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Forestry
Kinds of Forestry Selected AbstractsToward Adaptive Community Forest Management: Integrating Local Forest Knowledge with Scientific Forestry,ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY, Issue 1 2002Daniel James Klooster Abstract: This case study of indigenous communities in highland Michoacán, Mexico, examines data on forest change, woodcutting practices, social history, and a recent forest inventory and management plan prepared by a professional forester. It assesses the social and environmental fit of both local knowledge and scientific forestry and considers their abilities to contribute to sustainable forest management. Both bodies of knowledge are limited in their ability to inform the social practice of environmental management. The local forest knowledge system is particularly hampered by a limited ability to monitor the forest's response to woodcutting, while scientific forestry lacks the institutional flexibility to ensure the just and effective implementation of restrictions and prescriptions. This article recommends cross-learning between scientific resource managers and woodcutters, participatory environmental monitoring to assess the results of different cutting techniques, and explicit management experiments to facilitate institutional learning at the community level. This kind of adaptive management approach permits the flexible integration of local knowledge, scientific forestry, and appropriate institutional parameters to modulate human needs and goals with the discordant harmonies of inhabited and heavily used forests in a constant state of flux under processes of succession, disturbance, and spatial variation. Several barriers to this kind of institutional innovation exist, but outside intervention has the potential to change the dynamics of institutional evolution. [source] Toward a US Shift from Agricultural to Rural Development Policy: Forces of Challenge and Change Auf einen Wechsel von der US-Agrarpolitik zu einer Politik des ländlichen Raums hinarbeiten: Die Triebkräfte der Herausforderung und des Wandels Vers une transition des politiques agricoles vers des politiques de développement rural aux États-Unis: Les forces du défi et du changementEUROCHOICES, Issue 1 2008Charles W. Fluharty Toward a US Shift from Agricultural to Rural Development Policy: Forces of Challenge and Change On the 5th of November 2007, Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, Chairman of the US Senate Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Nutrition, in opening the floor debate on the 2007 Farm Bill, urged a new US commitment to rural policy, keeping in mind that nearly 85 per cent of total farm household income is now generated off-farm. Recent institutional developments, moreover, evidence the success of a decade-long effort to increase focus on the rural development Title of the Farm Bill. One result was the formation of the Alliance for Sensible Agriculture Policies (ASAP), a loose federation of over 30 national organizations, representing the entire political spectrum. It remains highly active in support of Farm Bill reform. Currently, the Senate Bill contains a US$ 400 million increase in mandatory rural development funding. As we move toward an end-game, however, members of both the Senate and the House of Representatives will face the unbridled power of commodity organizations. It is likely that this will again overwhelm public sentiment and wise public choice. Despite overwhelming odds, a new commitment to a more innovative rural policy framework is emerging in the United States. I believe that this Farm Bill will ultimately be viewed as the beginning of a landscape-changing legislative framework for rural people and places in America. Vers une transition des politiques agricoles vers des politiques de développement rural aux États-Unis: Les forces du défi et du changement Le 5 novembre 2007, le Sénateur de l'Iowa Tom Harkin, Président du Comité du Sénat des États-Unis sur l'Agriculture, la Forêt et la Nutrition, en ouverture du débat sur la loi agricole 2007, a appeléà un nouvel engagement pour la politique rurale, en gardant à l'esprit que presque 85 pour cent du revenu total des ménages agricoles provient de sources non agricoles. En outre, les évolutions institutionnelles récentes on mis en évidence les succès d'une décennie d'efforts pour attirer l'attention sur le Titre "développement rural" de la loi agricole. Un résultat a été la formation d'une alliance pour des politiques agricoles raisonnables (Alliance for Sensible Agriculture Policies, ASAP), une fédération large de plus de 30 organisations nationales représentant la totalité du spectre politique. Elle reste très active pour soutenir la réforme de la loi agricole. A l'heure actuelle, la loi proposée par le Sénat prévoit