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As worldwide interest in sustainable forest management continues, this paper aims to contribute to the debate about the direction of the flow of science and knowledge by adding information that hybridity of knowledge occurred in international projects. As a case study, I selected a forestry development project of Burma called Forestry Project II East Pegu Yoma Project, funded mainly by the World Bank in the 1980s. By analysing the reports of this project, I attempted to find what kind of local knowledge was adopted, and to explain why that happened. The reports showed that they focused on logging teak (Tectona grandis) for export and establishing tree plantations, and they used techniques that came from the past, such as elephants and floating for logging, and the taungya method for planting, alongside modern techniques. The reasons why the project selected local species, activities and methods were considered to be because: (1) the then government intended to earn foreign exchange from exporting teak logs; (2) teak forestry had a long history in Burma, and the organisations, institutions and techniques aiming for sustainable yield already existed; (3) the project considered that local methods were suitable for particular ecological and socioeconomic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Conservation projects commonly claim to convert local people into long-term environmental stewards and improve their well-being. Yet, evidence frequently contradicts these win-win claims. The "multiple environmentalities" framework outlines distinct approaches that projects often use to foster environmental motivation and behavior: (1) neoliberal: constructing material incentives, (2) sovereign: imposing protective laws, and (3) disciplinary: fostering norms and values. We use a mixed method approach to examine how combinations of these environmentalities shape the land use motivations and behavior of 270 families living in 15 project settings in the Peruvian Amazon. We identify four direct reasons why these projects often fail to achieve their intended outcomes, regardless of the environmentalities employed: (1) self-selection of like-minded individuals, (2) limited ability of extrinsic motivators (i.e. material incentives and protective laws) to reduce reported deforestation behaviors, (3) limited internalization of motivations for conservation, and (4) ignored broader economic drivers of deforestation. We argue that these challenges stem from the typical external design of conservation projects based on fixed and limited interpretations of human motivation. Our findings point to the importance of deliberative processes that can support local and external actors to navigate and reframe competing motivations to co-design approaches to conservation governance at local and broader scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluated the local impacts of World Bank development projects on sites of recognized conservation significance (Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas [IBAs]) using tree cover change data and in situ state, pressure, and response monitoring data. IBAs adjacent to World Bank project locations and a matched set of IBAs distant from World Bank project locations had similar rates of tree loss and similar in situ measurements of conservation outcomes. Thus, we did not detect any significant net negative impacts of World Bank projects on tree cover or conservation outcomes. These results are encouraging because 89% of World Bank projects that are close to IBAs are environmentally sensitive projects (so-called Category A and Category B projects) subjected to the organization's most stringent safeguards. However, the limitations of our evaluation design do not allow us to rule out the possibility that World Bank projects had positive or negative effects that were undetectable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Nativa is the property of Revista Nativa and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article addresses the question of how forestry projects, given the recently improved standards for the accounting of carbon sequestration, can benefit from existing and emerging carbon markets in the world. For a long time, forestry projects have been set up for the purpose of generating carbon credits. They were surrounded by uncertainties about the permanence of carbon sequestration in trees, potential replacement of deforestation due to projects (leakage), and how and what to measure as sequestered carbon. Through experience with Joint Implementation (JI) and Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) forestry projects, albeit limited, and with forestry projects in voluntary carbon markets, considerable improvements have been made with accounting of carbon sequestration in forests, resulting in a more solid basis for carbon credit trading. The scope of selling these credits exists both in compliance markets, although currently with strong limitations, and in voluntary markets for offsetting emissions with carbon credits. Improved carbon accounting methods for forestry investments can also enhance the scope for forestry in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) that countries must prepare under the Paris Agreement. POLICY RELEVANCE This article identifies how forestry projects can contribute to climate change mitigation. Forestry projects have addressed a number of challenges, like reforestation, afforestation on