Farmers’ perceptions and attitudes toward forest watershed conservation of the North Selangor Peat Swamp Forest

Over the past several decades, the management of forest ecosystem functions through policies such as “command and control” has not been successful, largely because existing policies and legislation for natural resource management are inadequate and often formulated without consulting local communities such as farmers. However, farmers’ decisions to participate in natural resource conservation or watershed conservation more particularly are generally influenced by their knowledge of the problems and perceived benefits of conservation. This study focuses on farmers’ perceptions and attitudes toward forest watershed conservation in the North West Selangor Peat Swamp forest of Malaysia. A survey questionnaire was administered to 380 paddy farmers at the North West Selangor irrigation scheme. Dates were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and the theory of value and social psychology constructs. The study concludes that farmers have generally positive attitudes toward forest watershed conservation. Therefore, we recommend farmers’ involvement in the conservation and management of the North Selangor Peat Swamp Forest (NSPSF).     

Forest governance and sustainability pathways in the absence of a comprehensive national forest policy — The case of New Zealand

A ‘pathways’ and ‘framings’ approach derived from Leach et al. (2010) is used to examine forest sustainability policy in New Zealand. The country has had no comprehensive forest policy since the 1990s and indeed no longer a forest service or its equivalent. Instead ‘forest’ preservation, policy, and monitoring functions are carried out by the Department of Conservation, Ministry of Primary Industry and Ministry of Environment. Exotic plantation forests have themselves been sold off to the private sector and some aspects of planting and harvesting are regulated by the Resource Management Act. Even in this Neo-Liberal setting, and similar to Leach et al.'s work in completely different contexts, policy responses have tended to be oriented towards ‘stability’ and ‘resilience’ types of forest sustainability. Three forest sustainability pathways are evident, directed towards preservation of indigenous biodiversity, economic development without adverse environmental impacts, and monitoring of environmental quality. In some ways the current ‘New Zealand forest governance model’ is an improvement on its predecessor but it seems unlikely to be mobile in a policy sense, resting as it does on the existence a relatively large area of indigenous forest and a large exotic plantation resource where the latter provides all timber needs.     

Evaluation of the sustainability of participatory management of forest plantations: the case study of Wari-Maro Forest Reserve,Republic of Benin§

This study assessed ecological and socio-economic impacts of a participatory forest management project in the Republic of Benin. The study focused on the Wari-Maro Forest Reserve and the ‘Projet d’Aménagement des Massifs Forestiers’ five years after its completion. A forest inventory was carried out using 37 square plots of 729 m² each to characterise the population structure of two types of plantations established: plantations with exotic species and plantations with native species. In addition, individual surveys were conducted with local households, organs of joint forest management and forestry officers to evaluate their perceptions about the participatory management of the plantations. Finally, the sustainability of the participatory management was assessed with an established rating system. Results showed that plantations with exotic species were more successful than plantations with native species. Local communities argued that they have not been involved in the plantations design but only in the implementation step and that their standards of living have decreased after the project completion. The rating system used showed that the participatory management of plantations had a short-term sustainability. The findings suggest that future projects should be designed and implemented with better participation of local communities as full partners.     

Valuation of tropical forest services and mechanisms to finance their conservation and sustainable use: A case study of Tapantí National Park,Costa Rica

The Tapanti National Park in Costa Rica comprises a precious but vulnerable tropical rain forest area. The monetary values of ecosystem services that are provided by this park are estimated in order to assess the mechanisms to finance the park's conservation and sustainable use. The main ecosystem services provided by the park are water supply (for drinking and electricity generation), maintenance of biodiversity and opportunities for recreation and tourism. Based on interviews with over 300 stakeholders, the study identified the main beneficiaries of these ecosystem services. The monetary benefits of the three services combined were estimated at approx. US$2.5 million/year, equivalent to an average of US$43/year for the total park area (58.323 ha). Compared to other, similar areas, the recreation values are relatively low (approx. 0.6 million US$/year) while the water-supply service is very high: approx. 1.7 million US$/year for hydro-electricity and approx. 0.2 million US$/year for drinking water. Both the low recreation and high water supply values can be correlated with the high rainfall of over 6500 mm/year.To develop payment-mechanisms for the conservation and sustainable use of Tapantí National Park, the main stakeholders were asked about their willingness to pay for the maintenance of the services they benefited from. Different financing mechanisms have been explored, such as taxes, user fees, individual and corporate donations, friends' schemes, and voluntary contractual arrangements. In general, most of the stakeholders were willing to pay for the ecosystem services they received. These potential payments amounted to at least 400,000 US$/year, which excludes the hydro-electricity beneficiary. Even without payments from the hydro-electricity company, this amount suffices to cover the current (245,000 US$) and urgently needed additional budget (100,000 US$) for the National Park management.     

