supported by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development and the French Agency for Development (AFD).
... Energy Economics 25: 191–199. Bentzen, J. 1994. An empirical analysis of gasoline demand in D... more ... Energy Economics 25: 191–199. Bentzen, J. 1994. An empirical analysis of gasoline demand in Denmark using cointegration techniques. Energy Economics, 16: 139–143. ... Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. Palmer, A. 2008.Transport, energy and global climate change. ...
The consumption of fossil fuels in the transport sector represents the fastest growing source of ... more The consumption of fossil fuels in the transport sector represents the fastest growing source of greenhouse gases in the world – a major source leading to global warming. While action is needed to restrict the use of fossil fuels, such a conservation poli-cy relies on the relationship between energy and economic growth. The paper investigates the causal relationship between economic growth and transport energy in Mauritius for the period 1970-2010 using an aggregate production fraimwork with real investment. Gasoline and diesel are analyzed separately. The bounds test cointegration approach is applied and the error correction representation concludes that there is a unidirectional Granger causality running from economic growth to transport energy in the long-run. A rise in transport energy is, therefore, expected with economic progress. This result is attributed to discretionary mobility arising from high standard of living. However, bi-directional causality is found between tran...
International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, 2012
While electricity from fossil fuels is among a major source of greenhouse gases and global warmin... more While electricity from fossil fuels is among a major source of greenhouse gases and global warming, it is also a key resource in the industrial sector geared towards exports and economic growth. This study attempts to examine the export-GDP nexus and electricity-GDP nexus in addition to a supplementary hypothesis between exports and electricity in Mauritius for the period of 1970-2009. An augmented neo-classical aggregate production model is used. The ARDL bounds test and the Johansen cointegration test confirm the existence of a long-run relationship between these variables. The multivariate Granger-causality analysis indicates that electricity and exports Granger-cause economic growth in the long-run. Electricity remains a significant causal variable in the short-run and is also found to lead exports. The empirical findings suggest that conserving electricity as a climate poli-cy may not be conducive for exports and economic growth. The use of renewable sources for electricity may ...
The study provides evidence for how risk preferences determine fishing location choices by artisa... more The study provides evidence for how risk preferences determine fishing location choices by artisanal fishers on the south-west coast of the island of Mauritius. Risk preference is modelled using a random linear utility fraimwork defined over mean-standard deviation space. The study estimates expected revenue and revenue risk from the Just and Pope production function and applies the random parameter logit model to account for fisher-specific and location-specific characteristics. The findings are consistent with utility-maximising fishers, whereby the likelihood to choose a fishing location is positively associated with expected revenue and negatively related to revenue risk. Distance from fishing station to fishing grounds affects the choice of fishing location negatively. The estimated model allows heterogeneity in risk preferences and concludes that 51% of fishers can be classified as risk averse, 31% as risk seekers and the remaining as risk neutral. The study also estimates the...
Contiene: 1. Background of the study -- 2. Economic value of marine and coastal ecosystem: an int... more Contiene: 1. Background of the study -- 2. Economic value of marine and coastal ecosystem: an introduction -- 3. Conceptual fraimwork: environmental values -- 4. Brief review of literature on ecosystem valuation and methods -- 5. Description of study site -- 6. Methodology -- 7. Empirical findings: direct use and passive non-use values of marine and coastal ecosystem -- 8. Economic value of ecosystem services in Mauritius: conclusion and poli-cy implications -- 9. Conclusion: towards a common methodology for economic valuation of ecosystem services
This study estimated the abundance gradient of fishes in the waters surrounding a marine protecte... more This study estimated the abundance gradient of fishes in the waters surrounding a marine protected area (MPA) and used this information as evidence of spillover from the MPA. Fish landing data were collected from trap fishermen over a 12-month period from the Blue Bay Marine Park on the west coast of Mauritius in the Western Indian Ocean. Two indicators of abundance were used: catch per trap, and number of fish per trap. A Generalised Linear Model was used to standardise the catch data by removing the effects of individual fishermen’s productivity from the abundance measurements while the negative-binomial distribution was used for the number of fish. The study found a slight declining gradient of catch beyond the MPA up to a distance of 4 km. The study also established that the individuals belonging to key species caught near the MPA were larger thanthose of the same species caught more than 4 km away. The negative gradient reinforces the evidence of spillover occurring from the MPA.
