Social Aspects
A Case Study Assessment of Agroforestry: The Panama Canal WatershedbackgroundThis article provides a qualitative assessment of three agroforestry sites in the Panama Canal watershed based on management objectives, project life span, incentives, technology, economic feasibility, community involvement, and extension. It seeks to guide sustainable forest management options for the Panamanian government. conclusions & takeawaysEnvironmental managers should view agroforestry as a production system and consider this in its social and biophysical context. Available with subscription or purchase |
What Role Should Government Regulation Play in Ecological Restoration? Ongoing Debate in São Paulo State, BrazilbackgroundThis article addresses the degree of detail that should be present in legislation dealing with reforestation and restoration, and if there is a relationship between technical content/scope of regulation and success of projects. The relationship between law and reforestation is also discussed. In São Paulo state, legislation establishes precise reforestation requirements, such as the use of a minimum of 80 species of native trees and the presence of specific proportions of functional groups. This is the only existing legislation known by the authors with this degree of technical detail. Open access copy available |
The Tree Planting and Protecting Culture of Cattle Ranchers and Small-Scale Agriculturalists in Rural Panama: Opportunities for Reforestation and Land RestorationbackgroundThis study examines the relationship between farmers and trees in the tropical dry forest in two rural communities of Panama, focusing on the uses and values that small landholders assign to local tree species, both native and exotic. Available with subscription or purchase |
Farmer’s Perceptions of Silvopastoral System Promotion in Quindío, ColombiabackgroundThe adoption of silvopastoral systems (SPS) reduces pressure on forests and improves ecosystem services. Silvopastoral systems (SPS) are pasture systems in which multipurpose trees, diverse livestock feeds, and other techniques are used to improve productivity and ecosystem services in cattle production areas. In Latin America, conventional livestock production often results in rapid land degradation. SPS provides a longterm solution. This article describes results of a study evaluating farmers perceptions of SPS and, the motivations and disincentives for its adoption in Quindio Province of Colombia Open access copy available |
Payments for Environmental Services in Latin America as a Tool for Restoration and Rural DevelopmentBackgroundTwo Payments for Environmental Services (PES) projects are assessed in this article: 1) a bundled PES system in forestry projects in Costa Rica, and 2) the Regional Integrated Silvopastoral Approaches to Ecosystem Management Project in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Colombia. The first project based PED on the provision of four different environmental services (carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, watershed protection, and aesthetic improvements and/or maintenance of the landscape) within the same plot of land. The second project implemented PES proportional to carbon sequestration and biodiversity outputs by participants. 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 |
Community Based Forest Management in Cambodia and LaosbackgroundThis working document provides a comparison of community-based forest management (CBFM) in Cambodia and Laos. Some foundational factors distinguish the two countries, including governmental structure, population, ethnicities, and terrain. However, in both countries, a majority of the population lives in rural subsistence communities, with livelihoods often strongly dependent on forest use. Open access copy available |
What Does it Take? The Role of Incentives in Forest Plantation Development in Asia and the PacificbackgroundThis document is a compilation of case studies from different countries on the incentives and their impact on plantation development in South and Southeast Asia. The countries addressed are Australia, China, India, Indonesia, New Zealand, The Philippines, Sabah (Malaysia), Thailand, and the United States. Open access copy available |