degraded lands, and long-term sustainable forest management. An interesting new option for forestry carbon projects could be the NDCs under the Paris Agreement in December 2015. Initially, under CDM and JI, the number of forestry projects was far below that for renewable energy projects. With the adoption of the Paris Agreement, both developed and developing countries have agreed on NDCs for country-specific measures on climate change mitigation, and increased the need for investing in new measures. Over the years, considerable experience has been built up with forestry projects that fix CO2over a long-term period. Accounting rules are nowadays at a sufficient level for the large potential of forestry projects to deliver a reliable, additional contribution towards reducing or halting emissions from deforestation and forest degradation activities worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent UK government policy design has drawn heavily on insights from behavioural sciences, however, engagement with these ideas in the forestry sector has been limited. This article critically reflects on the interface between forest policy and 'behaviour'. After considering what the term 'behaviour' may mean in the forestry context, we draw on a literature review to develop four key principles that can be used to guide forestry interventions seeking behavioural change. These recommend that interventions: (1) are grounded on an understanding of individual's and groups' values and motivations, (2) seek to affect the wider social and physical context of its target groups, (3) adopt a multifaceted approach at various scales and (4) facilitate active involvement by participants in project design and implementation. These principles are then applied to the analysis of four UK forestry case studies. We conclude that forestry interventions have affected behaviours but without explicitly linking them to 'behavioural' discourses. Furthermore, robust monitoring and evaluation to track behaviour change is currently lacking. We argue that the principles we have developed can be used in forest programme design to ensure that participatory processes, monitoring and evaluation criteria and adequate periods for reflection are built into interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the mid-1970s, Mozambique embarked on several forestry projects to promote and establish large plantation areas with eucalypt trees. The planted species includedCorymbia citriodora,Eucalyptus camaldulensis,E. salignaandE. tereticornis. Similar to other regions of the world, pests and pathogens pose a significant threat to eucalypt plantations in Mozambique, but little is known regarding the diseases of trees in the country. The aim of this study was to provide the first detailed consideration of the possible disease problems affecting plantation- grown eucalypt species in the central and northern provinces of Mozambique. Isolates of fungal pathogens were obtained from material displaying disease symptoms collected during two field surveys conducted in 2010 and 2011. Representative fungal isolates were identified using DNA sequence data. Stem canker diseases caused by fungi in the Botryosphaeriaceae, Cryphonectriaceae and Teratosphaeriaceae, as well as leaf spots caused by species ofCalonectria,Pilidiella,PilidiumandPhakopsora myrtacearumwere commonly encountered. Their relative importance to the future of planation forestry in Mozambique is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Forest Research is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Floresta is the property of Revista Floresta and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article examines the future of the National Park Service Organic Act in a changing climate. Managers and scholars have raised questions about whether the Organic Act gives the Park Service sufficient authority to undertake the steps necessary to adapt to climate change. This article concludes that the Organic Act and park-specific enabling acts, as interpreted by the courts, grant the Park Service wide discretion to pursue management options for adaptation to climate change impacts on national park resources. It also concludes that the Organic Act, properly understood, does impose some necessary constraints on agency decision-making, constraints that prevent inappropriate development projects and that require thoughtful decision-making to minimize the risk of unintended management consequences. Overall, the Organic Act will remain relevant into the next century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Floresta is the property of Revista Floresta and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article examines the livelihoods and experiences of local people after two decades of living close to a strict protected area (PA). A total of 290 local PA neighbors and 60 key informants were interviewed. Findings reveal a limited access to assets and low incomes. An average PA neighbor earns US$0.5 per adult equivalent unit (AEU)/day. PA proximity is associated with lower incomes, mainly because of wildlife damages that cost an average household (HH) up to 10% of its annual income. Other recurrent PA costs include the “invisible” costs incurred to cope with crop raiding, and restricted access to PA resources, that jointly amount to 16% of an average HH’s annual income. PA benefits include the sharing of tourism revenues, integrated conservation and development projects, and park-related employment. In total, benefits