Search

The term bioeconomy and closely related notions like bio-based economy or knowledge-based bioeconomy (KBBE) are increasingly used by scientists and politicians in the last years. It does therefore have the potential of becoming an influential global discourse. Its role is however so far unclear. The general assumption that guides this paper is that discourses, resulting ideas and arguments are generally said to have performative power. They shape actors' views, influence their behaviour, impact on their beliefs and interests and can cause institutional change in a given society. Thus, the aim of this paper is twofold: first, it aims to analyse whether the ideas used in a bioeconomy discourse differs from those in other global meta-discourses of the last decades affecting forest discourses, such as the ecological modernization discourse or the sustainable development discourse. Second, this paper aims to analyse whether and how the bioeconomy discourse has started (or not) to reshape or overshadow the “classical” forest discourses, such as sustainable forest management, forest biodiversity or forest and climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has direct and indirect impacts on forest ecosystems worldwide. In this context, changing site conditions and altered disturbance regimes as well as forest management responses are challenging the conservation of biodiversity in forests. Climate-induced dynamics and uncertainties related to future forest ecosystem development are calling into question current conservation strategies and concepts. Given the longevity of trees, slow development rates of forest ecosystems and slow migration rates of many forest species, the planning of adaptation measures in response to climate change are especially difficult though highly important for forest biodiversity conservation. This paper introduces a special issue with eight contributions which deal with a variety of aspects of forest biodiversity conservation in the face of climate change. More specifically, the papers address direct impacts of climate change on forest biodiversity, adaptation measures for forest and conservation management, as well as resulting challenges for conservation strategies and concepts. In conclusion, adaptation measures that enhance diversity and provide different options for future action, thereby maintaining ecosystems' resilience, as well as conservation management operating on a landscape level, are promoted as being beneficial for coping with uncertainties related to climate change. Adaptive management, which constantly reviews conservation goals and measures, and which takes into account both science-based and local ecological knowledge on climate change can be a valuable tool to inform decisions for forest biodiversity conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest ecological benefit compensation protects the ecological environment, increases enthusiasm among forest ecological builders, protects the legitimate economic interests of forest landowners, and maintains environmental security. In this study, a systematic analysis was conducted on 4062 publications in the field of international forest ecological benefit compensation identified using the Web of Science core collection Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-E) and Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) databases alongside CiteSpace optical measurement software. The research status and influence of countries were tracked, scientific research institutions and important authors were identified, and interdisciplinary and scientific hotspots were analyzed. The results show that the number of studies in this field has significantly increased over time and has strong development potential. The journals and articles presenting cutting-edge research in this field are all considered highly professional. The selected research is highly interdisciplinary but primarily involves environmental science and ecology. Despite the publication volume of China ranking second among the top 10 countries, its average citation volume was the lowest, indicating the urgent need to increase the international influence of China. Forest biodiversity, ecosystem services, and climate change are current research hotspots in this field. Dynamic changes in forest ecological benefit compensation and the driving forces behind its evolution are of great concern to researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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.)