une hausse de 400 millions de dollars des fonds obligatoirement destinés au développement rural. Cependant, à mesure que l'on s'approche de la décision finale, les membres du Sénat et de la Chambre des représentants seront confrontés au pouvoir sans frein des organisations de soutien des produits agricoles. Il est probable que cela va de nouveau dominer les sentiments du public et les choix sensés en matière d'action. En dépit des conditions dominantes, émerge aux États-Unis un nouvel engagement pour un cadre plus innovant pour les politiques de développement rural,.Je crois que cette loi agricole sera considérée comme un point d'inflexion dans le paysage pour les populations et les territoires ruraux aux États-Unis. Auf einen Wechsel von der US-Agrarpolitik zu einer Politik des ländlichen Raums hinarbeiten: Die Triebkräfte der Herausforderung und des Wandels Am 5. November 2007 forderte Tom Harkin, US-Senator aus dem Bundesstaat Iowa und Vorsitzender des Komitees für Landwirtschaft, Forstwirtschaft und Ernährung (US Senate Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Nutrition), ein größeres Engagement der USA im Hinblick auf die Politik des ländlichen Raums, als er die Plenardebatte über das Landwirtschaftsgesetz von 2007 eröffnete. Dabei hatte er vor Augen, dass mittlerweile beinahe 85 Prozent des gesamten Haushaltseinkommens der landwirtschaftlichen Betriebe aus außerlandwirtschaftlichen Aktivitäten stammt. Zudem belegen die jüngsten institutionellen Entwicklungen den Erfolg der jahrzehntelangen Bemühungen, die Aufmerksamkeit auf den Titel über die Entwicklung des ländlichen Raums im Landwirtschaftsgesetz zu lenken. Als Folge dessen wurde u.a. die Allianz für vernünftige Agrarpolitikmaßnahmen (Alliance for Sensible Agriculture Policies, ASAP) ins Leben gerufen, ein freier Verband von über 30 nationalen Organisationen, die das gesamte politische Spektrum vertreten. Die Allianz setzt sich immer noch sehr für die Reform des Landwirtschaftsgesetzes ein. Derzeit sieht das Gesetz im Senat eine Budgeterhöhung von $ 400 Millionen zur Finanzierung der verbindlichen Entwicklung des ländlichen Raums vor. Da wir jedoch auf die Endphase zusteuern, werden sowohl Mitglieder des Senats als auch des Abgeordnetenhauses der ungezügelten Macht der Rohstofforganisationen gegenüberstehen. Wahrscheinlich wird dies wieder einmal die Stimmung und die weise Entscheidung der Öffentlichkeit maßgeblich beeinflussen. Ungeachtet dessen entwickelt sich in den USA zurzeit ein neues Engagement hin zu einem innovativeren Rahmenprogramm in Bezug auf die Politik des ländlichen Raums. Ich bin der Ansicht, dass dieses Landwirtschaftsgesetz der Landbevölkerung als Zeitpunkt des Landschaftswechsels in Erinnerung bleiben wird. [source] The effect of temperature and daylength on heading in tetraploid cultivars of rhodesgrass (Chloris gayana Kunth)GRASSLAND SCIENCE, Issue 4 2005Isao Tarumoto Abstract The present study was conducted to clarify the effect of temperature and daylength on heading in tetraploid cultivars of rhodesgrass (Chloris gayana Kunth). Five cultivars, Tochiraku-kei (2,), Fords Katambora (2,), Callide (4,), Masaba (4,) and Pokot (4,), were planted on three dates at 1-month intervals (4 May, 4 June and 4 July) in three of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries research institutions in Ishigaki (Tropical Agriculture Research Center), Nishigoshi (Kyushu National Agricultural Experiment Station) and Nishinasuno (National Grassland Research Institute) in 1978. Three tetraploid cultivars were planted on three dates at 1-month intervals (4 May, 4 June and 4 July) under four daylength-treatments of natural daylength (ND), 12 h daylength [12 h], ND/12 h and 12 h/ND, and changed daylength at the eighth leaf stage, in Nishinasuno in 1978. Under natural daylength, although heading was not observed for Masaba and Pokot, heading was observed in all plots for Tochiraku-kei, Fords Katambora and Callide, and their days to heading (DH) linearly decreased with increases in daily mean temperature (DMT). The result indicated that, under natural daylength in summer, temperature was a major factor in determining DH in tetraploid Callide, which was the same as in diploid rhodesgrass cultivars. Callide reached heading under all four daylength treatments. However, Masaba and Pokot reached heading only under 12 h and ND/12 h treatments, suggesting that Masaba and Pokot have qualitative sensitivity to photoperiods that operate after the ninth leaf stage. These findings would be useful in tetraploid rhodesgrass for estimating foliage harvesting time in the field and for conducting cross-pollination in a greenhouse during winter. [source] Models and Systems in ForestryINTERNATIONAL TRANSACTIONS IN OPERATIONAL RESEARCH, Issue 5 2003Robert G. Haight No abstract is available for this article. [source] Planting the