constitute 3.5% of the total annual income of an average HH, a figure higher than the contribution of other PAs in Uganda. However, overall, an average HH accrues a net annual loss of 12.5% of its total income or a total loss of US$1.54 million for the 1,1875 HHs, yet the park sends up to US$7 million to the central treasury. This highlights the need for policy revisions of the political economy of PA management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is one of the defining challenges facing the planet. Voluntary forest carbon offset project which has the potential to boost forest carbon storage and mitigate global warming has aroused the global concern. The objective of this paper is to model the game situation and analyze the game behaviors of stakeholders of voluntary forest carbon offset projects in China. A stakeholder model and a Power-Benefit Matrix are constructed to analyze the roles, behaviors, and conflicts of stakeholders including farmers, planting entities, communities, government, and China Green Carbon Foundation. The empirical analysis results show that although the stakeholders have diverse interests and different goals, a win-win solution is still possible through their joint participation and compromise in the voluntary forest carbon offset project. A wide governance structure laying emphasis on benefit balance, equality, and information exchanges and being regulated by all stakeholders has been constructed. It facilitates the agreement among the stakeholders with conflicting or different interests. The joint participation of stakeholders in voluntary forest carbon offset projects might change the government-dominated afforestation/reforestation into a market, where all participators including government are encouraged to cooperate with each other to improve the condition of fund shortage and low efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Forestry Review is the property of Commonwealth Forestry Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Payments for ecosystem services offer the potential to financially benefit landowners in exchange for active forest management. Given their nontimber focus, such payments might be particularly attractive to those owners who do not participate in typical forestry programs. To investigate, we surveyed "nonparticipating" Wisconsin landowners to assess their interest in possible payments for ecosystem services. Our design experimentally compared the effects of ecosystem service type (carbon storage, water, and wildlife) and program sponsorship (government and market) on landowner interest. We also tested the effects of increasing program requirements (no requirements, written plan, required practices, and required inspections). Findings indicate that 42% had some interest under no requirements. This portion dropped to 18% with requirements that resemble how payments might work in practice. Under "real-world" requirements, reliance on a forester in future decisions and the importance of a forest-based income were significant explanatory factors. Findings suggest that program requirements are key in shaping landowner willingness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts on family farming topics which include family farming in Latin America, family farming and groundwater irrigation in Maghreb, and forest projects and forestry policy in Morocco.

Copyright of Revue Tiers Monde is the property of Librairie Armand Colin and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Natural Forest Protection (NFP) program is one of the Six Key Forestry Projects which were adopted by the Chinese Government since the 1980s to address important natural issues in China. It advanced to protecting and restoring the structures and functions of the natural forests through sustainable forest management. However, the role of forest carbon storage and tree carbon pool dynamics since the adoption of the NFP remains unknown. To address this knowledge gap, this study calculated forest carbon storage (tree, understory, forest floor and soil) in the forest region of northeastern (NE) China based on National Forest Inventory databases and field investigated databases. For tree biomass, this study utilized an improved method for biomass estimation that converts timber volume to total forest biomass; while for understory, forest floor and soil carbon storage, this study utilized forest type-specific mean carbon densities multiplied by their areas in the region. Results showed that the tree carbon pool under the NFP in NE China functioned as a carbon sink from 1998 to 2008, with an increase of 6.3 Tg C/yr, which was mainly sequestrated by natural forests (5.1 Tg C/yr). At the same time, plantations also acted as a carbon sink, reflecting an increase of 1.2 Tg C/yr. In 2008, total carbon storage in forests covered by the NFP in NE China was 4603.8 Tg C, of which 4393.3 Tg C was stored in natural forests and 210.5 Tg C in planted forests. Soil was the largest carbon storage component, contributing 69.5%-77.8% of total carbon storage; followed by tree and forest floor, accounting for 16.3%-23.0% and 5.0%-6.5% of total carbon storage, respectively. Understory carbon pool ranged from 1.9 to 42.7 Tg C, accounting for only 0.9% of total carbon storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, many forestry projects have been implemented in developing countries. In China, a variety of large-scale afforestation and reforestation programmes have been carried out with multiple objectives, such