Landscapes
Herbaceous plant diversity in forest ecosystems: patterns, mechanisms, and threatsBACKGROUND:Recent studies have expanded our ecological understanding by focusing on forest herbs, highlighting that while trees dominate ecological theory, they represent only a small fraction of forest plant diversity. Forests showcase varying plant diversity due to human activities like land-use changes, invasive species, climate change, and overabundant herbivores, necessitating comprehensive management strategies. By understanding the complex interplay of these factors, the research aims to promote effective long-term conservation and sustainability of herbaceous plant communities in these environments. Available with subscription or purchase |
Institutional Design of Forest Landscape Restoration in Central Togo: Informing Policy-making through Q Methodology AnalysisBACKGROUND:Open access copy available |
A forest of dreams: Ontological multiplicity and the fantasies of environmental government in the PhilippinesBackgroundThe southwestern Philippines' Palawan Island has seen an expansion of conservation enclosures coinciding with Indigenous rights recognition. The Palawan people, traditionally swidden agriculturalists, hunters, fishers, and traders, are now a minority in southern municipalities due to migration and socioeconomic changes. Aiming to reconcile conservation with Indigenous territorial rights, the Philippine government has policies that often expect Indigenous values to align with bureaucratically managed conservation areas, like the Mt. Mantalingahan Protected Landscape (MMPL). Open access copy available |
Assessing the effectiveness of the engagement of local people in restoring degraded forest landscapes in leyte and Biliran Provinces, the PhilippinesBackgroundOpen access copy available |
Key challenges for governing forest and landscape restoration across different contextsBackgroundForest and Landscape Restoration (FLR) restores ecological integrity, strengthens climate resilience, enhances human well-being, and increases the productivity of deforested or degraded landscapes. By integrating diverse land uses and restorative actions, FLR balances environmental and socio-economic needs. Global agreements, including the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, the Paris Climate Agreement, and the Bonn Challenge, recognize its importance. Effective governance—defined by clear rules and inclusive decision-making—plays a critical role in ensuring FLR's success. Open access copy available |
The Effect of Carbon Credits on Savanna Land Management and Priorities for Biodiversity ConservationBACKGROUND:Investing in habitat protection and sustainable management is crucial to curb the rapid decline in biodiversity. A carbon market offers financial incentives to modify land use or management practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, the effects of such market-based conservation strategies in ecosystems like tropical savannas are still largely unexplored. The paper highlights the potential of emerging carbon markets as a means to fund improved land management practices that could benefit both biodiversity and carbon sequestration. Open access copy available |
Reforesting Bare Hills in Vietnam: Social and Environmental Consequences of the 5 Million Hectare Reforestation ProgramBackgroundAvailable with subscription or purchase |
Developing a framework for sustainable development indicators for the mining and minerals industryBACKGROUND:Minerals are essential to a variety of industries that help in everyday life. However, the extraction of minerals is often associated with numerous negative environmental impacts. The mining industry is responsible for more pressing sustainability challenges than any other industry. The mining industry must address these challenges by addressing the concerns of different stakeholders, as demonstrated by the Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development project. Available with subscription or purchase |
Restoration of plant-animal interactions in terrestrial ecosystemsBackgroundPlant-animal interactions are understudied within ecosystem restoration contexts. They are crucial to restoration success, with valuable processes like pollination, seed dispersal, and herbivory. The potential of animal reintroductions in restoration practices is understudied as well. Understanding these interactions is an important piece for future restoration efforts. Available with subscription or purchase |
Tree diversity in a tropical agricultural‑forest mosaic landscape in HondurasBackgroundTropical forests hold high biodiversity values, but are also valued for agricultural land uses. Particularly in Central America, a region with particularly high biodiversity, intensive land management practices have reduced and continue to reduce forest and species abundance. There is a push to change land use practices in order to restore and promote biodiversity, though the potential for biodiversity on agricultural landscapes is an understudied subject. Open access copy available |