• There is a growing need for Decision Support Systems in forestry that focus on the understorey. • This paper presents a first prototype of such an understorey Decision Support System. • We developed General Additive Models to predict understorey responses to global change. • Climate warming will shift understorey composition towards more woody species and forest generalists. • Keeping the canopy close can help mitigating this shift by increasing the proportion of forest specialists. • Understorey responses to global change were found to be context-dependent. The temperate forest understorey is rich in terms of vascular plant diversity and plays a vital functional role. Given the sensitivity of this forest layer to forest management and global environmental change and the limited knowledge on its long-term dynamics, there is a need for decision support systems that can guide temperate forest managers to optimize their management in terms of understorey outcomes. In this study, using understorey resurvey data collected from across temperate Europe, we developed Generalized Additive Models (GAM) to predict four understorey properties based on forest management and environmental change data, and implemented this model in a web-based tool as a prototype understorey Decision Support System (DSS). Using seventy-two combined climate change, nitrogen(N) deposition and forest management scenarios, applied to two case study regions in Europe, we predicted temperate forest understorey biodiversity dynamics between 2020 and 2050. A sensitivity analysis subsequently allowed to quantify the relative importance of canopy opening, N deposition and climate change on understorey dynamics. Our study showed that, regardless of regions, understorey richness and the proportion of forest specialists generally decreased among most scenarios, but the proportion of woody species and the understorey vegetation total cover increased. Climate warming, N deposition, and increases in canopy openness all influenced understorey dynamics. Climate warming will shift composition towards a selection of forest generalists and woody species, but a less open canopy could mitigate this shift by increasing the proportion of forest specialists. The case studies also showed that these responses can be context-dependent, especially in terms of responses to N deposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and the associated disturbances have disrupted the relative stability of tree species composition in hemiboreal forests. The natural ecology of forest communities, including species occurrence and composition, forest structure, and food webs, have been affected. Yet, the hemiboreal forest zone of Lithuania is the least studied in the country for climate change risks and possible management adaption techniques. This problem is further complicated by the fact that Lithuania uses a traditional centralised forest management system. Therefore, this work proposes assisted natural regeneration (ANR) of tree species as a more viable means of building hemiboreal forest resilience to cope with future climate change risks. The ANR model implies that forest management is localised in local communities, to provide opportunities for the local people to participate in forest management based on local knowledge, thereby facilitating the transition from cultural diversity to biodiversity. Further, ANR is grounded on an ethical framework—deep ecology—to provide ethical justification for the proposal to transit forest management in Lithuania from the traditional centralised segregated system to a community-driven practice. The work combines the theories of ANR, deep ecology, and hemiboreal forest knowledge systems to provide complementary information that builds on gaps in the existing literature. This study is unique in that no previous work has linked ANR and deep ecology in the context of Lithuania's forest ecosystems. [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.)

In boreal commercial forests, carbon sequestration, climate change adaptation, and biodiversity conservation can be promoted through various measures. This study examines the factors affecting non-industrial private forest (NIPF) owners' preferences for such forest management practices. A systematic literature review serves as a reference for the empirical analysis of a survey data on the Finnish NIPF owners' stated willingness to adopt thirteen distinct forest management practices. Binary logit models reveal socio-demographic factors, site-specific characteristics, previous forest management, and motivations for forest ownership that are associated with the stated adoption of management practices. Especially, environmental and financial motivations play an important role in decisions concerning forest management practices. Statistically significant factors vary depending on the forest management practice, reflecting the NIPF owner heterogeneity. Younger and highly educated forest owners are more supportive for various management practices that promote biodiversity, while older forest owners are reluctant towards deadwood retention. The results underline the importance of accounting for heterogeneous preferences regarding forest management practices when designing and implementing policies and advisory services aiming at enhancing carbon sequestration, climate change adaptation, or biodiversity in boreal commercial forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Habitat degradation and land‐use change driven by the livestock sector are among the major causes of global biodiversity loss. Forests are crucial in maintaining biodiversity and mitigating climate change. Apart from continuing deforestation, forests also face increasing pressure from livestock grazing in the system, which is less understood compared to grasslands. Through a meta‐analysis of 156 articles with 1936 data entries, this study assesses the effect of livestock on forest biodiversity, structure, and functions, varying with livestock types, livestock density, grazing history, and climatic factors. Our results show that livestock overall had a negative impact on the forest structure and functions, reduced species abundance but increased richness. Medium and large mammals, plant communities, and soil were more negatively affected compared to other groups such as birds and invertebrates. Livestock also influenced the role of forests in mitigating climate change. They changed forest carbon stock by reducing plant biomass; however, they did not significantly impact the soil carbon stock or soil greenhouse gas emissions. Ecosystem attributes were more affected in warmer and drier regions and by single species grazing than the mixed grazing. Past livestock grazing history moderates the impacts of livestock, with the strongest negative effect occurred with a history of 1–5 years. Nonetheless, livestock activities also had a positive impact on forest management, such as reducing forest flammability. Our results also indicate the lack of studies on how higher trophic levels respond to livestock disturbances and how grazing intensity moderates the effect, which includes grazing duration and livestock density. The complex responses of forests to livestock in different conditions call for more adaptive management depending on the conservation targets and evolution history. [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.)