as livelihood improvement and carbon sequestration. As in many developing countries, these projects have been implemented in a smallholder context. This paper investigates the determinants of smallholder participation in large forestry projects. Using the case of camellia, it explores the determinants of smallholder participation using a probit regression model. To distinguish between participation in international and government-run projects, a bivariate probit regression model is used. The findings show that only 37% of households in the sample had participated in the Camellia project; a major reason for the low participation rate is perceived tenure insecurity. The results of the bivariate probit model show that the education level of the household head and household size have a positive impact on the likelihood of household participation. The more 'off-farm' activities are taken up in a household, the less likely a household is to participate in an international project. For a government project, household size also has a positive impact on the likelihood of participation. Chinese forestry is diversifying since the devolution offorestland use rights, with a majority of households hesitating to invest, while some risk investment and others depend on government subsidies. The main policy implication is that, if the Chinese government wishes to achieve its goal of 1.68 million hectares of camellia, then improving tenure security is crucial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extension Forestry has long acted as a medium for landowner education and engagement through a variety of programs that encourage peer learning. We describe recent trends and innovations in Extension Forestry programming by reporting the results of surveys and focus groups with the managers of 39 (of 42 identified) Extension Forestry master volunteer and other peer-learning programs. These programs combine instruction from experts with peer learning and volunteerism to provide nonformal adult education for family forest owners. Results indicate that Extension Forestry peer-learning programs are evolving to address emerging issues and to use recent developments in communication and educational technologies, such as online programming and social media. With median annual budgets of just over $10,000, several programs target small and often underserved segments of the landowner population, such as women and absentee landowners. Although program outputs and demands for service are increasing, many program managers face reduced budgets and a variety of challenges to program sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the project funded by the French Global Environment Facility (FFEM). Topics discussed include aims of the project to maximize the production of goods and services provided by Mediterranean forest ecosystems in the context of global changes, promotion of sustainable management of forest ecosystems, usage of REDD opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions due to deforestation and forest degradation.

The article offers information on The International Association for Mediterranean Forests (AIFM), a non-profit organization. Topics discussed include aim to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experience relating to forests in the Mediterranean region, involvement of AIFM in several cooperation programs, including the CLIMADAPT and MEDLAND 2020 projects, objective of the Climadapt project include development of observation systems and adaptive silviculture to protect biodiversity.

Various parts of a landscape unit or region can be used for multiple purposes. Before the collectivisation of agricultural fields in the 1960s, the use of the land was more or less in accordance with the given natural conditions. After collectivisation, huge plots were created, neglecting the features of the capability of the area. The map of ecological potential types shows favourable and unfavourable conditions for agricultural and forestry use, i.e. it indicates which parts of the region off er the best ecological conditions for arable cultivation, viticulture, fruit production, cultivation of meadows and pasture, just to mention a few. A capability assessment using GIS is being carried out for the total area of the Eger region. The database used for the capability analysis contains the Corine 1990 and 2006 data, soil maps and the National Gully Cadastre. The map is compared with present-day land use and the discrepancies between landscape capability and present land use are identified. Suggestions are made to optimise land use according to the capability map. Alterations since the change of the regime in 1989 have been determined and analysed from the aspect of suitability, as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents several abstracts related to the agricultural related injuries and risk management on topics which include injuries and fatalities in the dairy farm operators, risks related to the pesticides exposure in agriculture, and work organization in the forestry and fishing sector.

The article offers insights of magazine editor Beng Ek on several tips for better mass media relations along with ten networks who were granted with funding from SNS network. Ek states that inviting journalist for a research interview is an efficient way of promoting one's research. Moreover, ten networks were granted with research funding which includes Forest Water Mercury, Forest Policy Science, and Social Indicators in Forestry.