What rights and benefits? The implementation of participatory forest management in Kenya: The case of Eastern Mau Forest Reserve

The study espoused the access analytical framework to investigate how introduction of Participatory Forest Management (PFM) in Kenya has changed the various actors’ ability to benefit from the forest resources of Eastern Mau Forest Reserve. Data collected through key informant interviews, and a household survey showed that implementation of PFM has triggered new income opportunities for forest adjacent communities in seedling production and beekeeping. However, PFM bestowed no real decision-making powers to the established Community Forest Associations (CFAs) over important forest resources such as timber and firewood. Members of the local communities and other actors have continued to access these resources through various structural and relational means, in the same way as before the introduction of PFM. Further, it is documented that PFM has introduced additional burdens on the local communities, especially the poorest households, as a result of increased enforcement of rules. Based on these findings, it is suggested that the PFM policy in Kenya, in its current form, is unlikely to realize its dual objectives of forest conservation and livelihood enhancement. To attain them would require a further devolution of rights to the CFAs.     

Satellite remote sensing for forest inventory—experiences in the nordic countries

Satellite data were used in developing methods for forest inventory and mapping in a cooperation project involving Finland, Norway and Sweden. A goal was to improve the technical competence in forestry remote sensing in those countries. Landsat TM‐ and simulated SPOT‐imageries were classified using, e.g., filtered input data and contextual classifiers. The relative area distribution of usual forest classes was estimated at an acceptable accuracy. A two‐phase sampling scheme was introduced for compartmentwise (in‐place) inventories. The first phase involves analysis of satellite data, the second phase measurement of field plots. Correlations between satellite‐ and field‐measured values of various forest characteristics were relatively high, close to those obtained using aerial photo interpretation.     

Analysis of forest landscape dynamics based on Forest Landscape Restoration: a case study of Yong’an city,Fujian province,China

Forest landscape restoration (FLR) is a process that aims to regain ecological integrity and enhance human well-being in deforested or degraded forest landscapes. To ensure that restoration efforts are successful, the first step is to understand the dynamics of the forest landscape and the dominant forces responsible for its change. Taking Yong’an city, Fujian province in China as a case for study, this paper constructed a Markov model to predict the dynamics of the forest landscape based on sample-plot data of Continuous Forest Inventory at a county level. The study area was divided into eight landscape element types based on FLR, including approximated primary forest, secondary broad-leaved forest, secondary forest of Pinus massoniana, natural bamboo forest, planted forest, non-timber product forest, degraded forest land and non-forestry land. The analysis showed the following: (1) the extent of reforestation of planted forest, non-timber product forest and secondary forest of Pinus massoniana would be greater than that of deforestation of approximated primary forest, broad-leaved secondary forest and natural bamboo forest. Therefore, the total area covered by forest would increase steadily. (2) Conversely, conversion among different landscape element types would occur frequently and have high transition proportions. (3) Remarkable decrease of the extent of approximated primary forest, together with the conversion from degraded forest land to secondary forest, would probably result in the decline of forest volume. (4) Forest productivity in the meantime will not be maintained or enhanced because of the conversion from secondary forest to planted forest. These results suggest that the direct and underlying driving force of landscape dynamics should be understood and addressed in the upcoming studies for remnant approximated primary forest protection, secondary forest management and degraded forest land rehabilitation. The conclusion is that the Markov model can be used to analyze the forest landscape dynamics for FLR based on sample-plot survey data of Continuous Forest Inventory at a county level.     

