The Practice of Stewardship

Abstract

Community-based ecosystem management efforts are proliferating around the United States. While these projects differ greatly in style, substance, players, and places, they share common elements; the philosophy of stewardship appears to be one of the most powerful. The effort to promote stewardship of local ecosystems has shown remarkable power to engage broad and diverse interests. The authors hypothesize that the concept of stewardship is central to many community-based ecosystem management efforts, acting as the ‘glue’ that holds these efforts together. This chapter explores the emerging philosophy of stewardship, its defining characteristics, and how it differs for community-based ecosystem management efforts. It examines a framework for stewardship at the practitioner's level, with an emphasis on key concerns local practitioners need to address in their projects. The chapter closes with an examination of some of the largest challenges ahead-consistency and accountability, the economics of stewardship, and the need to build a favorable institutional environment-in the continued development of stewardship as an organizing principle for community-based ecosystem management.     

The combined effect of wetting ability and durability on outdoor performance of wood: development and verification of a new prediction approach

Comprehensive approaches to predict performance of wood products are requested by international standards, and the first attempts have been made in the frame of European research projects. However, there is still an imminent need for a methodology to implement the durability and moisture performance of wood in an engineering design method and performance classification system. The aim of this study was therefore to establish an approach to predict service life of wood above ground taking into account the combined effect of wetting ability and durability data. A comprehensive data set was obtained from laboratory durability tests and still ongoing field trials in Norway, Germany and Sweden. In addition, four different wetting ability tests were performed with the same material. Based on a dose–response concept, decay rates for specimens exposed above ground were predicted implementing various indicating factors. A model was developed and optimised taking into account the resistance of wood against soft, white and brown rot as well as relevant types of water uptake and release. Decay rates from above-ground field tests at different test sites in Norway were predicted with the model. In a second step, the model was validated using data from laboratory and field tests performed in Germany and Sweden. The model was found to be fairly reliable, and it has the advantage to get implemented into existing engineering design guidelines. The approach at hand might furthermore be used for implementing wetting ability data into performance classification as requested by European standardisation bodies.     

Surviving the Transition

Summary

Community-based stewardship forestry (CBSF) on public lands in the United States is still a fledgling concept. Neither the number of projects completed nor the length of time that has passed since their initial implementation has been sufficient to draw definitive conclusions about the movement's success in improving economic, social, and environmental conditions in forest-dependent communities. What is of most concern now is whether the CBSF fledgling will have a chance to reach its full potential or will instead fall victim to organizational exhaustion, economic malnutrition, or political sniping. Experiences with stewardship collaboratives in northwest Montana have helped define 10 key factors CBSF groups must effectively address if they are to survive: (1) organizational burnout; (2) membership composition, expansion, diversification, and utilization; (3) change in organizational mission or focus; (4) financial viability; (5) responsiveness of federal decision makers to CBSF groups' legislative concerns; (6) continued skepticism among both industry and environmental communities; (7) movement from small demonstration projects to implementation on a larger scale; (8) need for procedural simplification; (9) outreach to the broader community; and (10) institutionalization of a meaningful role for communities in the natural resource policy making and management process. There are no simple solutions to these challenges, but the collective record of CBSF groups so far suggests a level of commitment and staying power sufficient to propel the fledgling through the transition and into full flight.     

Developing and implementing participatory and ecosystem based multiple use forest management planning approach (ETÇAP): Yalnızçam case study

This paper explains the conceptual framework of ecosystem based multiple use forest management (ETÇAP) approach and its implementation in a case study area. The new management philosophy has four important pillars; integration of biodiversity conservation into forest management process, characterization and accommodation of multiple forest values, effective participation of stakeholders and the use of advanced information technologies and management science techniques. These components comprise a sound framework of a forest management planning system in Turkey as the ownership, land use policy, social structure and forest ecosystems are unique to the country. Among few implementation sites, some experiences from the case study area of Yanlızçam planning unit were documented to realize the performance of the concept. The liaison between the government institutions and major stakeholders is found necessary, and the effective use of geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) have been realized critically important to better communicate among stakeholders and generate precise database and the plan. The case study indicated that structured participation is an effective communication tool and has a better possibly to promote multiple use forest management rather than using participation as solo information gathering process. Primary challenges relate to the effectiveness of national conservation program, availability of coherent biodiversity data and adequacy of institutional capacity that involve awareness, training and common understanding of biodiversity and protected area concept; coordination among the related institutions and stakeholders, and willingness and enthusiasm of authorities to accept and implement the concept.     