Contractors perform the majority of forestry activities in Sweden, yet little is known about the development of their company structures and strategies. By analyzing data from the Swedish Forest Agency's yearly survey to forestry contractors for 2006–2009 and comparing the results with previous data for 1993–1998, we examined the current profiles of Swedish forestry contractors and their recent development. For 2006–2009, responses were received from 700 to 770 forestry contractors, corresponding to ca. 20% of the estimated total number of Swedish forestry contractors. In 2009, 60% of contractors were mainly performing logging activities, whereas 30% were mainly performing silvicultural activities. Between 1993 and 2009, the number of contractors increased by ca. 80%, while the number of forestry working contractors and their employees increased by 157%. These increases were mainly due to increased silvicultural activities. Although one-person enterprises still dominate among Swedish forestry contractors, most logging work is performed by small-sized enterprises, whereas most silviculture work is performed by large-sized enterprises. Our study suggests that there is an increased dependency upon contractors and forestry contractors have become more diversified, but still specialized, in the type of work they perform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Forestry Review is the property of Commonwealth Forestry Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Assisted migration (AM) is often presented as a strategy to save species that are imminently threatened by rapid climate change. This conception of AM, which has generated considerable controversy, typically proposes the movement of narrowly distributed, threatened species to suitable sites beyond their current range limits. However, existing North American forestry operations present an opportunity to practice AM on a larger scale, across millions of hectares, with a focus on moving populations of widely distributed, nonthreatened tree species within their current range limits. Despite these differences (and many others detailed herein), these two conceptions of AM have not been clearly distinguished in the literature, which has added confusion to recent dialogue and debate. Here, we aim to facilitate clearer communication on this topic by detailing this distinction and encouraging a more nuanced view of AM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this review paper is to provide a structured overview on the state-of-the-art of research on Swedish forest policy over the last two decades. An additional aim is to identify major trends and blind-spots within this research area. To achieve this aim, 34 peer-reviewed journal articles and Ph.D. theses on forest policy in Sweden published between 1990 and 2009 have been reviewed and analyzed. The categories used comprise the date of publication, the affiliation of the author, theories and methodologies used, as well as major conclusions drawn. One major result of the review is that there is a continuous increase in the studies on Swedish forest policy, not the least due to the fact that an increasing number of authors are affiliated with non-forest research organizations. The shift of authors from forest scientists to political scientists is also linked to the theories used in these studies, e.g. neo-institutionalism. The main focus of the reviewed studies is on small-scale forestry as well as on governance, in particular on certification. Analysis of the linkage between Swedish forest policy and political processes beyond the nation state are an exception in the reviewed papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon sequestration and wood volume production will be major objectives of future forestry projects. Optimization of these two objectives will require a better understanding of how management regimes affect stand average wood density and carbon fraction. Two contrasting coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) sites were chosen for analysis of volume growth rates and tree stem carbon sequestration rates under two management systems—even-aged and multiaged—each with various treatments. A young plantation showed high volume increment and stem carbon sequestration rates in all treatments with the highest in the control plots. Control plots in the plantation had peak periodic volume increment of 75.6 m3 ha−1 year−1 and a maximum stem carbon sequestration rate of 16.08 tonnes C ha−1 year−1. The multiaged stand in contrast had the lowest volume and carbon increment in the control plots at 11.97 m3 ha−1 year−1 and 2.40 tonnes C ha−1 year−1, respectively. In both the management systems, significant differences were observed in the carbon fraction (mass carbon per unit mass dry wood) of heartwood (HW) and sapwood (SW) at 0.5385 and 0.5293, respectively, implying that increasing the ratio of HW to SW will result in higher average carbon fractions. Carbon density varied between management regimes with the highest values occurring in the multiaged stand indicating the potential for enhancement of carbon sequestration through silvicultural prescriptions. Utilization of standard carbon accounting practices resulted in a systematic underestimate of stand-level carbon stocks for both systems studied of 26 per cent in the even-aged stand and 27 per cent in the multiaged stand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The property rights and the type of ownership (private owners, public domain and commons) are two fundamental concepts in relationship to the local development and to the social and environmental sustainability. Common forests were established in Europe since the Middle Ages, but over the centuries the importance of commons changed in parallel with economic and social changes. In recent decades, the scientific debate focused on the forest management efficiency and sustainability of this type of ownership in comparison to the public and private property. In Italy common forests have a long tradition with substantial differences in the result of historical evolution in various regions. In Sardinia region the private forests