Nation's ,Waste Lands': Walter Scott, Forestry and the Cultivation of Scotland's WildernessLITERATURE COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 3 2009Susan Oliver In October 1827 the Quarterly Review included a review of the second edition of Robert Monteath's The Planter's Guide and Profitable Planter. The review was published anonymously according to custom, but the author was Sir Walter Scott. A keen amateur plantsman who would later be involved in producing official reports on tree husbandry in Scotland, Scott's interest in ecology, forestry and the cultural value of landscape was of long standing. He had spent a small fortune on trees for his Abbotsford estate, and the cost had contributed to his insolvency in 1826. The present article looks at Scott's review as a work of Romantic ecocriticism concerned with the relationships between nationhood, economics and natural sustainability. Definitions of ,waste land' are considered, and the use of literary references to emphasize the need for sustainable planting is explored along with debates over imported Canadian species of pine. The cultural exchange of trees for people is shown to raise interesting questions, as is the advent of the railways that Scott ignores in his essay despite his interest in that new form of transport. [source] A New Food Guide in Japan: The Japanese Food Guide Spinning TopNUTRITION REVIEWS, Issue 4 2007Nobuo Yoshiike MD The Dietary Guidelines for Japanese, released in 2000, provides the basics of a healthy diet for the people of Japan. In July 2005, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan jointly released a new pictorial guide, The Japanese Food Guide Spinning Top, to help people implement the Dietary Guidelines for Japanese. It guides people as to what kinds and how much food they should eat each day to promote health. This paper describes the nature of the diet and the theoretical framework applied in the development of the new guidelines. [source] Work-related amputations in Washington state, 1997,2005AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 7 2010Naomi J. Anderson MPH Abstract Background Work-related amputations are infrequent but devastating injuries. Attempts to more accurately estimate the burden of amputations and industries at risk have led the Washington State occupational surveillance program to explore new methods for case identification in Washington State workers' compensation data. Methods Two methods were utilized for case identification of work-related amputations. The first method used the ANSI Z16 nature code for amputation. An alternative method utilized medical, hospital, and claim administration coding of medical bills and bill payment systems. After identifying suspected amputation claims, a sample of the medical records associated with different case identification methods were reviewed to verify that an amputation likely occurred. Results From 1997 to 2005, 2,528 amputations were identified using the ANSI Z16 code for amputation (Nature,=,100) and an additional 3,912 amputations were identified using the alternative method. There was an increasing trend of amputation injuries over the time period using the ANSI amputation definition; however, the trend in amputation injuries captured by the alternative method was decreasing. This may indicate a bias in estimating a trend due to misclassification of amputation injuries. The sectors with the highest amputation claims rates were Manufacturing; Construction; Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting; Accommodation and Food Services; and Wholesale and Retail Trade. Conclusions Current methods to identify work-related amputations in the workers' compensation data system underestimate the burden of amputations in Washington State. By utilizing alternative case identification methods, we estimate that there were about 150% more amputations in Washington State over the time period. Am. J. Ind. Med. 53:693,705, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Crunoecia irrorata (Curtis) (Trichoptera: Lepidostomatidae) and conservation of boreal springs: indications of clustering of red-listed speciesAQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue 1 2008Jari Ilmonen Abstract 1.Crunoecia irrorata is widely dispersed across Europe, but rare and red-listed in Finland. Its geographical range comprises most of the southern boreal zone in Fennoscandia. The species is confined to springs in the north, but occurs also in lower reaches of headwater streams in central and western Europe. It becomes more rare and less abundant towards the limits of its range across Europe, showing diffusive rarity. Glacial history and climate limit the distribution of the species in the north. 