Funding
Trade-offs in nature tourism: contrasting parcel-level decisions withlandscape conservation planningBackgroundA landscape approach to conservation has increasingly taken prominence as scientists and policymakers consider the role of landscape patches and connectivities. However, understanding trade-offs in policy decisions and land management strategies in a landscape dominated by privately held patches presents a challenge. This study discusses trade-offs with the nature tourism industry in Monteverde, Costa Rica, considering effects across parcel-level decisions. Open access copy available |
Drug Policy as Conservation Policy: Narco-DeforestationBackgroundCentral America exploded into prominence as a drug trafficking corridor in the last decade. The authors document that an unprecedented flow of cocaine into Central America “coincided with a period of extensive forest loss”. The authors discuss the evidence that supports the idea that "trafficking of drugs (principally cocaine) has become a crucial—and overlooked—accelerant of forest loss” in Central America. Open access copy available |
BCTL: Mangrove Reforestation Project, Coast of ThailandbackgroundThis project takes place in the Mangrove forests of Thailand. In the past half century, the mangrove forests have been rapidly diminishing due to the expansion of shrimp and salt farms. From 1961 to 1996, Thailand lost approximately 56 % of its mangrove forests. Since then, its indigenous ecosystem has been faced with the threat of extinction. The deforestation also endangers the lives of the local people who live in the coastal areas, where tsunamis pose a real threat. Open access copy available |
Lowering Emissions in Asia's Forests (LEAF)BackgroundThe Lowering Emmissions in Asia's Forests (LEAF) program was USAID regiona initiative that ran for five years, from 2011 to 2016. This final report summarizes the challenges the LEAF program faced and the results it achieved. Open access copy available |
Cooperative Republic of Guyana National Forest Plan 2018BackgroundThe National Forest Plan 2018 was developed in conjunction with the Guyana National Forest Policy Statement with technical and stakeholder input. The Forest Plan describes the implementation steps for the Forest Policy, which will be carried out by the Guyana Forest Committee. Open access copy available |
Face the Future: EcuadorBackgroundDue to high population levels and a constant reliance on natural resources for livelihoods, the Andes region in Ecuador has lost an estimated +90% of its primary forest. Since 1993, Face the Future and the Ecuadorian Ministry of the Environment have worked together to reforest this region. Goals & MethodThe objective of the project was to work towards reforesting the region through plantings. Farmers preferred species that grew well and had economic value, such as plant pines and eucalyptus. Native species were also planted, particularly within reserve areas. Open access copy available |
Carbon Neutral: Uchindile Mapanda, TanzaniaBackgroundAs part of BP's Target Neutral program, this project is addressing grasslands that have been classified as degraded by establishing commercial forests at Uchindile and Mapanda districts in the Tanzanian Southern Highlands. Open access copy available |
Burning Biodiversity: Fuelwood Harvesting Causes Forest Degradation in Human-Dominated Tropical LandscapesbackgroundOpen access copy available |
Gmelina Boom, Farmers Doom: Tree growers risks, coping strategies and optionsBackgroundThe widespread smallholder tree plantations of Gmelina arborea established in the South Philippines in the 1980s led to price boom and bust cycles rather than the expected economic returns for growers. This study evaluates grower responses to the timber price bubbles of the 1990s and recommends policy responses. Open access copy available |
Finding the money for tropical forest restorationBackgroundForest in tropical countries have experienced significant changes due to human activity, shifting primarily to agricultural or urban lands. This change not only leads to loss of biodiversity but it also affects the supply of valubale forest products and ecosystem services. This study calls for a shift in rhetoric in forest restoration to go beyond a conservation agenda and to include economic benefits. The article discusses the economic dimensions of forest restoration to justify their claim, drawing heavily on experience in the Brazilian Atlantic forest. Open access copy available |