Remote sensing and forest inventories in Nordic countries – roadmap for the future

The Nordic countries have long traditions in forest inventory and remote sensing (RS). In sample-based national forest inventories (NFIs), utilization of aerial photographs started during the 1960s, satellite images during the 1980s, laser scanning during the 2000s, and photogrammetric point clouds during the 2010s. In forest management inventories (FMI), utilization of aerial photos started during the 1940s and laser scanning during the 2000s. However, so far, RS has mostly been used for map production and research rather than for estimation of regional parameters or inference on their accuracy. In recent years, the RS technology has been developing very fast. At the same time, the needs for information are constantly increasing. New technologies have created possibilities for cost-efficient production of accurate, large area forest data sets, which also will change the way forest inventories are done in the future. In this study, we analyse the state-of-the-art both in the NFIs and FMIs in the Nordic countries. We identify the benefits and drawbacks of different RS materials and data acquisition approaches with different user perspectives. Based on the analysis, we identify the needs for further development and emerging research questions. We also discuss alternatives for ownership of the data and cost-sharing between different actors in the field.     

Agroforestry systems and biodiversity conservation in arid zones: the case of the Tehuacán Valley,Central México

The role of agroforestry systems in biodiversity conservation was investigated in the semiarid Tehuacán Valley, Central México. Richness and diversity of native plant species were compared between agroforestry systems (6 sampling sites) and the following forests (6 sampling sites) dominated by columnar cacti: (i) “chichipera” dominated by Polaskia chichipe; (ii) “jiotillal” dominated by Escontria chiotilla; and (iii) “garambullal” dominated by Myrtillocactus schenckii. Our information on genetic variation of dominant arboreal species in the study sites was reviewed and included in the analysis. Factors influencing household’s decisions to maintain vegetation cover were compiled through a survey and interviews and analyzed. All the samples of the agroforestry systems studied maintained on average nearly 59% plant species and 94% genetic variation of dominant cacti occurring in the forests, although their ability to preserve endemic rare species is limited. Social factors favoring maintenance of perennial species in agricultural plots include collective rules, households traditions, use of the plants maintained in the systems, and the environmental information gathered from NGOs, the local Biosphere Reserve, and researchers. However, agroforestry systems are losing their capability to maintain vegetation cover, mainly because of (i) decreasing amount of land managed by households, determined by a progressive fragmentation of the land area given to new families, (ii) adoption of technologies to intensify agriculture, and (iii) governmental programs penalizing the presence of vegetation patches within agricultural lands since they are considered “useless” areas. Necessary policies to stop degradation of the agroforestry systems and to improve their conservation capacity are discussed.     

Indigenous management of tropical forest ecosystems: the case of the Kayapó indians of the Brazilian Amazon

The Kayapó Indians of Brazil's Amazon Basin are described as effective managers of tropical forest, utilizing an extensive inventory of useful native plants that are concentrated by human activity in special forest areas (resource islands, forest fields, forest openings, tuber gardens, agricultural plots, old fields, and trailsides). Long-term transplanting and selection of plants suggest semi-domestication of many species. The overall management strategies of forest also includes many manipulated animal species (birds, fish, bees, mammals) utilized as food and game. Forest patches (apêtê) are created by Indians from campo/cerrado using planting zones made from termite and ant nests mixed with mulch: formation and development of these is briefly discussed, including the implications for new ideas concerning reforestation and campo management. Finally an integrative cognitive model is presented showing the relationships between variants of forest and savanna recognized by the Kayapó. Indigenous knowledge of subtle similarities between conceptually distinct ecological units in the model allows for the interchange of botanical material between microclimates to increase biological diversity in managed areas. It is suggested that indigenous knowledge is extremely important in developing new strategies for forest and campo/cerrado conservation, while improving productiveness of these ecological systems. Such knowledge is not only applicable for Amazônian Indians, but also has far-reaching implications for human populations throughout the humid tropics.This is a preliminary survey of indigenous management strategies that is generated as a part of the Projeto Kayapó , an interdisciplinary ethnobiological research project funded by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development) and the World Wildlife Fund. I would like to thank Drs. Gerhard Gottsberger and Anthony Anderson for their assistance in collecting plants that are currently being identified to supply more complete data on Kayapó subsistence. I also wish to thank FUNAI (Fundaão Nacional do Índio) for their assistance and support, as well as FAB (Fora Aérea Brasileira) and VOTEC for providing some transportation to/from Gorotire, and the Unevangelized Field Missions for their assistance in providing communication and acquiring supplies.     

