Projects
Central Kalimantan Peatlands ProjectBACKGROUNDThe Central Kalimantan Peatlands Project (CKPP) grows out of an increasing recognition at the local, national and international levels of the urgency of halting and reversing degradation of the peatswamp forests of Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Drainage, illegal logging and fire devastated the area’s peatswamps in recent decades, and the impacts on local livelihoods, the broader economy and critical wildlife habitats have been staggering. Open access copy available |
Low technology tree propagation and the restoration of natural forest ecosystemsBackgroundThis chapter outlines the need for reforestation in Southeast Asia, with a focus on Thailand, and describes the nursery and propagation processes necessary for successful production of native species for reforestation. The paper focuses mainly on the Forest Restoration Research Unit (FORRU), which was established to address the need for information on native species for reforestation, especially information on seedlings and nursery practices. Most information on propagation available before the creation of FORRU referred to exotic species. Open access copy available |
Tropical Forest Restoration within Galapagos National Park: Application of a State-transition ModelBackgroundFew restoration models address ecological and management issues across the vegetation mosaic of a landscape. Because of a lack of scientific knowledge and funds, restoration practitioners focus instead on site-specific prescriptions and reactive rather than proactive approaches to restoration; this approach often dooms restoration projects to failure. This synthesis article tests a state-transition model as a decision-making tool to identify and achieve short- and long-term restoration goals. Open access copy available |
Landscape Rehabilitation of Degraded Tropical Forest Ecosystems: Case Study of the CIFOR/Japan Project in Indonesia and PerubackgroundThe CIFOR/Japan project on tropical forest restoration involves three principal components: 1) evaluation of logging impacts on forest systems, 2) development of methods for the restoration of logged and degraded forests, and 3) development of silvicultural practices for degraded forests. Open access copy available |
Restoration of degraded forest land in Thailand: the case of Khao KhoBackgroundThis chapter discusses the deforestation of Khao Kho district, situated in Thailand’s central highlands, in the 1970s and restoration efforts in the 1990s. Over 75% of the district was forested until 1968, when as a counterinsurgency strategy the Royal Thai Army began to build roads, deforest the district and encourage agricultural settlement in this heretofore intact forest. Deforestation and maize cultivation on these steep hillsides, often with already-poor soil quality degraded in situ, led to rapid degradation with farming untenable by 1990. A UNDP-funded reforestation project – managed by the Army – was initiated in 1990. Open access copy available |
Institutional Issues and Political Challenges in Scaling Up Agroforestry: The Case of Landcare in the PhilippinesbackgroundThis paper presents the results of case studies of four municipalities in the Philippines participating in the Landcare agroforestry program which benefited from differing levels of institutional, technical, and government support. The paper assesses how effectively the Landcare program was able to scale up based on differing levels of support. Open access copy available |
Nagarote Reforestation and Community Development Project - SosteNicaBackgroundSosteNica and CEPRODEL work together to provide microcredit and technical assistance to help communities in Nicaragua improve the environmental on their land while also improving the economic opportunities for those communities. Open access copy available |
Tree Plantations in the Philippines and Thailand: Economic, Social, and Environmental EvaluationBackgroundTropical land area under plantations have dramatically increased in recent decades, largely as a result of natural forest depletion. Forest plantations cannot qualitatively substitute the timber or the habitat of natural forests, yet are growing in global importance both commercially and ecologically. However, the negative and positive social and environmental impacts must also be included in analysis of tropical forest plantations. Open access copy available |
Farm Forestry: An Alternative to Government-Driven Reforestation in the PhilippinesBackgroundThis study reviews literature and various case studies about growing trees at the farm level by rural farmers. In the Philippines, millions of dollars have gone to employ people to plant trees as part of reforestation programs while only about 10% of those planted areas are successful. The authors assert that paying people to plant trees is unsustainable and often hindered by the lack of prompt release of funding. Available with subscription or purchase |
Large-scale Ecological Restoration of High-Diversity Tropical Forests in SE BrazilbackgroundThis article examines 32 ongoing reforestation projects in Sao Paulo State, Brazil, which are conducted on areas of large sugarcane farms and small mixed farms. Available with subscription or purchase |