are 377.297 ha, the public forests are 201.324 ha, while around 120.000 ha are commons. The respect of the common rights changed in the different historical periods. Today, the common lands are managed directly by municipalities or indirectly through third parties, in both cases the involvement of members of community is very low. The main objective of the paper is to analyse forest management differences in public institutions with and without common property rights. To achieve the objective of the research the forest management preferences of community members and managers were evaluated and compared. The analysis was realized through the use of the principal-agent model and it has been tested in a case study in Sardinia region (Arci-Grighine district). The analysis of the results showed that the categories of actors considered (members of community, municipalities and managers) have a marked productive profile, but municipalities manage forests perceiving a moderate multifunctionality. Moreover, the representatives of the municipalities pay more attention to the interests of the collectivity in comparison to the external managers. They also attribute high importance to environmental and social forest functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of the history and current status of forest resources in Northeast China have become important in discussions of sustainable forest management in the region. Prior to 1998, excessive logging and neglected cultivation led to a series of problems that left exploitable forest reserves in the region almost exhausted. A substantial decrease in the area of natural forests was accompanied by severe disruption of stand structure and serious degradation of overall forest quality and function. In 1998, China shifted the primary focus of forest management in the country from wood production to ecological sustainability, adopting ecological restoration and protection as key foci of management. In the process, China launched the Natural Forest Conversion Program and implemented a new system of Classification-based Forest Management. Since then, timber harvesting levels in Northeast China have decreased, and forest area and stocking levels have slowly increased. At present, the large area of low quality secondary forest lands, along with high levels of timber production, present researchers and government agencies in China with major challenges in deciding on management models and strategies that will best protect, restore and manage so large an area of secondary forest lands. This paper synthesizes information from a number of sources on forest area, stand characteristics and stocking levels, and forest policy changes in Northeastern China. Following a brief historical overview of forest harvesting and ecological research in Northeast China, the paper discusses the current state of forest resources and related problems in forest management in the region, concluding with key challenges in need of attention in order to meet the demands for multi-purpose forest sustainability and management in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BSTRACT In this article, I analyze the encounter between the Field Museum of Natural History and Amazonian Ecuador's Cofán people to question the concept of 'environmentality': the idea that environmentalist programs and movements operate as forms of governmentality in Michel Foucault's sense. I argue that, although the Field Museum's community conservation projects constitute a regulatory rationale and technique, they do not transform Cofán subjectivity according to plan. By exploring Cofán people's critical consciousness of environmentalist interventions, I aim to cast doubt on the governmentality paradigm's utility for analyzing the complexities of cultural difference, intercultural encounter, and directed change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landscape-level assessments, particularly the quantification of forest fragmentation, often involve calculating landscape metrics from classified remotely sensed images. The utility of these derived metrics is often assumed to be dependent on the quality of the classified images. We compared conventional, pixel-based classification and a newer method of object-based classification to determine the effects of these two methods on fragmentation analysis of Cockpit Country, Jamaica, West Indies. Both methods showed similar trends in fragmentation metrics; however, there were significant differences between the methods for the metrics that quantified landscape configuration. The object-based classification allowed for the easy inclusion of roads into the analysis, which produced more accurate maps that showed a significant difference in the size of the largest forest patch. The object-based method also allowed classification of forests to show the location and extent of core forest areas; we were therefore able to identify an area of core forest that had remained consistent over the study period as a significant area for conservation focus. We recommend that the object-based method be the method chosen for landscape analyses, particularly forest-fragmentation studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fiscal policies are used by the Nigerian government to address economic development. However, these policies experienced sudden changes and created havoc to forestry development. The study evaluated how failed policies exerted negative impacts on sustainable forest management in Nigeria. Data were derived through a questionnaire survey and discussions held with major stakeholders. Results of data analyses revealed that various policy failures collectively contributed in: (i) high rate of dereservation of forests for alternative uses, (ii) massive encroachment into the forest reserves for food production, (iii) fragmentation of forest reserves which has hampered in situ conservation, and (iv) increased illegal activities in constituted forest reserves: logging, hunting and farming. Policy reforms should be anchored on full participation of all stakeholders in forest management and harmonization of various policies