Deforestation and Degradation
Gestion durable des ressources forestières: Rapport pour les états généraux de la forêt, de la faune et des ressources en eau (Sustainable management of forest resources: report on the state of forest, fauna, and water resources)The authors discuss causes for ecosystem degradation in Ivory Coast. They highlight problems of governance, inappropriate management techniques, industrial exploitation of minerals and production of charcoal, ultimately offering recommendations to improve forest management.
Open access copy available |
La pratique de la gestion durable des terres: Directives et bonnes pratiques en Afrique subsaharienne (The practice of sustainable land management: Guidance and best practices in sub-Saharan Africa)The authors present the state of land management in sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on unsustainable exploitation of soils, vegetation, and water resources. The authors end by discussing the urgent need for a new system of governance and sustainable land management in sub-Saharan Africa.
Open access copy available |
Pratiques de restauration des zones degradees d’Afrique de l’Est (Restoration practices in degraded landscapes of Eastern Africa)The author provides an introduction to the state of the land, i.e. extent of degradation in eastern Africa. He then goes on to discuss restoration practices and for degraded landscapes in eastern Africa. The author also provides an evaluation of reforestation practices currently in use. The author ends by reviewing successful technologies for reforestation in eastern Africa and offering suggestions for scaling up.
Open access copy available |
Quelles sont les causes de la déforestation dans le bassin du Congo? Synthèse bibliographique et études de cas (What are the causes of deforestation in the Congo Basin? Bibliographic synthesis and case studies)The article presents a literature review of different factors affecting deforestation rates in the Congo (especially Cameroon and Gabon), the most devastating of which they identified as agriculture. The authors argue that the Congo Bassin is one of the most important and best preserved ecosystems on earth. Finally, the author calls for moe studies of socio-economic factors representing the different stages of degradation, so as to better inform policy.
Open access copy available |
Enjeux fonciers, exploitation des ressources naturelles et Forêts des Communautés Locales en périphérie de Kinshasa, RDC (Land Issues, Exploitation of Natural Resources, and Local Community Forests on the Outskirts of Kinshasa, DRC)backgroundThe authors discuss factors affecting peri-urban forests that surround Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo and identify mismanagement of forest resources by local authorities as well as the willingness of local communities to take part in forest management. Open access copy available |
Forest Fragmentation and its Correlation to Human Land Use Change in the State of Selangor, Peninsular MalaysiaBackgroundThis paper uses a simple fragmentation index comprising three landscape metrics- non-forest area, forest edge bordered by human land use, and patch size coefficient of variation- to study changes in forest fragmentation in the state of Selangor, in peninsular Malaysia between 1966, 1981 and 1995. Research Goals & MethodsThe study utilized digitized land use maps developed by the Soil Management Division of the Department of Agriculture, Malaysia, to study changes in land use over time. Open access copy available |
The Political, Social, and Ecological Transformation of a LandscapeBackgroundIn 1951 the Chinese Government issued the Decision on Cultivating Rubber Trees, which resulted in the establishment of large-scale rubber plantations in the tropical regions of China, including Xishuangbanna in southern Yunnan. These rubber plantations, worked by relocated Han Chinese, were a manifestation of state power on the landscape. Open access copy available |
Land Cover Change in Colombia: Surprising Forest Recovery Trends between 2001 and 2010backgroundThis study mapped annual land-use and land-cover from 2001 to 2010 in Colombia using MODIS (250 m) products coupled with reference data from high spatial resolution imagery (QuickBird) in Google Earth. Research Goals & MethodsThe authors evaluated land cover change at four spatial scales: country, biome, ecoregion, and municipality. Open access copy available |
Sixty-Seven Years of Land-Use Change in Southern Costa RicaBackgroundHabitat loss and fragmentation of forests are among the biggest threats to biodiversity and associated ecosystem services in tropical landscapes. This paper uses the vicinity of the Las Cruces Biological Station in southern Costa Rica as a regional case study to comment on seven decades of land-use change in one of the most intensively studied sites in the Neotropics. Open access copy available |
Forest Cover and Deforestation Patterns in the Northern Andes (Lake Maracaibo Basin): A Synoptic Assessment using MODIS and Landsat ImageryBackgroundSouth America has the highest deforestation rates in the tropics. Yet, the science is often questioned when determining these rates. For example, Venezuela, which has the second highest rate in the region, produces government reports on deforestation that are continually questioned by third parties. This paper stresses the need for more accurate and consistent data on forest cover and greenhouse gase emissions from deforestation. Available with subscription or purchase |
