English
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 |
Tropical surface gold mining: A review of ecological impacts and restoration strategiesBACKGROUNDOpen access copy available |
Tropical surface gold mining: A review of ecological impacts and restoration strategiesBACKGROUNDOpen access copy available |
Tropical surface gold mining: A review of ecological impacts and restoration strategiesBACKGROUNDOpen 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 |
Cash for conservation: Do payments for ecosystem services work?BackgroundPayments for ecosystem services (PES) programs make payments to land owners for the ecosystem services such as clean water or carbon storage that their land provides to create incentives to protect the land. One of the objectives of these projects is to promote local economic development along with conservation outcomes. Researchers have sought to critically assess the assumptions behind these programs and their implementation. 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 |
