Climate Change
Integrating National Forestry Initiatives in India with International Climate Change PolicybackgroundThis study reviews forest policies in India (eg. 1988 Forest Policy, 1990 Joint Forest Management, and 2006 Recognition of Forest Rights) and their impacts to assess how they can complement and inform international climate change mitigation instruments. It also seeks to determine how communities can sustain their system of forest management and retain/obtain rights to land and resources under these instruments. Available with subscription or purchase |
Leveraging the Landscape: State of the Forest Carbon Markets 2012backgroundThis report reviews the state of the international forest carbon market, including the finance and development of reforestation projects. Open access copy available |
Effects of forest clearing and succession on the carbon and nitrogen content of soils in Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsBackgroundConversion of tropical forest lands to agriculture or pasture affects soil organic matter, moisture, and nutrients. This study examines the effects on soil carbon, nitrogen, and moisture at depths up to 100 cm of conversion from forest to agriculture and pasture. Available with subscription or purchase |
Reforestation project using native species in Maringa-Lopori-Wamba region (Democratic Republic of Congo): establishment of the Bonobo Peace Forest.CDM-AR-PDDBackgroundBonobos are endemic to the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo and are at a high risk of extinction. Specifically, the UN has drawn attention to the speed at which infrustructure growth is infringing on bonobo habitat. Thus, it developed a program to halt these trends and conserve the bonobos. Open access copy available |
Approaches to Classifying and Restoring Degraded Tropical Forests for the Anticipated REDD+ Climate Change Mitigation MechanismbackgroundForest degradation from logging and fires has impacted millions of acres of tropical forest around the globe, reducing the ability of these forests to provide ecosystem services, sequester carbon, and provide habitat to endangered species. This report focuses on the UN’s REDD + initiative (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation) and calls for more attention to the potential for restoration initiatives of degraded forests to act as carbon sinks. Open access copy available |
Opportunities and Challenges for Ecological Restoration within REDD+backgroundThis article discusses the possibilities for the inclusion of restoration as part of REDD+ (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) as well as benefits for biodiversity and income for communities. Open access copy available |
Trade-offs between tree cover, carbon storage and floristic biodiversity in reforesting landscapesbackgroundThe multiple benefits of reforestation projects for carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and other ecosystem services are taken as a given. Yet not all forests are equal. Plantation-type reforestation projects typically undertaken for carbon sequestration are known for low species richness and inadequate provision of other ecosystem services. This study explores the relationships between an increase in tree cover area and changes in forest carbon storage and the potential of a landscape to provide habitat for native floristic biodiversity. Available with subscription or purchase |
Managing afforestation and reforestation for carbon sequestration: considerations for land managers and policy makersBackgroundThis chapter focuses on managing afforestation & reforestation projects with an eye towards carbon sequestration. While temperate regions contain the majority of the world’s naturally regenerated and planted forests, the most rapid rates of reforestation occur in the tropics. Available with subscription or purchase |
Climate change mitigation through afforestation/reforestation: A global analysis of hydrologic impacts with four case studiesBackgroundWhile much attention is being given internationally to the opportunities for carbon sequestration to mitigate climate change, little attention is being paid to the environmental tradeoffs that are associated with these types of schemes. This study examines the implicit hydrologic dimensions of international efforts to mitigate climate change, specifically potential impacts of the Clean Development Mechanism-Afforestation/Reforestation (CDM-AR) provisions of the Kyoto Protocol (KP) on global, regional and local water cycles. Available with subscription or purchase |
Appropriate Measures for Conservation of Terrestrial Carbon Stocks: Analysis of Trends of Forest Management in Southeast AsiabackgroundThe ASEAN countries of Southeast Asia have seen rapid deforestation and subsequent carbon losses in the past few decades, as lands are cleared for other land uses. This study analyzes the implications of different land management scenarios on carbon stocks. Open access copy available |