Regional impact assessment on forest structure and functions under climate change—the Brandenburg case study

A forest simulation model has been applied in a regional impact assessment to investigate impacts of climate change on forest structure and function in the Federal state of Brandenburg, Germany. The forest model FORSKA-M was linked to a GIS that included soil, groundwater table and land-use maps. Two climate scenarios (current climate and a climate change of 1.5 K temperature increase which is combined with a precipitation decrease of 10–20% on average) for 40 meteorological stations in and around Brandenburg were used to assess the sensitivity of species composition to climate change. Furthermore, the implications of vegetation changes for other forest functions were analysed by means of several indicators. To evaluate the impacts of climate change on biodiversity, measures of species diversity (Shannon’s and Simpson’s index) and habitat and structural diversity (Seibert’s index) were applied. The evaluation of impacts on groundwater recharge of natural and managed forests was carried out using the soil water balance model of FORSKA-M.At first, model simulations of the potential natural vegetation (PNV) on the whole area of Brandenburg with different climate scenarios were analysed. The results indicated that climatic warming would lead to a shift in the natural species composition in Brandenburg towards more drought tolerant species. The simulated diversity of the forests would be reduced, and groundwater recharge would be decreased.The majority of forests in the state of Brandenburg have been managed intensively in the past. At present, large areas of Brandenburg’s forests are dominated by pure stands of Scots pine, but current forest management practice aims at increasing the share of deciduous and mixed forests. In order to analyse the possible consequences of climate change on forest management, forest inventory data were used to initialise FORSKA-M with representative forest stands. Simulation experiments with three different management scenarios showed that the short to mid-term effects of climatic change in terms of species composition were not as severe as expected. However, the comparison of different diversity measures indicates a decrease in the species diversity in contrast to an increase in habitat diversity under climate warming. Furthermore, a decrease in productivity and groundwater recharge was simulated under the climate change scenario.The regional impact assessment corroborated the high sensitivity of natural forests in the region to the projected climatic change and it underlined the importance of adaptive management strategies to help forestry to cope with climatic change.     

Conversion of water consumption of a single tree and a forest stand of Populus euphratica

Our study dealt with the determination of sapwood sap flow of a single Populus euphratica tree by heat pulse technique and the calculation of water consumption of an entire forest stand, given the correlation between sap flow and sapwood area of P. euphratica. The relation between diameter at breast height （DBH） and sapwood area constitutes a powerful model; these variables are highly correlated. By means of an analysis of DBH in the sample plot, the distribution of the sapwood area of the forest land was obtained and the water consumption of this P. euphratica forest, in the lower reaches of the Heihe River, calculated as 214.9 mm by standard specific conductivity of the sample tree.     

A new methodology for estimating forest NPP based on forest inventory data—A case study of Chinese pine forest

Accurately estimating forest net primary productivity (NPP) plays an important role in study of global carbon budget. A NPP model reflecting the synthetic effects of both biotic (forest stand age, A and stem volume, V) and climatic factors (mean annual actual evapotranspiration, E) was developed for Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis) forest by making full use of Forest Inventory Data (FID) and dynamically assessing forest productivity. The NPP of Chinese pine forest was estimated by using this model and the fourth FID (1989–1993), and the spatial pattern of NPP of Chinese pine forest was given by Geography Information System (GIS) software. The results indicated that mean NPP value, of Chinese pine forest was 7.82 t m⁻²·a⁻¹ and varied at the range of 3.32–11.87 t hm⁻²·a⁻¹. NPP distribution of Chinese pine forests was significantly different in different regions, higher in the south and lower in the north of China. In terms of the main distribution regions of Chinese pine, the NPPs of Chinese pine forest in Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces were in middle level, with an average NPP of 7.4 t hm⁻²·a⁻¹, that in the southern and the eastern parts (e.g. Shichuang Hunan, Henan, and Liaoning provinces) was higher (over 7.7 t hm⁻²·a⁻¹), and that in the northern part and western part (e.g. Neimenggu and Ningxia provinces) was lower (below 5 t hm⁻²·a⁻¹). This study provides an efficient way for using FID to understand the dynamics of foest NPP and evaluate its effects on global climate change. Foundation item: This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 30028001, 49905005), National Key Basic Research Specific Foundation (G1999043407); the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KSC2-1-07). Biography: ZHAO Min (1973-), female, Ph. D. in Laboratory of Quantitative Vegetation Ecology, Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, P. R. China. Responsible editor: Zhu Hong     

