Identifying determinants of nations' wetland management programs using structural equation modeling: An exploratory analysis

Integrated management and policy models suggest that solutions to environme ntal issues may be linked to the socioeconomic and political characteristic s of a nation. In this study, we empirically explore these suggestions by a pplying them to the wetland management activities of nations. Structural eq uation modeling was used to evaluate a model of national wetland management effort and one of national wetland protection. Using five predictor variab les of social capital, economic capital, environmental and political charac teristics, and land-use pressure, the multivariate models were able to expl ain 60% of the variation in nations' wetland protection efforts based on da ta from 90 nations, as defined by level of participation in the internation al wetland convention. Social capital had the largest direct effect on wetl and protection efforts, suggesting that increased social development may ev entually lead to better wetland protection. In contrast, increasing economi c development had a negative linear relationship with wetland protection ef forts, suggesting the need for explicit wetland protection programs as nati ons continue to focus on economic development. Government, environmental ch aracteristics, and land-use pressure also had a positive direct effect on w etland protection, and mediated the effect of social capital on wetland pro tection. Explicit wetland protection policies, combined with a focus on soc ial development, would lead to better wetland protection at the national le vel.