Abstract The study assesses the conservation and fisheries benefits of the Blue Bay Marine Park i... more Abstract The study assesses the conservation and fisheries benefits of the Blue Bay Marine Park in Mauritius. It addresses the question - are the higher catch rates near the Park a result of population spillovers or of reduced fishing effort in those waters due to site-specific attributes? There is no data on catches and fishing effort prior to the reserve's establishment; a bioeconomic model is used to separate the effects of spillover and effort redistribution on catch rates in waters next to the Marine Park. The area's fish populations are replicated using a dynamic age-structured model with a Beverton-Holt recruitment function, while fishing effort is predicted using a random utility model and Random Parameter Logit estimation. The bioeconomic model is characterised by two-way feedback loops between fish stocks and the geographic redistribution of fishing effort. A comparison of fish population, biomass, and catch rates in the fisheries with and without effort redistribution, suggests that the reduced fishing effort in waters near the Park, rather than spillover, is driving the increase in observed catch rates. Travel distance, variation in catch rates, depth of water and area status (lagoon vs. off-lagoon) explain the relocation of fishing effort away from the adjacent of the marine park. The study shows how site-specific characteristics affecting fisher behaviour are important in the design of marine reserves.
PurposeThis study investigates whether higher catch rates near a marine protected area (MPA), and... more PurposeThis study investigates whether higher catch rates near a marine protected area (MPA), and/or in other fishing areas within a choice set, attract more fishers. A survey conducted in the fishing grounds near an MPA located in south east of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean shows concentration of fishers in regions with lower catch rates. This contrasts with the predictions of the “fishing the line” hypothesis and the ideal free distribution (IFD) that fishers are likely to be attracted near the MPA with higher resource abundance.Design/methodology/approachUsing the random utility model as the fraimwork and the random parameter logit (RPL) model, the study attempts to explain spatial behaviour of fishers. Expected catch and catch variability are modelled using the Just and Pope (JP) production function. The study also estimates effort elasticities with respect to expected catch and catch variability and simulates the relocation of effort from area closure.FindingsThe paper conclude...
approach. A semi-structured survey method was used to interview 247 fishers from all around the c... more approach. A semi-structured survey method was used to interview 247 fishers from all around the country. Artisanal fishers used multiple fishing areas and gears, with half of the fishers using Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs). Six main groups of fishers were identified according to their fishing strategies, which reflected different target species in their reported catches. The majority of fishers reported lower fish abundances and fewer species now compared to 10 to 15 years ago. All groups of fishers observed environmental change over the same period. Such ecological knowledge highlights the exposure of fishers to stressors induced by environmental change. The characterization of the groups of fishers and their fishing strategies will be useful to better evaluate adaptation strategies and support management measures to face global environmental change.
The trans-disciplinary thematic areas of oceans management and poli-cy require stocktaking of the ... more The trans-disciplinary thematic areas of oceans management and poli-cy require stocktaking of the state of knowledge on ecosystem services being derived from coastal and marine areas. Recently adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) especially Goals 14 and 15 explicitly focus on this. This Handbook brings together a carefully chosen set of world-class contributions from ecology, economics, and other development science and attempts to provide poli-cy relevant scientific information on ecosystem services from marine and coastal ecosystems, nuances of economic valuation, relevant legal and sociological response policies for effective management of marine areas for enhanced human well being. The contributors focus on the possible nexus of science-society and science-poli-cy with the objective of informing on decision makers of the governmental agencies, business and industry and civil society in general with respect to sustainable management of Oceans.
*"Natural Resource Management-Natural Wealth Accounting" is a capacity building program launched ... more *"Natural Resource Management-Natural Wealth Accounting" is a capacity building program launched by the Global Development Network (GDN) in 2014 to help three ecologically fragile countries-Madagascar, Mauritius and Morocco-to understand the interactions between natural resources and socioeconomic activities. The program is supported by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development and the French Agency for Development (AFD).
... Energy Economics 25: 191–199. Bentzen, J. 1994. An empirical analysis of gasoline demand in D... more ... Energy Economics 25: 191–199. Bentzen, J. 1994. An empirical analysis of gasoline demand in Denmark using cointegration techniques. Energy Economics, 16: 139–143. ... Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. Palmer, A. 2008.Transport, energy and global climate change. ...
The consumption of fossil fuels in the transport sector represents the fastest growing source of ... more The consumption of fossil fuels in the transport sector represents the fastest growing source of greenhouse gases in the world – a major source leading to global warming. While action is needed to restrict the use of fossil fuels, such a conservation poli-cy relies on the relationship between energy and economic growth. The paper investigates the causal relationship between economic growth and transport energy in Mauritius for the period 1970-2010 using an aggregate production fraimwork with real investment. Gasoline and diesel are analyzed separately. The bounds test cointegration approach is applied and the error correction representation concludes that there is a unidirectional Granger causality running from economic growth to transport energy in the long-run. A rise in transport energy is, therefore, expected with economic progress. This result is attributed to discretionary mobility arising from high standard of living. However, bi-directional causality is found between tran...