in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the relation between discourse and value in the production of a carbon forestry offset project among indigenous smallholders in Costa Rica. By analyzing a pivotal cost-benefit calculation that changed the trajectory of the project, this article makes two principal claims. First, the intelligibility of the calculation is grounded in a discursive formation that is emergent from a history of development projects in the region, where particular ways of speaking about the relation between indigenous bodies and agriculture have allowed carbon's commodification to emerge as a desirable project. Second, the calculations resulted in quantified representations of space that were necessary for the offset to become useful within the framework of the Kyoto Protocol. In this case, the forestry offset's use value derived from quantified representations of agricultural space; a process that opened some forms of land use for receiving carbon while foreclosing on others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three Rio Conventions-the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification-face the challenge to create synergies at different levels. The objective of this article is to describe how we have assessed synergies between the Rio Conventions at the project level in the forest sector. Since the complexity of the decision problem is high, we adopted the Multicriteria Decision Aid approach, which can provide a broad insight into the decision problem and find a compromise solution to a problem with multidimensional and conflicting criteria including social, economic and environmental features. The ELECTRE TRI model was used for assessing synergies at the project level, and has been a useful tool to quantify the performance of afforestation and reforestation projects into three categories (synergistic, reasonably synergistic, and not synergistic). For the first time, afforestation and reforestation projects have been assessed in a comprehensive way through decision criteria that reflect global and local interests using a non-compensatory multicriteria method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers updates related to the forests and forestry in Europe. It highlights the inauguration of the new building for Copenhagen University's national centre Forest & Landscape Denmark. It notes the appointment of Jorgen Bo Larsen as chairman of the European Forest Institute. It also highlights the activities of the Operations Systems Centre of Advanced Research (OSCAR) conference sponsored by the Norweigan Forest and Landscape Institute in October 2010.

This literature review evaluates two programs that attempt to involve women in community-based forestry projects: the Green Belt Movement led by Wangari Maathai in Kenya, and Nepal's government-sponsored Community Forestry Program. To evaluate the extent to which each program is a successful community-based conservation venture, the recommendations developed at the Airlie House Community Based Conservation Workshop in 1993 are used. These recommendations stipulate that factors such as culture, participation, resource ownership, and skills and knowledge transfer must be taken into account for a community-based conservation venture to be successful. To evaluate the extent to which each program is successful in securing the active involvement of women, the study evaluates how well they overcome a set of four factors that commonly limit women's involvement in forestry projects, developed by Molnar in 1997; this list includes limited access to productive resources, limited decision-making roles, limited participation in the labor market and lack of incentives for project workers to incorporate women. By evaluating each program's strengths and weaknesses, the paper reveals certain characteristics, such as cultural awareness and the incorporation of civic education and skill development, that community forestry programs must have in order to successfully involve women in their efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In most populations of mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus), mineral lick use is an essential part of the ecology of the species. In many areas, the distribution and use of licks in the landscape is poorly known, rendering planning for resource development difficult. We examined lick use by 28 GPS radio-collared mountain goats in 2 study areas in southeastern British Columbia during 2004-2005. Viewing collar-location movements on digital orthophotos, we assumed goat use of 6 previously known and 10 suspected mineral licks. Field visits verified that 9 of the 10 suspected sites were mineral licks. Thirteen of the 15 licks used by collared goats were within forests with commercial harvesting potential. All but 3 of the licks were ⩽600 m from the closest logging block, and 5 licks were <100 m away. Number of annual visits to licks by individual goats ranged from 0 to 9. Goats often moved considerable distances (up to 17.3 km) to visit licks. Most visits by males occurred between early May and late June (median 9 June), and most visits by females occurred between early June and mid-July (median 21 June). Mean time spent at licks on each visit was 1.5 days for females and 1.6 days for males. Most of the licks were characterized by numerous cavities dug under trees (which we term "lick trees"). Using GPS collars, we were able to collect data on lower-elevation mineral licks not previously known to researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gran Chaco is the second largest ecosystem in the Plata basin of South America, after the Amazon rainforest. The high biological and cultural diversity offer diverse opportunities for conservation, despite development threatening both of them. The greatest concentration of biodiversity remain in areas of northern Argentina and southern Bolivia where levels of poverty are very high, and indigenous peoples and poor criollo cattle raisers coexist. By improving informed governance, it is possible to stabilize biodiversity levels and provide a basis for poor local people to collaborate, and to improve their situation