Tomaz Dentinho no Congresso Europeu de Ciência Regional

Análise custo-benefício do Plano Nacional de Acção Saúde e Ambiente (Cost Benefit Analysis of the Portuguese National Action Plan for Environment and Health) é o título de uma comunicação de Tomaz Dentinho, Félix Rodrigues e Rosalina Gabriel do Departamento de Ciências Agrárias da Universidade dos Açores e de Jácome Armas do Centro de Epidemiologia, Hospital de Angra do Heroísmo, apresentada no 48th Congress of the European Regional Science Association, ERSA 2008, em Liverpool. O ERSA decorre até ao próximo dia 31 do corrente.Neste trabalho apresenta-se a metodologia utilizada para estimar o custo-benefício das 36 acções do PNAAS, dando ênfase ao custo de cada acção, à análise das reacções dos agentes, ao custos e benefícios dos efeitos das acções na mortalidade e morbilidade e á valoração contingente do plano.No mesmo congresso foram ainda apresentadas ainda outras comunicações, nomeadamente "Suporte para a decisão descentralizada da gestão da água em bacias agrícolas: um caminho para a sustentabilidade" (Decentralised Decision Support System for Water Planning and Management of Agricultural Basins. A Path to Sustainable Development) de de Vasco Silva, Luísa Calado, Fabíola Gil e Tomaz Dentinho do Departamento de Ciências Agrárias da Universidade dos Açores, "Explaining trade and FDI relationships in a gravity model" de Cristiano Cechella e Joaquim Silva da Universidade Técnica de Lisboa (ISEG) e Tomaz Dentinho do Departamento de Ciências Agrárias da Universidade dos Açores e "Analysing the Impact of Designed Accessibilities and the Introduction of New Technologies Resorting to a Spatial Interaction Model with Land Use" de Paulo Silveira, Bolseiro de Investigação da DRC e da UAç.

(In Diário dos Açores)

Cost Benefit Analysis of the Portuguese National Action Plan for Environment and Health

Foi apresentado no 48th Congress of the European Regional Science Association, ERSA 2008, em Liverpool, o trabalho de Tomaz Dentinho, Félix Rodrigues e Rosalina Gabriel do Departamento de Ciências Agrárias da Universidade dos Açores e Jácome Armas do Centro de Epidemiologia, Hospital de Angra do Heroísmo, com o título: "Cost Benefit Analysis of the Portuguese National Action Plan for Environment and Health".

The Portuguese National Plan of Action for the Environment and Health 2007-2013 (PNAAS) involves 36 actions targeted to nine priority areas (water, air, food, noise, atmosphere, construction, radioactivity, chemicals and soil). The aim of the paper is to present the methods and results of the Cost-Benefit Analysis of each one and all of the 36 actions. The methodology proposed includes the realization of various interconnected tasks of which the more important are: a) Estimation of the cost per action; b) Analysis of the agents reactions; c) Determination of the impacts on the environmental domains; d) Determination of the effects on the illnesses; e) Estimation of the benefits and costs of the illnesses; f) Contingent valuation of the Plan and its actions; and g) Cost-benefit analysis.

Contribute to the management of the relationship between cherry orchard management and the conservation of an endemism (Asphodelus bento-rainhae)

Foi apresentado no 48th Congress of the European Regional Science Association, ERSA 2008, em Liverpool o trabalho de Isabel Maria Rodrigues da Escola Superior Agrária do Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco, Fabíola Sabino Gil e Tomaz Dentinho do Departamento de Ciências Agrárias (Grupo de Gestão e conservação da Natureza -Angra do Heroísmo) da Universidade dos Açores.

De seguida resume-se a intrevenção efectuada, com o título: "Contribute to the management of the relationship between cherry orchard management and the conservation of an endemism (Asphodelus bento-rainhae P. Silva) in the Serra da Gardunha.
As cherry production increases in the northern slope of Serra da Gardunha (Beira Interior region, Portugal) conflicts arise between farmers and environmentalists. The expansion of the orchards promises enhanced income and a considerable socioeconomic impact on the region, but it also threatens the endemism Asphodelus bento-rainhae P. Silva. This study aims at finding the trade-off between cherry yields (tonne/hectares) and the area covered by Asphodelus bento rainhae (%) for a given plot of land, thus generating the needed information to find and promote a suitable and sustainable equilibrium between economic development and natural resource conservation.
The data was collected in orchards of the Fundão municipality where the Asphodelus bento-rainhae populations are located. These orchards receive technical support from the local integrated pest management service. Cluster analyses, multiple linear regression and neural networks were used to identify the variables that influence cherry yields and the presence of Asphodelus bento-rainhae.
The method of removal of spontaneous vegetation from the slopes between terraces, stood out in the analyses: when cutting was used, the area covered by Asphodelus bento-rainhae increased and the cherry yields decreased. However, when other methods were used to remove slope cover such as applying herbicides per se or accompanied by cutting, the cherry yields increased and the Asphodelus bento-rainhae diminished. The remaining management and environmental variables were not linked to significant effects either on cherry yields or on the Asphodelus bento rainhae distribution. The results suggest that it is possible to increase cherry yields without decreasing the endemism distribution as long as slope management is not carried out with herbicides.