Dissertations and Theses

Compensatory Afforestation in Odisha, India: A political ecology of forest restoration

Background

Open access copy available

Business models for sustainable investments in the context of tropical forest restoration

Background

This paper outlines the context and approaches of effective business models for sustainable investments in Tropical Forests. Triple bottom line business opportunities are defined and identified through a review of literature and analysis of three case studies (InIkea, FCFR Project, and Sustain Project). The conceptual frameworks surrounding sustainable business models are examined. Challenges and opportunities into the future are also explored.

Open access copy available

Local ecological knowledge of trees on farms, constraints and opportunities for further integratino in Tigray Region, northern Ethiopia: A Case Study of smallholder farmers in Abreha Wa Atsbeha and Adi Gudom

Background

The paper compared two Ethiopian sites with differing levels of on-farm tree adoption: Abreha we Atsbeha (high adoption) and Adi Gudom (low adoption). The author used a knowledge-based systems approach involving participatory rural appraisal, focus group discussions, and semi-structured interviews.  In both sites, farmers planted trees on their holdings for income generation, user rights, and direct benefits, and they planted trees on communal lands to comply with government policies, improve soil fertility and water harvesting, improve land for redistribution, and improve aesthetics. 

Open access copy available

The effects of The International Smallgroup and Tree Planting Program on household income in Nyeri district, Kenya

Background

The aim of the study was to determine the effects of TIST program on household income, environmental services and to determine factors that influence participation. 

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Disappearing Forests in Malawi: Causes and Solutions

Background

Malawi has experienced rapid population growth coupled with soil erosion, land degradation, deforestation, hunger, and poverty. While it appears these trends are related, the author argues that the causes are more complex. 

Open access copy available

Modelling Deforestation in Dzalanyama Forest Reserve, Lilongwe, Malawi: Using Multi-agent Simulation Approach

Background

The Dzalanyama Forest Reserve is a 90,000 + hectare area in Lilongwe, Malwi. There has been an increase in charcoal production in the area leading to land cover transitions in the reserve, particularly that forest cover decreased by 22,000 ha over a twenty year span between 1990 and 2010. 

Open access copy available

Etude de la variabilité génétique et de la phylogéographie de Santiria trimera (Burseraceae) - implications pour une conservation durable des forêts humides d’Afrique

The author describes the genetic variability and phylogeography of the tree Santiria trimera in Central Africa.

 

 

Open access copy available

Crise cacaoyère et stratégies des producteurs de la sous-préfecture de Meadji au Sud-Ouest ivoirien (Cacao Crisis and Strategies for Producers in the Southwestern Sous-Préfecture of Meadji)

background

This masters thesis describes the economic crisis of cacao in the 1970s and how farmers have responded to these changes. 

Conclusions & Takeaways

The author argues that cacao farming strategies that take into account social relationships prove most efficient and argues for diversification of revenue sources as a type of safety net for producers in the face of future economic crises. 

 

Open access copy available

Les parcs agroforestiers en Basse Casamance: Contribution du Parkia biglobosa (néré) à la réduction des risques de pauvreté des ménages de la communauté rurale de Mangagoulack, au Sénégal (Agroforestry parks in Basse Casamance)

The author describes how agroforestry parks have played a role in alleviating poverty in a rural community in Senegal. In particular, the author discusses the native African locust bean, or néré, as a successful agroforestry species.

 

Open access copy available

Towards recovery of native dry forest in the Colombian Andes: a plantation experiment for ecological restoration

Background

Regeneration of native forest after disturbances, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, often progresses slowly or is arrested at a successional stage. This study evaluates the effectiveness of native tree plantings as a restoration strategy in a semi-arid Andean valley.

Open access copy available
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