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Titre de la thèse

Reconciling forest policies for carbon neutrality and public preferences towards ecosystem services provision: An integrated bio-economic modelling approach

Forests are vital for mitigating climate change and preserving biodiversity, serving as major carbon sinks while providing essential ecosystem services. However, their management requires balancing carbon sequestration, ecosystem conservation, and various land uses within economic and biophysical constraints. While well-designed policies are essential, their success hinges on public acceptance—without societal support, implementation may be weak or contested, limiting long-term effectiveness. Understanding public perceptions of environmental policies, including command-and-control regulations and market-based mechanisms, is therefore crucial for developing strategies that are both effective and socially sustainable. This thesis addresses these challenges in three stages. First, it evaluates policy instruments for carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation. Next, it examines public preferences through stated preference surveys. Finally, it employs the Generalised Forest Sector Model (GenFSM)—a spatially explicit bio-economic integrated assessment model (IAM)—to simulate and assess policy scenarios. By integrating budget constraints, ecological priorities, and societal expectations, this research aims to develop strategies that align carbon neutrality goals with public support by 2100.

Environmental Policy, Payments for Ecosystem Services, Climate Change, Stated Preferences Assessment, Choice Modelling, Environmental Impact Assessment

Highly Commended Paper Award, University of Leeds, Issued for the working paper: Polarised preferences for carbon capture, biodiversity conservation and recreation in forests. A mixed methods approach, presented at the 8th Workshop on Non-Market Valuation (WONV) conference in Leeds, UK