Case Studies
The system dynamics of forest cover in the developing world: Researcher versus community perspectivesBackgroundOpen access copy available |
Between a rock and a hard place: The burdens of uncontrolled fire for smallholders across the tropicsBackgroundThe growing prevalence of uncontrolled tropical landscape fires significantly threatens tropical forests and causes substantial social and economic burdens. These burdens continue to be largely overlooked in favor of aggregate-scale losses like climate change and biodiversity, despite the severe local impacts on smallholder farming communities across the forested tropics. Furthermore, people often unfairly portray smallholders as the primary culprits of fire contagion due to their customary fire-based agricultural practices. This narrative is rooted in colonial-era condemnations. Open access copy available |
Community perceptions of long-term mangrove cover changes and its drivers from a typhoon-prone province in the PhilippinesBackgroundOpen access copy available |
The use of non-wood forest products by migrants in a new settlement: Experiences of a Visayan community in Palawan, PhilippinesBackgroundIn the early 20th century, Palawan, historically a sparsely populated island of the Philippines, became a “frontier,” attracting migrants from other Philippine islands who sought land ownership. Previous studies of migration to Palawan focused on the difficulties of converting forests to farmland and the subsequent hunger these migrants experienced. Despite coming from agricultural backgrounds, the predominantly Visayan migrants in Dumanguena, a village located south of the Palawan capital, Puerto Princesa, had to learn new skills related to the collection and use of non-wood forest products (NWFPs) in their new environment. Open access copy available |
Prospects for integration of carbon and biodiversity credits: an Australian case study reviewBACKGROUND:Open access copy available |
Indigenous knowledge and the shackles of wildernessBackgroundOpen 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 |
Climate Risk ManagementBACKGROUND:Worldwide efforts are underway to devise and apply strategies to manage these risks effectively. Key challenges in climate risk management include the integration of necessary scientific disciplines, articulating stakeholder values and objectives, and quantifying pivotal uncertainties and trade-offs, all of which are vital for crafting effective management strategies. The paper addresses the intensification of global climate risks driven by accelerating climate change. The authors review these challenges based on existing literature to identify potential avenues to overcome them. Open access copy available |
Reforesting Bare Hills in Vietnam: Social and Environmental Consequences of the 5 Million Hectare Reforestation ProgramBackgroundAvailable with subscription or purchase |
The global status and trends of Payments for Ecosystem ServicesBackgroundPayments for Ecosystem Services (PES) have expanded significantly in recent decades. These schemes aim to internalize the positive externalities that natural systems generate. PES creates incentives for landholders to adopt behaviors that sustain ecosystem service provision and, in some cases, generates additional revenue streams for conservation. However, it captures only a small fraction of the total value that natural systems provide. Researchers face challenges in collecting comprehensive and reliable data on PES due to its relatively recent emergence and the diversity of practices across different geographic scales. Available with subscription or purchase |
