Policies

Land use transitions: Socio-ecological feedback versus socio-economic change

Background

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What drives the success of reforestation projects in tropical developing countries? The case of the Philippines

Background

This study reviewed cases and literatures to assess drivers that ultimately lead restoration projects to have successful outcomes. The main 4 categories of drivers are: technical/biophysical drivers, socio-economic drivers, institutional, policy and management drivers, and reforestation project characteristics. The major indicator of success are fall into two categories: environmental indicators and socio-economic indicators.

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Goal programming: Application in the management of the miombo woodland in Mozambique

Background

The paper aims to show the potential for applying goal programming mathematical modeling techniques as a tool to help determine an optimal strategy for combining multi-stakeholder activities in a multi-objective planning framework for the management of miombo woodlands.

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A Comparison of Governance Challenges in Forest Restoration in Paraguay’s Privately-Owned Forests and Madagascar’s Co-managed State Forests

Background

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Watershed Management for Ecosystem Services in Human Dominated Landscapes of the Neotropics

Background

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The Transformation of a Frontier: State and Regional Relationships in Panama, 1972- 1990

Background

Following the trend of anthropologists that examine the settlement of frontier regions, this study describes the consequences of building the Bayano Hydroelectric Complex in eastern Panama. The authors stress that governments must not looked at as monolithic entities but instead should be examine as a set of social and political relationships among various stakeholders at local, national, and international scales. Along with documenting the social, political, and ecological effects that emerged from the dam, the study also describes the internal conflicts between agencies in the Panamanian government.

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The Humid Tropics Cattle Ranching Complex: Cases from Panama Reviewed

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The logic of livestock and deforestation in Amazonia

Background

In the late 1970s through the early 1990s, a majority of Latin America's would be tranformed to pasture lands, causing a multitude of social, economic, and ecological issues from the local to international scale. This article aims to examine why this transformation has occurred. It specifically analyzes the logic and economics of pursuing livestock in Amazonia and the financial gains that can be made through the land and natural resources. The author reviews common explanations and then provides an integrated approach to slow and even halt this trend. 

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Creating space for large‐scale restoration in tropical agricultural landscapes

Background

The large-scale degradation and land-use conversion of ecosystems around the world has led to a global push to restore critical environments in order to preserve biodiversity and ecosystem services. One of the biggest challenges to these efforts though, is ensuring that preexisting land-uses are not simply displaced elsewhere. This article explores this problem, turning to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest as a case-study. The authors examine if restoration will lead to a discplacement of cattle production due to land-shortage. 

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The ecology of peace: preparing Colombia for new political and planetary climates

Background

Written in 2018, this article recognizes that Colombia is emerging from a decades long conflict and this newfound social peace will have ecological and environmental effects. The authors aim to examine how the current, stable state of Colombia along with the continuing changes in global climate may shape both the ecological character and biodiversity of the country. They do so by first reviewing the socio-political state of Colombia and then go on to identify challenges in research and policy and discuss management decisions in the country that may lead to beneficial outcomes. 

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