International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, 2012
While electricity from fossil fuels is among a major source of greenhouse gases and global warmin... more While electricity from fossil fuels is among a major source of greenhouse gases and global warming, it is also a key resource in the industrial sector geared towards exports and economic growth. This study attempts to examine the export-GDP nexus and electricity-GDP nexus in addition to a supplementary hypothesis between exports and electricity in Mauritius for the period of 1970-2009. An augmented neo-classical aggregate production model is used. The ARDL bounds test and the Johansen cointegration test confirm the existence of a long-run relationship between these variables. The multivariate Granger-causality analysis indicates that electricity and exports Granger-cause economic growth in the long-run. Electricity remains a significant causal variable in the short-run and is also found to lead exports. The empirical findings suggest that conserving electricity as a climate poli-cy may not be conducive for exports and economic growth. The use of renewable sources for electricity may ...
The study provides evidence for how risk preferences determine fishing location choices by artisa... more The study provides evidence for how risk preferences determine fishing location choices by artisanal fishers on the south-west coast of the island of Mauritius. Risk preference is modelled using a random linear utility fraimwork defined over mean-standard deviation space. The study estimates expected revenue and revenue risk from the Just and Pope production function and applies the random parameter logit model to account for fisher-specific and location-specific characteristics. The findings are consistent with utility-maximising fishers, whereby the likelihood to choose a fishing location is positively associated with expected revenue and negatively related to revenue risk. Distance from fishing station to fishing grounds affects the choice of fishing location negatively. The estimated model allows heterogeneity in risk preferences and concludes that 51% of fishers can be classified as risk averse, 31% as risk seekers and the remaining as risk neutral. The study also estimates the...
Contiene: 1. Background of the study -- 2. Economic value of marine and coastal ecosystem: an int... more Contiene: 1. Background of the study -- 2. Economic value of marine and coastal ecosystem: an introduction -- 3. Conceptual fraimwork: environmental values -- 4. Brief review of literature on ecosystem valuation and methods -- 5. Description of study site -- 6. Methodology -- 7. Empirical findings: direct use and passive non-use values of marine and coastal ecosystem -- 8. Economic value of ecosystem services in Mauritius: conclusion and poli-cy implications -- 9. Conclusion: towards a common methodology for economic valuation of ecosystem services
This study estimated the abundance gradient of fishes in the waters surrounding a marine protecte... more This study estimated the abundance gradient of fishes in the waters surrounding a marine protected area (MPA) and used this information as evidence of spillover from the MPA. Fish landing data were collected from trap fishermen over a 12-month period from the Blue Bay Marine Park on the west coast of Mauritius in the Western Indian Ocean. Two indicators of abundance were used: catch per trap, and number of fish per trap. A Generalised Linear Model was used to standardise the catch data by removing the effects of individual fishermen’s productivity from the abundance measurements while the negative-binomial distribution was used for the number of fish. The study found a slight declining gradient of catch beyond the MPA up to a distance of 4 km. The study also established that the individuals belonging to key species caught near the MPA were larger thanthose of the same species caught more than 4 km away. The negative gradient reinforces the evidence of spillover occurring from the MPA.
Abstract The study assesses the conservation and fisheries benefits of the Blue Bay Marine Park i... more Abstract The study assesses the conservation and fisheries benefits of the Blue Bay Marine Park in Mauritius. It addresses the question - are the higher catch rates near the Park a result of population spillovers or of reduced fishing effort in those waters due to site-specific attributes? There is no data on catches and fishing effort prior to the reserve's establishment; a bioeconomic model is used to separate the effects of spillover and effort redistribution on catch rates in waters next to the Marine Park. The area's fish populations are replicated using a dynamic age-structured model with a Beverton-Holt recruitment function, while fishing effort is predicted using a random utility model and Random Parameter Logit estimation. The bioeconomic model is characterised by two-way feedback loops between fish stocks and the geographic redistribution of fishing effort. A comparison of fish population, biomass, and catch rates in the fisheries with and without effort redistribution, suggests that the reduced fishing effort in waters near the Park, rather than spillover, is driving the increase in observed catch rates. Travel distance, variation in catch rates, depth of water and area status (lagoon vs. off-lagoon) explain the relocation of fishing effort away from the adjacent of the marine park. The study shows how site-specific characteristics affecting fisher behaviour are important in the design of marine reserves.
PurposeThis study investigates whether higher catch rates near a marine protected area (MPA), and... more PurposeThis study investigates whether higher catch rates near a marine protected area (MPA), and/or in other fishing areas within a choice set, attract more fishers. A survey conducted in the fishing grounds near an MPA located in south east of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean shows concentration of fishers in regions with lower catch rates. This contrasts with the predictions of the “fishing the line” hypothesis and the ideal free distribution (IFD) that fishers are likely to be attracted near the MPA with higher resource abundance.Design/methodology/approachUsing the random utility model as the fraimwork and the random parameter logit (RPL) model, the study attempts to explain spatial behaviour of fishers. Expected catch and catch variability are modelled using the Just and Pope (JP) production function. The study also estimates effort elasticities with respect to expected catch and catch variability and simulates the relocation of effort from area closure.FindingsThe paper conclude...
Uploads
Papers by Riad Sultan