Background: Anthropogenic disturbances are increasingly affecting the vitality of tropical dry forests. The future condition of this important biome will depend on its capability to resist and recover from these disturbances. So far, the temporal stability of dryland forests is rarely studied, even though identifying the important factors associated with the stability of the dryland forests could serve as a basis for forest management and restoration. Methodology: In a degraded dry Afromontane forest in northern Ethiopia, we explored remote sensing derived indicators of forest stability, using MODIS satellite derived NDVI time series from 2001 to 2018. Resilience and resistance were measured using the anomalies (remainders) after time series decomposition into seasonality, trend and remainder components. Growth stability was calculated using the integral of the undecomposed NDVI data. These NDVI derived stability indicators were then related to environmental factors of climate, topography, soil, tree species diversity, and local human disturbance, obtained from a systematic grid of field inventory plots, using boosted regression trees in R. Results: Resilience and resistance were adequately predicted by these factors with an R2 of 0.67 and 0.48, respectively, but the model for growth stability was weaker. Precipitation of the wettest month, distance from settlements and slope were the most important factors associated with resilience, explaining 51% of the effect. Altitude, temperature seasonality and humus accumulation were the significant factors associated with the resistance of the forest, explaining 61% of the overall effect. A positive effect of tree diversity on resilience was also important, except that the impact of species evenness declined above a threshold value of 0.70, indicating that perfect evenness reduced the resilience of the forest. Precipitation of the wettest month was the most important factor explaining 43.52% of the growth stability variation. Conclusion: A combination of climate, topographic factors and local human disturbance controlled the stability of the dry forest. Also tree diversity is an important stability component that should be considered in the management and restoration programs of such degraded forests. If local disturbances are alleviated the recovery time of dryland forests could be shortened, which is vital to maintain the ecosystem services these forests provide to local communities and global climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forests are projected to undergo dramatic compositional and structural shifts prompted by global changes, such as climatic changes and intensifying natural disturbance regimes. Future uncertainty makes planning for forest management exceptionally difficult, demanding novel approaches to maintain or improve the ability of forest ecosystems to respond and rapidly reorganize after disturbance events. Adopting a landscape perspective in forest management is particularly important in fragmented forest landscapes where both diversity and connectivity play key roles in determining resilience to global change. In this context, network analysis and functional traits combined with ecological dynamic modeling can help evaluate changes in functional response diversity and connectivity within and among forest stands in fragmented landscapes. Here, we coupled ecological dynamic modeling with functional traits analysis and network theory to analyze forested landscapes as an interconnected network of forest patches. We simulated future forest landscape dynamics in a large landscape in southern Quebec, Canada, under a combination of climate, disturbance, and management scenarios. We depicted the landscape as a functional network, assessed changes in future resilience using indicators at multiple spatial scales, and evaluated if current management practices are suitable for maintaining resilience to simulated changes in regimes. Our results show that climate change would promote forest productivity and favor heat‐adapted deciduous species. Changes in natural disturbances will likely have negative impacts on native conifers and will drive changes in forest type composition. Climate change negatively impacted all resilience indicators and triggered losses of functional response diversity and connectivity across the landscape with undesirable consequences on the capacity of these forests to adapt to global change. Also, current management strategies failed to promote resilience at different spatial levels, highlighting the need for a more active and thoughtful approach to forest management under global change. Our study demonstrates the usefulness of combining dynamic landscape‐scale simulation modeling with network analyses to evaluate the possible impacts of climate change as well as human and natural disturbances on forest resilience under global change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Declining soil quality and climate change may affect species diversity and forest biomass productivity in many temperate regions in the future. Our research objective is to reveal the characteristics of soil nutrients and biomass of forests in Northeast China with climate change. The purpose of this