Maksym Polyakov

Exotic, invasive conifer tree species, known as ‘wilding conifers’, pose a significant threat to natural ecosystems and are costly to manage, creating a need to identify community preferences in order to inform and balance public investment in their control. Currently, approximately 7% of New Zealand's total land area is covered by invasive wilding conifers, and the rate of spread is approximately 5% per year. This study analysed the preferences of the New Zealand population regarding the control of wilding conifers in indigenous ecosystems using a choice experiment. The results, obtained through a mixed logistic model in willingness‐to‐pay space, showed that the public places significant value on controlling the spread of wilding conifers. Preferences for control displayed distance decay and diminishing marginal utility. The study also examined the spatial heterogeneity of preferences in terms of distance decay and the spatial dimension of scope. Finally, the study estimated the value of controlling the spread of wilding conifers nationally, which was found to be about NZ$147 million annually, and broadly consistent with the economic damage caused by other major invasive weeds in New Zealand. These findings confirm the importance of spatial factors in explaining preferences for the control of invasive trees and demonstrate how policymakers can use the estimated values to measure the benefits of different control options.

We assess the economic and environmental impacts on agriculture of flooding under projected climate change, including land-use change as an adaption response to floods. Our case study area is the Awanui catchment located in the far north of New Zealand, where flooding is a significant hazard. The study uses an integrated approach and combines spatial information on agricultural exposure and damage from flooding, economic land-use modelling, and valuation approaches. We analyse direct tangible and direct intangible flood impacts under various extents, frequencies, and water depth levels. Our results show areas with flood exposure and damage costs increase with projected climate change. As an adaptation measure to reduce flood damage costs, pastoral farms convert to other land uses, mainly to unfarmed land. Flooding reduces the net revenue for the catchment, while it can result in some reduction of environmental pollution. When the probability of all possible flood events are considered, the value of the changes in greenhouse gas emissions are equivalent to approximately 18% of the change in total net revenue, while the value of changes in other environmental outputs is equivalent to less than 1% of the change in total net revenue. Based on this study, the assessment of various flood impacts and adaptation responses to them can help to develop resilience strategies for the agricultural sector to future climate-induced flooding.

Living streams are an important element of decentralised stormwater management solutions. They are actively promoted due to their ability to generate multiple ecosystem services, including water quality improvement, biodiversity protection and aesthetics. However, a lack of monetised values of ecosystem services of living stream projects makes it difficult to assess the net benefits of investing in such projects. This study uses the hedonic pricing method to estimate the capitalised amenity values of living streams and other public open spaces (POS) in housing and lot markets for the first time. The study area includes two newly greenfield‐developed suburbs in the Perth metropolitan area. We find the positive impact of living streams and other POS on the house and lot prices. However, living streams generate greater value than other types of POS. Furthermore, the POS (including living streams) that support active recreation are valued more than basic POS without active recreation features. Finally, we observe, for the first time, that the benefits of planned but not yet constructed POS (including living stream) are similar to the completed POS (including living stream) in both housing and lot markets. This information is useful for policymakers and developers making informed decisions about water‐sensitive urban infrastructure.

Soil acidification due to crop removal and the use of acidifying fertilisers reduce land productivity in many agricultural systems worldwide. The most common remedy is to apply lime to the soil surface. An alternative approach is to incorporate lime into the sub‐soil. This is a more expensive option, but it substantially reduces the time required to reduce acidity in the sub‐soil horizons. This paper presents a dynamic optimisation model to determine optimal rates, frequency and methods of lime application for a wheat monoculture system in the northern part of the Western Australian wheatbelt. Results show that optimal application rates depend on rainfall levels and soil‐acidity conditions. The net present value of profit is not sensitive to the frequency of lime application. Incorporating lime into the sub‐soil increases the net present value of profit, but only by a small amount: two to four per cent in most scenarios modelled. In the process, sub‐soil lime application reduces both the optimal lime application rate and the time required for the soil pH to increase to a target level.

Complexity of modern metallurgical plants, presence of great number of horizontal and vertical interactions between their various structural subdivisions makes it necessary to apply a systems analysis to elaborate effective measures for stable development of a plant operation. Among such measures, digitalization of a plant is widespread at present. To implement the digitalization it is necessary to have clear vision about links at all the levels of the technological system of a plant. A terminology quoted, accepted in the existing regulatory documents for defining of conceptions, comprising the technological system. It was shown, that the following four hierarchical levels of technological systems are distinguished: technological systems of operations, technological systems of processes, technological systems of production subdivisions and technological systems of plants. A hierarchical scheme of technological systems of hot-rolled sheet production at an integrated steel plant presented. Existing horizontal and vertical links between the basic plant’s shops shown. Peculiarities of flows of material, energy and information at the operation “rolling” of the technological system “hot rolling of a steel sheet” considered. As a technical system of the technological process of the hot rolling, the hot rolling mill was chosen. A structural diagram of the hot rolling mill was elaborated, the mill being consisted of reheating furnaces, roughing and finishing stand groups, with an intermediate roll-table between them, and down-coilers section. Since the rolling stands are the basic structural elements of the hot rolling mill, structural diagrams of a roughing and a finishing stands were elaborated. Results of the systems analysis of the technological and technical systems, hierarchically linked in the process of steel sheet hot rolling, can be applied for perfection of organization structure of the whole plant, as well as for elaboration mathematical models of a system separate elements functioning, which is a necessary condition for a plant digitalization.