2.The most important habitat characteristic for C. irrorata in Finland was the total area of helocrene habitats. Its occurrence was positively related to taxon richness of benthic macroinvertebrates, but not bryophytes. Co-occurrence of C. irrorata with other red-listed spring-dependent taxa was observed, indicating high conservation value of the springs occupied. 3.Crunoecia irrorata occurred frequently in moderately disturbed springs, indicating tolerance to human disturbance around springs. However, the effect of the disturbance on population size is not known. Forestry and water and gravel extraction are potential threats to C. irrorata, and only a few of its populations are strictly protected. Therefore, populations of C. irrorata in the boreal zone should be conserved and monitored to ensure the species' survival at the northern limits of its range. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Hopkins Architects' Kroon Hall, Yale UniversityARCHITECTURAL DESIGN, Issue 6 2009Jayne Merkel Abstract Stone-walled, barrel-vaulted Kroon Hall, the hulking new home of Yale University's pioneering School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, is a living laboratory of energy-efficient design as well as a sympathetic neighbour. Jayne Merkel describes the numerous problems the architects had to solve to make it compatible with the historic campus and actively experimental at the same time. Its pioneering green agenda even determined the character of its interior space warmly and subtly. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Managing forests, livestock, and crops under global warming: a micro-econometric analysis of land use changes in Africa,AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL & RESOURCE ECONOMICS, Issue 2 2010S. Niggol Seo This paper examines potential land use changes in Africa under climate change by building an integrated model of crop management, animal husbandry, and forestry. Using micro-level decisions from around 9000 household surveys in 11 countries, we analyze the choice of land types across the landscape with a multinomial discrete choice model. The choices and future adaptation measures are analyzed as a mosaic based on the typology of Agro-Ecological Zones. The results indicate that if climate becomes hotter and drier, Africa will adapt by increasing a joint production of crops and animals, especially in the lowland savannahs. On the other hand, if climate becomes wetter, it will switch more to forests, either with crops or with both crops and livestock, especially in the mid and high elevation humid zones. Forestry will play a significant role in adaptation when a substantial increase in precipitation makes animal husbandry an unattractive alternative. [source] Insect Pests in Tropical ForestryAUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 1 2002Article first published online: 26 FEB 200 No abstract is available for this article. [source] Work-related non-fatal injuries among foreign-born and US-born workers: Findings from the U.S. National Health Interview Survey, 1997,2005AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 1 2009Xiaofei Zhang MD Abstract Background Millions of foreign-born workers are employed in the US. Population-based surveys have value in describing the non-fatal work-related injuries that these workers suffer. Methods Using data from the 1997,2005 National Health Interview Survey, we compared the rates of non-fatal work-related injuries among foreign-born and US-born adult workers. Logistic regression was used to produce work-related injury odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) by nativity and years of residence while controlling for sex, age, race/ethnicity, education, poverty, family size, insurance status, delayed medical care, and alcohol use. Industry-specific rates were also compared. Results Foreign-born workers reported a lower rate of work-related injuries than US-born workers, 50 per 10,000 foreign-born workers versus 89 per 10,000 US-born workers (P,<,0.01). After controlling for confounding variables, the OR of work-related injuries for foreign-born workers as compared to US-born workers was 0.50 (95% CI,=,0.38,0.66). The construction, agriculture/forestry and fisheries, and manufacturing industries had the highest work-related injury rates for both groups of workers. Conclusions Foreign-born workers had a lower overall rate of work-related injury when compared to US-born workers. Both US-born and foreign-born workers face significant injury risks, especially in certain industries. Interventions tailored with ethnic and cultural differences in mind are still warranted. Am. J. Ind. Med. 52:25,36, 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] State Sciences and Development Histories: Encoding Local Forestry Knowledge in BengalDEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE, Issue 1 2000K. Sivaramakrishnan Informed by debates on development discourse, local