Conflicts and Their Resolution in the Utilization of Forest Resources

ByTangCaifuForestsaretherichestrenewableplantresourcesandembraceeconomic,ecologicalandsocialbenefits.Variousconflictsandcontradictionsariseinexpandingtheutilizationofforestresources.AparticipatoryevaluationmethodwasusedtoinvestigateconflictsinforestresourcesutilizationinLongweiandLinwanVillages.ThesearetwoplojectsitesoftheCommunityForestryProjectofQuxianCounty.Thesolutionstotheseconflictshavebeensummarizedandnewapproachestoaddressingtheconflictssought.1.Tilelandconjlictbetweenforestryanda…     

Construction and Development of the Dagangshan Forest Ecosystem Research Station

Established by the former Ministry of Forestry in 1986, Dagangshan Forest Ecosystem Research Station is one of the 14 national key sites in the field of ecosystem research. In this paper, the basic situation of Dagangshan Forest Ecosystem Station is described, including geographic location, natural conditions, biological resources, research conditions, instruments, achievement, prospects etc.     

Effects of selection cutting on the forest structure and species diversity of evergreen broa-leaved forest in northern Fujian, southern China

The short-term effects of selection cutting of different intensities on the forest structure and species diversity of evergreen broad-leaved forest in northern Fujian Province were investigated and analyzed. The results showed that selection cutting of low and medium intensities caused little variation in the forest structure. After cutting, the dominant species retained their leading status in the community. However, the community structure changed significantly following selection cutting of high and extra-high intensities; the status of the dominant species of the community declined dramatically. Some tree species began to disappear from the sampling plots. Except for extra-high intensity cutting, the diversity of tree species did not change significantly for the other three cutting intensities. However, the evenness of the stands was very different among the four kinds of cutting plots. For low and medium intensity selection cutting, the evenness declined slightly. For extra-high intensity selection cutting, the evenness increased to some extent, which might be due to a more even distribution of tree species after cutting. Cutting operations resulted in some adverse reactions to development of arborous species diversity of evergreen broad-leaved forest, particularly serious damage to the forest canopy. But the rational selection cuttings, which may benefit the restoration and maintenance of species diversity over a long period and may come about from the variations in environmental factors such as sunlight, temperature and humidity.     

Carbon stocks and greenhouse gas balance of harvested wood products: focus on the Asia-Pacific Partnership countries vis-à-vis the European Union

With the analytical tool, Frankfurt Harvested Wood Products Model, FPM, the carbon stocks and carbon stock changes of Harvested Wood Products, HWP, either in USE or in LANDFILLS L-F, have been evaluated, each separately, from the readily available statistical data base of the FAO, FAOSTAT, on the wood commodities: “Sawnwood and Wood-based Panels, SWP” and the paper commodities, “Paper and Paperboard, PAP”. The focus was on the newly founded Asia-Pacific Partnership countries for Clean Development and Climate (in short AP6), including Canada, which wants to join the AP6, in relation to the countries of the European Union EU-25. It could be shown that the stocks and stock changes of the HWP in USE follow a simple algorithm of the annual consumption or production and their mean annual growth, for the categories SWP and PAP, provided the mean residence times of the HWP in USE can be estimated. With the information on the fraction of residues entering the landfills and their estimated residence times an equivalent simple expression has been derived for stocks and stock changes of the HWP in LANDFILLS L-F. Their values have been calculated to be approximately 0.5 to 0.7 times smaller than those of the HWP in USE. Still, all stock changes of the HWP in L-F were positive and thus accumulating carbon. However, when methane outgasing within the HWP in L-F had been considered, the calculated Greenhouse Gas Balance was zero or negative under the estimated parameters thus to at least partly compensate the positive storage of carbon in HWP in USE. The percentage of CO₂ removed by the HWP in USE in comparison to the annual greenhouse gas emissions varied from 0.3 to 1.7%, with a mean value of 0.8% for the AP6 countries including Canada, in contrast to 1.0% of the EU-25 countries. Despite of the relative small magnitude in relation to the total emission of all GHG this contribution should not be neglected in the GHG Budget of a country.