社区参与在世界银行贷款林业项目中的应用及案例分析

目前社区参与在国家公园、自然保护地、生态旅游、生态补偿等领域均有所涉及,且有利于提高林业管理的主动性、积极性。在林业项目中应用社区参与可促进传统林业向现代林业、社区林业的转变。文中以我国实施的世界银行贷款林业项目为例,总结了社区参与的现状,社区参与的步骤、方法和组织实施路径,及社区参与的效果;在此基础上,分析典型案例中的经验,并建议我国在管理林业项目过程中应建立社区参与的长效机制,加强各级管理部门开展社区参与工作的基础,同时培养农户社区参与的意识和能力,以期为我国各级林业部门开展社区参与工作及林业项目管理提供参考与借鉴。     

中国国家公园理念的源流与创新

传播先进的国家公园理念对促进国家公园建设工作、塑造国家公园的公众形象、发挥国家公园教育功能具有重要作用。为更好地认识并实践“坚持生态保护第一，坚持国家代表性，坚持全民公益性”的中国国家公园理念，文中梳理中国国家公园理念的渊源及发展过程，并与国外国家公园理念进行对比，分析中国国家公园理念的创新性。研究认为，中国国家公园理念发展分为构思讨论、试点探索、形成发展3个阶段，国外国家公园理念大致可分为多功能综合型、自然生态保护型、游憩利用型3种类型。与国外国家公园理念相比较，中国国家公园理念的创新性主要表现为:1）遵从新时代发展观；2）符合中国现实情况；3）秉承中国传统“天地人”三才思想；4）主导协同的新型理念。中国国家公园理念符合世界上国家公园体制的一般性原则，但已充分结合了中国实际，具有鲜明的特征，其发展过程及创新特征集中表现为“中国化”，是适用于中国国家公园发展的新理念。最后，对中国国家公园理念的传播提出了建议。     

Foreign donors driving policy change in recipient countries: Three decades of development aid towards community-based forest policy in Bangladesh

The influence of foreign actors on domestic policy change is a major question in political and development studies, involving issues of sovereignty as well as major methodological challenges in its analysis. This study analyses the influence of donor aid for development projects on domestic policy change, particularly on community-based forest development policy in Bangladesh. With our analytical framework, we combine concepts from development policy analysis, the international relations theorem of direct access, and the adapted correlation of variable approach to policy change analysis. We build on own, existing, and longitudinal findings on forest policy changes in Bangladesh over three decades. We contrast this data with data on forest Development Project Aid from 1980 to 2014. First, we identify multiple links between the two parallel data sets. We subsequently corroborate selected links through qualitative in-depth analyses. The results indicate a link between donor funding and domestic policy changes towards community-based forest policy. This link is further specified by different temporal relations, as policy changes are being observed prior to, in response to, or simultaneously with donor funding. We conclude that donor funding for forestry projects has a strong influence on the recipient country's forest policy.     

浙江遂昌毛竹产业发展的困境与对策

为促进浙江遂昌毛竹产业可持续发展,深入分析了遂昌县毛竹产业发展的现状、存在的问题。结果表明：毛竹一产春笋、竹材价格下降,生产成本上升,劳动力缺乏;二产规模企业不足,环保问题未能有效破解,产业链不完整,初加工废料和毛竹采伐剩余物竹枝、竹叶绝大部分还未充分利用;三产毛竹产业文创产品和旅游产品开发相对滞后。为此,摆脱毛竹产业的困境,必须通过体制机制创新,主体培育壮大,生产要素集聚,落实“主攻二产、发展三产、提升一产”的措施,实现一二三产融合发展。     

国外国家公园生态体验项目发展实践

在我国国家公园体制建设背景下,合理开展生态体验项目是实现国家公园科研、教育、游憩等综合功能的重要途径。文中总结美国、法国、澳大利亚、英国、日本和韩国国家公园生态体验项目发展实践、成效与经验,概述云南省香格里拉普达措国家公园生态体验项目发展现状及面临的挑战,提出普达措国家公园生态体验项目优化策略,包括加强生态体验项目的互动性、挖掘生态体验项目的民族文化内涵、设计形式多样的科普类生态体验项目和建设志愿者队伍。     

新课程改革下如何实施化学学科教学法

在新课程改革背景下,以新课改倡导的三维教学目标为前提,分析了当前中学化学学科教学法课程中存在的问题,对高等师范院校如何实施中学化学学科教学法,培养创造型、学者型的中学化学教师提出了新的建议。