in the face of threats from development. In this study we analyze the ongoing processes being applied in two Gran Chaco cases - from the Upper Parapeti Basin (upriver from Kaa Iya National Park) in Bolivia, and the Lower Pilcomayo in northern Argentina (a dynamic internal delta ecosystem where a tri-national biosphere reserve is being considered). Watershed management, when adapted to local ecological, cultural, social and political contexts, is shown to be an effective tactical strategy to activate moribund governmental institutions in response to local constituencies. In the two cases presented, NGO-facilitated processes enriched local people´s ability to take their own actions and to assess and frame their problems and goals for dialogue with their governments. The NGOs also offered technical assistance with land-use zoning, reforestation and alternative income-generation activities in collaborations that shifted government engagement. The methods used differ from the standard conservation and development projects, and their success offers lessons in building social network systems and civic science that improve conservation and reduce poverty. We close with a reflection on the framing of poverty alleviation and sustainability in conservation discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "Forest Fire Project" on the National cartographic portal (http://www.pcn.minambiente.it) has been created by the Italian Ministry of Environment Territory and Sea (METS). The project is intended to support forest fire fighting plans in national protected areas as provided for by article 8 of the law November 21th 2000, no. 353 "Framework law on forest fires". The project brings out the results of previous projects carried out in collaboration with several research institutes. Cartographic information is made available as free and reliable knowledge base in order to facilitate the draw up and implementation of the "Forest Fire Plans", including the actual activity of forest fire extinction. Map information can be further implemented by various subjects such as researchers, land planning programmers or managers. The National cartographic portal gives the opportunity of overlaying various cartographic information and base maps supporting the "Forest Fire Project"; moreover it is possible to add other layers from other sources, through URL. Adequate "personalised" overlaps - which can be saved on one's own GIS - allow in depth analysis and deductions aimed at specific objectives of territorial planning and management and in particular of Forest Fire Fighting Plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The forest sector is perceived as being traditionally conservative and reluctant to adopt changes, even when these can be beneficial. This is a natural consequence of an industry that tends to operate over relatively long time periods. However, to compete successfully in a rapidly globalizing world, the forest sector will need to be much more innovative than it has been to date. Government policies could play an important role in encouraging innovation in the forest sector yet, despite many initiatives, they have had variable success in doing so. It is likely that transformative innovations will occur that involve different actors to those dominating the sector today, and there is already evidence of such innovations taking place. Transformative innovation may not, however, be in the short-term interest of governments that have used the forest sector to encourage rural development. Other innovations may be stimulated as the crises facing the forest sectors in individual countries deepen. However, it is uncertain whether these will ensure that forests fulfil their potential in enabling the development of a global bioeconomy. To do so, effective partnerships between all the interested parties are needed: government, industry, academia, and non-governmental organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important aspect in the linking of different emissions trading schemes is the degree to which these systems allow (or ban) external offset project categories. The EU Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) currently allows the use of credits from energy and industry projects developed under the Kyoto Protocol's Joint Implementation (JI) and Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) but excludes the use of carbon credits from forestry projects for compliance in the EU ETS. Forestry credits generated by the CDM have a limited lifetime and expire at the end of a project's crediting period, or earlier if the carbon stock for which the credits have been issued ceases to exist. According to the recently adopted amendment of the EU ETS Directive forestry credits will remain to be excluded until 2020. The present article reviews how the New South Wales Greenhouse Gas Abatement Scheme (Australia), the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (US) and the voluntary scheme of the Chicago Climate Exchange integrate forestry offsets into the respective system and how they deal with the risk of losing stored and credited biomass. By comparing the results of different scenarios this article shows how differences in the treatment of forestry offsets could impact the efforts to link various emission trading systems in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the latest forest inventory, this article provides a detailed analysis of China's changing forest sector by focusing on new forest trends, forest policy changes, and challenges to achieving a sustainable forest management. The authors analyze the dynamics of forest resources and provide an impact assessment of forest policies on China's forestry development during the past decades. Moreover, the analysis of the forest market highlights substantial disequilibria marked by a limited domestic supply potential and a growing demand for forest products satisfied by increasing imports. Internal and external solutions are explored, and their implications for China and supplying countries are assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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