study was to determine the soil physical and chemical properties of mature broad-leaved forest in the cold temperate zone of Mt. Changbai, Jilin Province, by measuring pH, NH4 +, organic matter (%), C/N, available phosphorus, alkali-hydrolysable N, rapidly available K, and Cr etc., analysing species diversity characteristics, and estimating aboveground biomass (AGB) of tree species with machine learning models. The results showed that with the increase of soil depth, the soil physical and chemical parameters have a decreasing trend; with the increase of soil depth, the soil nutrient content decreased; the main tree species were the Acer barbinerve (6937), Carpinus cordata Bl. (6682) and Acer mandshuricum Maxim. (5447) etc. The total difference (SOR) showed a similar trend in the four directions and central point; the reference sample size at central point, north, west, south and east direction was 903, 954, 971, 1005 and 1016, respectively; GRNN model was the relatively best model among these models for modelling the aboveground biomass of the trees. Therefore, the diversity of tree species in north-eastern forests was affected by soil nutrients, climate change also has a significant impact on the aboveground biomass of northeast forests, which provides a theoretical basis for the management of northeast forests about soil physical and chemical properties and species diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forests are one of the major sources of livelihood that need to be conserved. In India, there have been continuous efforts to evolve a scientific basis for sustainable management of forests. In recent century, this has primarily been addressed through "forest management plans," also known as "working plans." To make the plans uniform for each of the forest management units, guidelines have been issued by Government of India in the name of "working plan code,"which are revised periodically to match present days' requirement. A working plan largely deals with the present state of the forest, outcomes of past management, and proposal of future management on a scientific basis. With a significant lapse of time, the role of forests has been recognized beyond mere supply of timber (a major resource) to fulfilling the demands of minor resources and ecological services. This has transformed the basis of forest management and the working plans. With reference to India, we discuss the relevance of working plan for sustainable management of forests; highlights of the most recent working plan code (2014); relevance of the code with reference to climate change and biodiversity, future perspectives, and recommendations for better management of the forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Forest landscapes at the southern boreal forest transition zone are likely to undergo great alterations due to projected changes in regional climate. Objectives: We projected changes in forest landscapes resulting from four climate scenarios (baseline, RCP 2.6, RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5), by simulating changes in tree growth and disturbances at the southern edge of Canada's boreal zone. Methods: Projections were performed for four regions located on an east-west gradient using a forest landscape model (LANDIS-II) parameterized using a forest patch model (PICUS). Results: Climate-induced changes in the competitiveness of dominant tree species due to changes in potential growth, and substantial intensification of the fire regime, appear likely to combine in driving major changes in boreal forest landscapes. Resulting cumulative impacts on forest ecosystems would be manifold but key changes would include (i) a strong decrease in the biomass of the dominant boreal species, especially mid- to late-successional conifers; (ii) increases in abundance of some temperate species able to colonize disturbed areas in a warmer climate; (iii) increases in the proportions of pioneer and fire-adapted species in these landscapes and (iv) an overall decrease in productivity and total biomass. The greatest changes would occur under the RCP 8.5 radiative forcing scenario, but some impacts can be expected even with RCP 2.6. Conclusions: Western boreal forests, i.e., those bordering the prairies, are the most vulnerable because of a lack of species adapted to warmer climates and major increases in areas burned. Conservation and forest management planning within the southern boreal transition zone should consider both disturbance- and climate-induced changes in forest communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although forest ecosystems are fundamental sources of services and global biodiversity, their capacity to maintain these benefits in the future is potentially threatened by anthropogenic impacts such as climate change, land use, and unsustainable management practices. Thus far, studies focusing on forests and their services have gained less attention compared with studies on other biomes. Additionally, management practices may potentially undermine the capacity of forests to sustain biodiversity conservation and services in the future, especially outside protected areas. This study linked the concepts of biodiversity and forest ecosystem services