knowledge, and the history of colonial conservation, this article argues for a careful historical investigation of the manner in which scientific managerial knowledge emerges in the field of forestry. It makes its case by focusing on the specific period in the history of Bengal (1893,1937) when scientific forestry was formalized and institutionalized. The processes and conflicts through which local knowledge gets encoded as scientific canon have to be understood to generate effective managerial devolution in participatory projects. This requires an engagement with public understandings of science as practice that arises from a dynamic critique of static, and undifferentiated, notions of development discourse or local knowledge. [source] Effects of the North Atlantic Oscillation on growth and phenology of stream insectsECOGRAPHY, Issue 6 2004Robert A. Briers Climatic variation associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) influences terrestrial and marine ecosystems, but its effects on river and stream ecosystems are less well known. The influence of the NAO on the growth of stream insects was examined using long-term empirical data on the sizes of mayfly and stonefly nymphs and on water temperature data. Models of egg development and nymphal growth in relation to temperature were used to predict the effect of the NAO on phenology. The study was based in two upland streams in mid-Wales UK that varied in the extent of plantation forestry in their catchments. Winter stream temperatures at both sites were positively related to the winter NAO index, being warmer in positive phases and colder in negative phases. The observed mean size and the simulated developmental period of mayfly nymphs were significantly related to the winter NAO index, with nymphs growing faster in positive phases of the NAO, but the growth of stonefly nymphs was not related to the NAO. This may have been due to the semivoltine stonefly lifecycle, but stonefly nymph growth is also generally less dependent on temperature. There were significant differences in growth rates of both species between streams, with nymphs growing more slowly in the forested stream that was consistently cooler than the open stream. Predicted emergence dates for adult mayflies varied by nearly two months between years, depending on the phase of the NAO. Variation in growth and phenology of stream insects associated with the NAO may influence temporal fluctuations in the composition and dynamics of stream communities. [source] Toward Adaptive Community Forest Management: Integrating Local Forest Knowledge with Scientific Forestry,ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY, Issue 1 2002Daniel James Klooster Abstract: This case study of indigenous communities in highland Michoacán, Mexico, examines data on forest change, woodcutting practices, social history, and a recent forest inventory and management plan prepared by a professional forester. It assesses the social and environmental fit of both local knowledge and scientific forestry and considers their abilities to contribute to sustainable forest management. Both bodies of knowledge are limited in their ability to inform the social practice of environmental management. The local forest knowledge system is particularly hampered by a limited ability to monitor the forest's response to woodcutting, while scientific forestry lacks the institutional flexibility to ensure the just and effective implementation of restrictions and prescriptions. This article recommends cross-learning between scientific resource managers and woodcutters, participatory environmental monitoring to assess the results of different cutting techniques, and explicit management experiments to facilitate institutional learning at the community level. This kind of adaptive management approach permits the flexible integration of local knowledge, scientific forestry, and appropriate institutional parameters to modulate human needs and goals with the discordant harmonies of inhabited and heavily used forests in a constant state of flux under processes of succession, disturbance, and spatial variation. Several barriers to this kind of institutional innovation exist, but outside intervention has the potential to change the dynamics of institutional evolution. [source] Pursuing community forestry in LiberiaENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 5 2009Jennifer N. Lamb Abstract While Liberian forests are a biodiversity hotspot and integral to the livelihoods of indigenous communities, 14 years of conflict forestry turned this national asset into a source of economic inequality and corruption in an extreme example of a ,natural resource curse'. Moreover, overharvesting of timber through the conflict period has endangered community livelihoods and raised concerns regarding resource sustainability