Journal Articles
A cautionary note for forest landscape restoration in drylands: cattle production systems in northwest Madagascar’s dry forestsBACKGROUNDIt is evident that land tenure security is crucial for successful restoration. Unfortunately, in Madagascar, dry forests are considered unoccupied and unowned even when communities have long-established claims under customary tenure systems. The authors stated that collective tenure recognition efforts were underway in Madagascar, but limited knowledge of agropastoralist cattle production strategies impeded the efforts to develop tenure reforms. The authors examined how cattle raisers in the Boney Region in northwest Madagascar organize pastoral spaces and cattle production strategies in the area’s dry forest. Open access copy available |
Filling a void: Analysis of early tropical soil and vegetative recovery under leguminous, post-coal mine reforestation plantations in East Kalimantan, IndonesiaBACKGROUNDSurface mining is a common practice for obtaining coal, the world’s leading energy source. Surface mining removes vegetation, soil, and rocks to extract resources. In Indonesia, the world’s fifth largest coal producer, coal mining companies are required to rehabilitate mined sites. Companies typically plant exotic legume tree species because they quickly achieve canopy closure, limit invasive weeds, improve soil nitrogen, and create a light environment that helps with the recruitment of woody plants. This article looks to see whether natural forest succession occurs under leguminous plantations at rehabilitated coal mines in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Available with subscription or purchase |
Adaptation of five co-occurring tree and shrub species to water stress and its implication in restoration of degraded landsBACKGROUNDAvailable with subscription or purchase |
Introduction to the Special Issue on “Interdisciplinarity in Geography Educational Experiences Abroad”BackgroundThe authors provide an overview of the articles in a special issue of the journal The Geography Teacher on interdisciplinarity in geography study abroad programs. Open access copy available |
Payments for ecosystem services and the fatal attraction of win-win solutionsBackgroundPayments for ecosystem services (PES) programs involve valuing and paying stewards of ecosystems for the services that these ecosystems create incentives for conserving them. These programs are sometimes characterized as ‘win-win’ solutions, with the potential to contribute to both biodiversity conservation and poverty reduction. The authors of this paper review the literature on PES programs and highlight some challenges of implementing them. Open access copy available |
The political ecology playbook for ecosystem restoration: Principles for effective, equitable, and transformative landscapesBackgroundGlobally, land degradation and forest loss continue despite an increasing number of projects working towards ecological restoration. The authors of this paper argue that one of the reasons that restoration projects have been unable to achieve their goals and ensure ecological resilience is that they ignore the underlying issues of political inequity and injustice that drive ecological degradation. Open access copy available |
Adopt a carbon tax to protect tropical forestsBackgroundInternational investments in natural climate solutions such as conservation, restoration and land management remain low in many tropical countries. The authors point to research which shows that only 3% of global finance for climate change mitigation went towards natural climate solutions in 2017-18. They recommend constituting a national level carbon tax on fossil fuel companies to generate revenue to fund natural climate solutions. Open access copy available |
The global status and trends of Payments for Ecosystem ServicesBackgroundAvailable with subscription or purchase |
Payments for Ecosystem Services: Rife with Problems and Potential—For Transformation Towards SustainabilityBackgroundPayments for ecosystem services (PES) are monetary or in-kind payments that are made to land owners or stewards for the ‘services’ that their land provides such as fresh water, climate regulation, and soil formation. These payments are meant to act as an incentive to protect natural landscapes. Research on PES interventions has increased substantially from 2000 onwards. For example, the authors of this study found that there were 13 google scholar search results for “payments for ecosystem services” published before 2000, 182 results for studies published between 2001 and 2006, and 6830 results for studies published between 2007 and 2015. Open access copy available |
Designing optimal human-modified landscapes for forest biodiversity conservationIntroductionCurrent land-use patterns have resulted in the rapid conversion of forests to human modified forest landscapes (HMFLs). This degradation of forest landscapes can threaten species diversity and disrupt the ecological functions and services they provide. As such, designing and implementing effective landscape conservation strategies that benefit biodiversity as well as promote human well-being is essential. Open access copy available |