at the national level in Italy. Through a downscaled review, we first analyzed management issues, challenges, and needs within the context of forest ecosystem services. We then carried out a survey on protected areas. The results show that forest biodiversity supports the provision of other services and, hence, needs to be preserved and supported by adaptive management practices. Current research on forest ecosystem services must extend policy trajectories to protected areas (i.e., National Parks) as centers of biodiversity and models of the sustainable use of resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent global warming is acting across marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems to favor species adapted to warmer conditions and/or reduce the abundance of cold-adapted organisms (i.e., "thermophilization" of communities). Lack of community responses to increased temperature, however, has also been reported for several taxa and regions, suggesting that "climatic lags" may be frequent. Here we show that microclimatic effects brought about by forest canopy closure can buffer biotic responses to macroclimate warming, thus explaining an apparent climatic lag. Using data from 1,409 vegetation plots in European and North American temperate forests, each surveyed at least twice over an interval of 12-67 y, we document significant thermophilization of ground-layer plant communities. These changes reflect concurrent declines in species adapted to cooler conditions and increases in species adapted to warmer conditions. However, thermophilization, particularly the increase of warm-adapted species, is attenuated in forests whose canopies have become denser, probably reflecting cooler growing-season ground temperatures via increased shading. As standing stocks of trees have increased in many temperate forests in recent decades, local microclimatic effects may commonly be moderating the impacts of macroclimate warming on forest understories. Conversely, increases in harvesting woody biomass—e.g., for bioenergy—may open forest canopies and accelerate thermophilization of temperate forest biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest management under a changing climate requires assessing the effects of climate warming and disturbance on the composition, age structure, and spatial patterns of tree species. We investigated these effects on a boreal forest in northeastern China using a factorial experimental design and simulation modeling. We used a spatially explicit forest landscape model (LANDIS) to evaluate the effects of three independent variables: climate (current and expected future), fire regime (current and increased fire), and timber harvesting (no harvest and legal harvest). Simulations indicate that this forested landscape would be significantly impacted under a changing climate. Climate warming would significantly increase the abundance of most trees, especially broadleaf species (aspen, poplar, and willow). However, climate warming would have less impact on the abundance of conifers, diversity of forest age structure, and variation in spatial landscape structure than burning and harvesting. Burning was the predominant influence in the abundance of conifers except larch and the abundance of trees in mid-stage. Harvesting impacts were greatest for the abundance of larch and birch, and the abundance of trees during establishment stage (1–40 years), early stage (41–80 years) and old- growth stage (>180 years). Disturbance by timber harvesting and burning may significantly alter forest ecosystem dynamics by increasing forest fragmentation and decreasing forest diversity. Results from the simulations provide insight into the long term management of this boreal forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is acknowledged as a global threat to the environment and human well-being. Forest ecosystems are a significant factor in this regard as they act both as a sink and a source of carbon. Forest carbon evaluation has received more attention after the Paris Agreement. Pakistan has 5.1% forest cover of its total land area, which comprises nine forest types. This study covers the studies conducted on above-ground biomass and carbon stock in various forest types of Pakistan. Most of the studies on biomass and carbon stock estimation have been conducted during 2015–2020. The non-destructive method is mostly followed for carbon stock estimation, followed by remote sensing. The destructive method is used only for developing allometric equations and biomass expansion factors. The information available on the carbon stock and biomass of Pakistan forest types is fragmented and sporadic. Coniferous forests are more important in carbon sequestration and can play a vital role in mitigating climate change. Pakistan is a signatory of the Kyoto Protocol and still lacks regional and national level studies on biomass and carbon stock, which are necessary for reporting under the Kyoto Protocol. This study will help researchers and decision-makers to develop policies regarding Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+), conservation, sustainable forest management and enhancement of forest carbon stocks [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is