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Growth of native tree species planted in montane reforestation projects in the Colombian and Ecuadorian Andes differs among site and species

BACKGROUND

Tropical Andes in Columbia and Ecuador have been affected by forest clearance and degradation for several centuries. Agriculture has been the primary driver of land use change as well as mining to a lesser extent. To restore the degraded sites, native species have been used in various projects, however with little information on growth performance of the planted tree species in relation to site and soil nutrient status. A greater part of the northern Andes has volcanic ash derived soils.

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Building Community Capacity in Fragile Environments: Case Study of the Mara Serengeti Ecosystem

BACKGROUND

People living in arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) bear the brunt of climate change impacts. As traditional pastoralists, the main challenge for the people of the Mara Serengeti Ecosystem is to cope with an increasingly frequent and recurrent drought pushing them further to competition for resources and livestock loss from starvation. Thus, there is a need to create opportunities in building up community capacity and resilience in these fragile environments.

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Climate Change and Variability in the Mixed Crop/Livestock Production Systems of Central Ethiopian Highland

BACKGROUND

Using a 60-year weather data, this chapter establishes the realities of climate change impacts in the Central Ethiopian Highland. It also explores the adaptive responses of teff and wheat, the two major food crops in the said locality. With a population of 100 million (as of 2018), Ethiopia faces increased levels of food insecurity. The study measured farmers’ perception of climate change and more importantly, their adaptation measures, and proposes four mitigation options for Ethiopia to cope with climate change related shocks exacerbated by population pressure.

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Impact of Forest Management on Insect Abundance and Damage in a Lowland Tropical Forest in Southern Cameroon

Background

A burgeoning timber industry in Cameroon, which became the fifth largest producer of timber in the world in the 1990’s, led to unsustainably high deforestation rates and high demand for forest regeneration interventions. Research in the Mbalmayo Forest Reserve in southern Cameroon has compared different silvicultural techniques for forest regeneration including complete and partial clearance methods.

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Addressing Slow Onset Disasters: Lessons from the 2015-2016 El Niño in the Philippines

BACKGROUND

The Philippines as an archipelagic country is prone to climate-induced extreme weather events. However, it is also one of the countries in Asia and in the tropical Pacific Ocean that experiences the effects of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a slow onset event. The current disaster risk reduction (DRR) system is focused on rapid onset events such as typhoons and storm surges. This chapter discusses the impacts of ENSO on farmers and fisher folks and how the gaps in disaster risk reduction governance for slow onset events has exposed the need to develop new protocols to address these slow onset disasters.

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Insects and Other Animals in Tropical Forests

Background

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Fuelwood collection and its impacts on a protected tropical mountain forest in Uganda.

Background

This study examined the patterns, effects and potential management of fuelwood extraction on the forest of Mt Elgon, located in the Eastern part of Uganda, Sub- Saharan Africa. Fuelwood is the main source of energy, mainly collected from the forest. 98% of the households use fuelwood and charcoal for cooking and heating. This is a protected area with a history of conflict between surrounding populations and conservation actors. No other forest remains in its direct vicinity.

Research goals and Methods

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Building Pastoral and Agro-Pastoral Community Resilience Against Drought in the Context of the Paris Agreement: The Case of Isiolo County, Kenya

BACKGROUND

Under the Paris Agreement, countries that are party to the negotiations are obliged to meet its National Determined Contributions (NDC). Kenya, a member state of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change or UNFCCC, has made strides in the climate change arena, keeping up with its NDCs and establishing climate change legislation and policy measures. This chapter provides insights on how resilience building amidst the climate-change induced droughts is possible through multi-stakeholder collaboration between pastoral and agro-pastoral communities, county and the national government.

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Pest Management in Tropical Forestry

Background

This chapter of the Tropical Forestry Handbook introduces common pests, diseases, and disorders known to afflict tropical tree species. It describes methods of transmission, common symptoms, and provides visual guides on disease identification including infection manifestations in different parts of the tree. The chapter concludes with a discussion on disease management strategies including avoidance, control, and elimination highlighting the environmental factors that play into these strategies.

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Restoration of Ecosystem Carbon Stocks following Exclosure Establisment in Communal Grazing Lands in Tigray, Ethiopia

Background

The study examines changes in ecosystem Carbon stocks (ECS) after the establishment of exclosures on communal grazing lands.  Exclosures are areas where livestock are prohibited from grazing. 

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