Culture
Indigenous Fruit Trees of Madagascar: Potential Components of Agroforestry Systems to Improve Human Nutrition and Restore Biological DiversitybackgroundThis study focuses on three sites in the humid forest of Eastern Madagascar, namely Masoala, Andasibe and Ranomafana. Research Goals & MethodsA total of 150 wild fruit tree species from 82 genera and 42 families were identified through interviews with the local populations, from which a further 26 indigenous and exotic fruit species were shortlisted based on taste, nutritional value, income generation potential, diversification from currently planted species and biodiversity protection. Open access copy available |
Mapping Priority Areas for Forest Landscape Restoration and Improvement of Rural Community Livelihoods in Guatemala's San Marcos HighlandsbackgroundThis study maps priority areas for forest landscape restoration in three watershades of south-western Guatemala. This rural region has received attention from local government and international socio-economic development projects. Research Goals & MethodsThis study used GIS and Multi-criteria decision analysis to generate maps. These tools enabled the integration of a wide variety of complex information to evaluate different contexts and dynamics of the landscape. Open access copy available |
"Where's our development?" Landowner aspirations and envrionmentalist agendas in Western Solomon IslandsBackgroundThis article is an evaluation of a five-year conservation and development project, "The Solomon Islands Community Resource and Development Project" initiated by the World Wide Fund for Nature (formerly the WWF). The project was intended to educate local landowners on the importance of biodiversity, the rainforest, and on protecting these resources from logging. The focus of the project was primarily educational but also provided assistance and incetives to pursue more sustianable "ecotourism" projects. Available with subscription or purchase |
Cultural Drivers of Reforestation in Tropical Forest Groves of the Western Ghats of IndiabackgroundThis paper looks at sacred forest groves in the Western Ghats of India, examining their socio-ecological origins. The study asks whether the groves are remnants of former continuous forest or patches of regenerated vegetation. The study also asks about the impact of surrounding vegetation on the composition of the sacred groves. Finally, the study focuses on the social and cultural drivers of forest recovery in the groves, including land tenure and religious beliefs. Open access copy available |
In Equal Measure: A User Guide to Gender Analysis in AgroforestrybackgroundThis guide provides tools for practioners working with rural communities in tropical countries. It describes how gender roles and responsibiities play a significant role in adoption and development of agroforestry systems. Open access copy available |
Fallow to Forest: Applying Indigenous and Scientific Knowledge of Swidden Cultivation to Tropical Forest RestorationBackgroundThis study analyzed vegetation at two sites of shifting cultivation by Lawa and Karen indigenous people in the Mae Chaem watershed in 1-year, 3-year and 6-year fallow fields, with an area of natural forest as a control comparison. Available with subscription or purchase |
Tropical Reforestation in the Asia-Pacific RegionbackgroundThis chapter reviews the meaning and implementation of landscape scale restoration in the Asia-Pacific region. The authors define landscape as a spatial mosaic with differing land use patterns across a gradient, usually involving natural and human-intervened areas which changes through time. Available with subscription or purchase |
Rattan: Ecological Balance in a Borneo Rainforest SwiddenbackgroundThis study provides an overview of the cultivation of rattan vines (Calamus trachycoleus) utilized in traditional swidden cultivation in Borneo, Indonesia. Available with subscription or purchase |
Notas sobre el diseño de plantaciones de restauración (Notes about the design of plantains for restoration)EspañolAntecedentesLa restauración forestal es compleja, tanto en teoría como en práctica. La incógnita de los ecosistemas de referencia es una que muchos investigadores y profesionales se han planteado y pocos han podido descifrar. ¿Deberíamos restaurar los bosques a una condición prístina? ¿Qué deberíamos utilizar como sistema de referencia? Esto, entre otras consideraciones, se explora en las observaciones del autor sobre el proceso de diseño de las plantaciones de restauración. Open access copy available |
Tecnología para la reforestación en América Latina (Reforestation technology in Latin America)Open access copy available |
