South Asia
Ecological Restoration of Coal Mine-Degraded Lands in Dry Tropical Climate: What has been done? And what needs to be done?BackgroundThis paper discusses known methodology for how to restore native forest to abandoned coal mines. The paper splits the process of reclaiming abandoned coal mines into two sections, 1.) physical, technical, or engineering restoration and 2.) Biological Restoration. It also stresses taking a landscape scale approach to restoration, which includes 1.) an initial survey of the area, 2.) determination of the ultimate landscape objectives, and after restoration landuse possibilities, 3.) preparation of working plans for each phase of the restoration operation. Available with subscription or purchase |
Factors influencing community participation in mangroves restoration: A contingent valuation analysisBackgroundThis paper analyzes the willingness of a household to participate and pay for the benefits of a mangrove restoration program in the West Coast of India. In the second half of the twentieth century, this region has been threatened by shrimp cultivation, industrial development and hydroelectric projects, which overall made mangroves recede substantially. Available with subscription or purchase |
Assessing social values of ecosystem services in the Phewa Lake Watershed, NepalBackgroundOver 40 years, Community-Based Forestry has actively been practiced in Nepal, which aims to integrate human societies, social values and biophysical systems. Using the Phewa watershed as a case-study, this paper evaluates the social values for ecosystem services and their importance to different stakeholders. This approach seeks to assess quantitatively how diferent users value the different ecosystem services perceived from a specific ecosystem. Authors carried on interviews and group sessions to assess according to a numeric scale different ecosystem services. Available with subscription or purchase |
Social Capital in Biodiversity Conservation and ManagementBackgroundThe article begins with a description of the opposing views of the roles of smallholders in conservation strategies. On the one hand they directly use resources that external agencies attempt to protect, on the other hand these people have intimate knowledge of these systems. Thus leading to the question, “Could local people play a greater role in biodiversity conservation and management?” (Pretty, 2004). Open access copy available |
The political economy of reforestation and forest restoration in Asia–Pacific: Critical issues for REDD+BackgroundAvailable with subscription or purchase |
The role of ecological theory and practice in poverty alleviation and environmental conservationBackgroundThis review emphasized the roles and tools of ecologists that would be helpful in poverty alleviation internationally. Specifically, knowledge of sustainable sources of energy, provision of clean water, functional traits of vegetation, and design of agro-forestry systems were cited as examples of knowledge that would be helpful for cross-disciplinary strategies. Open access copy available |
Environmentality: Community, Intimate Government, and the Making of Environmental Subjects in Kumaon, IndiaBackgroundAgrawal writes about the relationship between government and subjectivity, particularly about the processes that create “environmental subjects” (people who care about the environment), using an example of changing interests in forest protection following the creation of community-forest management groups in Kumaon, India. Open access copy available |
Adaptive value of participatory biodiversity monitoring in community forestryBackgroundThis paper looks at using a conceptual framework (values, diversity, stakeholders) for forest monitoring, communication and conservation by villagers in Baglung District, Nepal. The goal was to assist local foresters in developing monitoring programs. Available with subscription or purchase |
Hiniduma Biolink Project, Sri Lanka - Reforesting traditional home gardens using the analog forestry concept in wet zones of Sri LankaBackgroundThe Hinidum Biolink Project is a cooperative effort between the Conservation Carbon Company and Rainforest Rescue International that aims to build a biodiversity corridor between two remnant forests in Sri Lanka. The document is a plan for this Plan Vivo project, developed in June 2011. Open access copy available |
Accelerating tropical forest restoration through the selective removal of pioneer speciesbackgroundThis study presents initial findings on the impact of thinning on recovery of a selectively logged secondary forest in Sumatra. The study tests the hypothesis that thinning of pioneer species will produce stands with greater proportional basal area of late-successional species, effectively accelerating succession of the stand. Available with subscription or purchase |