threatening our ability to manage forest ecosystems sustainably. Despite strong consensus on the need for a broad portfolio of options to face this challenge, diversified management options have yet to be widely implemented. Inspired by functional zoning, a concept aimed at optimizing biodiversity conservation and wood production in multiple-use forest landscapes, we present a portfolio of management options that intersects management objectives with forest vulnerability to better address the wide range of goals inherent to forest management under climate change. Using this approach, we illustrate how different adaptation options could be implemented when faced with impacts related to climate change and its uncertainty. These options range from establishing ecological reserves in climatic refuges, where self-organizing ecological processes can result in resilient forests, to intensive plantation silviculture that could ensure a stable wood supply in an uncertain future. While adaptation measures in forests that are less vulnerable correspond to the traditional functional zoning management objectives, forests with higher vulnerability might be candidates for transformative measures as they may be more susceptible to abrupt changes in structure and composition. To illustrate how this portfolio of management options could be applied, we present a theoretical case study for the eastern boreal forest of Canada. Even if these options are supported by solid evidence, their implementation across the landscape may present some challenges and will require good communication among stakeholders and with the public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes the impacts of spatiotemporal changes on C dynamics based on the various C pools and forest structure in western Turkey. The forest C dynamics were projected by forest inventory data between 1972 and 2016, and the spatial distribution of C storage was mapped by GIS. Total C storage increased from 1135.22 Gg in 1972 to 1816.60 Gg in 2016 with a net accumulation of 681.38 Gg. While the largest contribution to C pool was from soil organic carbon with 58.6% and 49.3% of the total C storage in 1972 and 1994, it was from living biomass with 54.0% and 57.7% in 2004 and 2016, respectively. The mean annual C sequestration was 1.57 Mg ha−1 year−1, including 1.49 Mg ha−1 year−1 in biomass and 0.08 Mg ha−1 year−1 in soil over four decades. The mixed cover type was the most significant contributor to biomass, soil, and total C storages. However, the hardwood cover type was the most significant contributor to C densities due to the higher growing stock. The mature development stages (35.6 Gg year−1), the fully covered areas (13.2 Gg year−1), and the older forests have played an essential role in C sequestration. The spatial distribution of C dynamics was heterogenic due to forest cover type, forest structure, and species composition. Monitoring spatiotemporal changes in forest ecosystems in terms of forest cover type, development stage, coverages, and age class distribution can provide opportunities in developing effective forest management policies based on the ecological sustainability of C pools and mitigating climate change effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change affects all ecosystems but despite increasing recognition for the needs to integrate Indigenous knowledge with modern climate science, the epistemological differences between the two make it challenging. In this study, we present how Indigenous belief and knowledge system can frame the application of a modeling tool (Climate‐Forest Vegetation Simulator). We focus on managing forest ecosystem services of the Diné (Navajo) Nation as a case study. Most Diné tribal members depend directly on the land for their livelihoods and cultural traditions. The forest plays a vital role in Diné livelihoods through social, cultural, spiritual, subsistence, and economic factors. We simulated forest dynamics over time under alternative climate change scenarios and management strategies to identify forest management strategies that will maintain future ecosystem services. We initialized the Climate‐Forest Vegetation Simulator model with data from permanent plots and site‐specific growth models under multiple management systems (no‐management, thinning, burning, and assisted migration planting) and different climate scenarios (no‐climate‐change, RCP 4.5, RCP 6.0). Projections of climate change show average losses of basal area by over 65% by 2105, a shift in tree species composition to drier‐adapted species, and a decrease in species diversity. While substantial forest loss was inevitable under the warming climate scenarios, the modeling framework allowed us to evaluate the management treatments, including planting, for conserving multiple tree species in mixed conifer forests, thus providing an anchor for biodiversity. We presented the modeling results and management implications and discuss how they can complement Diné kinship concepts. Our approach is a useful step for framing modern science with Indigenous Knowledge and for developing improved strategies to sustain natural resources and livelihoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]