English
Conservation social science: Understanding and integrating human dimensions to improve conservationBackgroundMany scholars believe that there is an urgent need to integrate social sciences into conservation efforts. Although researchers widely acknowledge the importance of understanding the human dimensions of conservation, social science insights remain underutilized in practice. Open access copy available |
Environmental governance and its implications for conservation practiceBackgroundEnvironmental governance is a growing field that expands conservation practice beyond traditional management approaches. Managers make operational decisions to achieve specific conservation outcomes, while governance involves the broader processes and institutions through which societies make decisions that affect the environment. Unlike management, governance incorporates diverse views, fosters networks, and supports hybrid partnerships among state and non-state actors, creating opportunities for shared learning. Open access copy available |
Promises and potentials do not grow trees and crops. A review of institutional and policy research in agroforestry for the Southern African regionBACKGROUND:Agroforestry has been recognized for its potential to address land management challenges, improve food security, and support rural livelihoods, but its widespread adoption remains limited. Institutional and policy barriers, including weak coordination among sectors and inadequate incentives, hinder its integration into national and local frameworks. Strengthening policies, institutions, and research on the social and economic dimensions of agroforestry is essential for its successful implementation and long-term impact. Open access copy available |
Expanding forest carbon sinks to mitigate climate change in AfricaBACKGROUND:Forests play a crucial role in climate change mitigation by acting as carbon sinks that sequester atmospheric CO2. African forests, covering 22% of the continent, provide substantial benefits but are under threat from deforestation and degradation. A comprehensive strategy that integrates social, economic, and environmental aspects is essential to preserve their ability to capture carbon effectively. The authors seek to examine the relationship between forest loss and increased CO2 emissions in Africa. Open access copy available |
The Effect of Carbon Credits on Savanna Land Management and Priorities for Biodiversity ConservationBACKGROUND:Investing in habitat protection and sustainable management is crucial to curb the rapid decline in biodiversity. A carbon market offers financial incentives to modify land use or management practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, the effects of such market-based conservation strategies in ecosystems like tropical savannas are still largely unexplored. The paper highlights the potential of emerging carbon markets as a means to fund improved land management practices that could benefit both biodiversity and carbon sequestration. Open access copy available |
The 2023 state of the climate report: Entering uncharted territoryBackgroundThe Earth faces a climate crisis as human activities increasing the release of harmful greenhouse gases, turning scientists' warnings of extreme conditions into reality. Climate records are breaking, causing widespread suffering. This report examines the global climate crisis, presenting key climate facts and policy recommendations for scientists, policymakers, and the public. It serves as an up-to-date resource on the escalating emergency. Open access copy available |
Complementary ecosystem services from multiple land uses highlight the importance of tropical mosaic landscapesBackgroundTropical agricultural landscapes feature a mosaic of diverse land uses, yet the ecosystem service bundles and materials they provide to rural households remain poorly understood. In northeastern Madagascar, shifting cultivation for hillside rice production and agroforests for cash and subsistence crops have largely replaced old-growth forests. The landscape consists of forest fragments, small-scale vanilla agroforests, rice paddies, and subsistence farming plots at various stages of the shifting cultivation cycle. Open access copy available |
Why environmental impact assessments often failBackgroundEnvironmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) aim to mitigate the environmental costs of development, particularly in biodiversity-rich developing nations. While governments and corporations claim EIAs as safeguards against environmental harm from roads, dams, mines, and housing, many are ineffective or even worthless. Weak assessments fail to prevent projects that destroy habitats and endanger species. Key shortcomings include insufficient funding, narrow focus on immediate project areas, conflicts of interest among consultants, and poor governance that grants developers undue influence over policy decisions. Open access copy available |
Forest carbon offsets and carbon emissions trading: Problems of contractingBACKGROUND:Monitoring and measuring carbon fluxes in forestry are complex and costly, exacerbated by asymmetric information and inadequate institutions, leading to unstable values in carbon trading. Good governance is essential for effective contracting in the carbon market but often falls short, leading to misaligned incentives and principal-agent problems. These issues frequently delay successful contracting, potentially resulting in corruption and disputes over carbon offset claims. Available with subscription or purchase |
The contribution of forest carbon credit projects to addressing the climate change challengeBACKGROUND: Historically, forestry projects face significant challenges due to uncertainties around the permanence of carbon storage and the complexities of carbon measurement. These challenges limit their effectiveness and integration into international carbon markets, such as those established under the Kyoto Protocol, which have predominantly favored other types of carbon reduction projects over forestry. The paper focuses on the potential of forest carbon credit projects, particularly in the context of enhanced carbon sequestration accounting standards and their integration into carbon markets. GOALS AND METHODS: Open access copy available |