from international conservation organizations. Since the end of conflict in 2003, the Liberian government has forged international partnerships to create a reformed policy framework balancing commercial, conservation and community (the three Cs) interests. In an effort to contribute to the larger body of work on the role of natural resource management institutions in the creation and fostering of the resource curse, this paper offers a case study of timber in Liberia. We feel that an in-depth understanding of the Liberian case clarifies the challenge of timber as an extractive commodity and how the institutional framework can be shaped to provide a positive contribution to economic development. The discussion focuses on the historical development of Liberian land and forest tenure institutions that lead to poverty, ecological degradation and conflict. Tracing the more recent implementation of the three Cs, this paper analyzes the current conditions of community engagement and outlines critical steps to be taken for Liberia to escape further resource driven cycles of conflict. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] The role of the European Parliament in forest environment issuesENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 4 2002Nikolaos D. Hasanagas This article deals with the potential influence of European parliamentarism on environmental policy in forested areas. It is addressed as much to policy analysts and parliamentary theorists as to those most directly involved therein, for example international lobbyists and policy-makers. The relative powers of the European Parliament, Council of Ministers and Commission and assorted interest groups (forestry and environmental activists) will be considered through the analysis of documents and expert interviews. The gradual extension of the European Parliament's power (co-operation and co-decision procedures) in combination with the parliamentary functions (control, legislation, election, articulation and communication) will be described where relevant to forest environment policy, in particular to competition, harmonization, internal markets, industry, research, land use, energy and development. The optimal lobbying terrains and prospects of environmental interest groups are also examined and the potential influence of the European Parliament on the implementation of such policy is explored. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Effects of sublethal concentrations of bifenthrin and deltamethrin on fecundity, growth, and development of the honeybee Apis mellifera ligusticaENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 3 2010Ping-Li Dai Abstract Bifenthrin and deltamethrin have been widely used as pesticides in agriculture and forestry and are becoming an increasing risk to honeybees. The honeybee, Apis mellifera ligustica, is widely recognized as a beneficial insect of agronomic, ecological, and scientific importance. It is important to understand what effects these chemicals have on bees. Effects of two pesticides at sublethal concentrations on fecundity, growth, and development of honeybees were examined with the feeding method for a three-year period (2006,2008). It was shown that both bifenthrin and deltamethrin significantly reduced bee fecundity, decreased the rate at which bees develop to adulthood, and increased their immature periods. The toxicity of bifenthrin and deltamethrin on workers of Apis mellifera ligustica was also assessed, and the results from the present study showed that the median lethal effects of bifenthrin and deltamethrin were 16.7 and 62.8,mg/L, respectively. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2010;29:644,649. © 2009 SETAC [source] Improving the Evaluation of Rural Development Policy Pour une meilleure évaluation de la politique de développement rural Die Evaluation der Politik zur Entwicklung des ländlichen Raums verbessernEUROCHOICES, Issue 1 2010David Blandford Summary Improving the Evaluation of Rural Development Policy A previous EuroChoices (Vol. 7, No. 1) compared and contrasted approaches to rural development policy in the EU and US. This Special Issue focuses on the evaluation of these policies, drawing on a workshop held in June 2009 at OECD Conference Center in Paris. Evaluation is an activity that runs parallel with policymaking and is capable of contributing to effectiveness and efficiency at all stages. Evaluators, wherever they work and whatever aspect of rural development is their focus, face some common technical problems. These include multiple (and often ill-defined) policy objectives, the choice of appropriate indicators (especially the need to distinguish between outputs and outcomes), how to establish baseline values, where to draw boundaries in terms of impact and time, and the identification of additionality and causality. Ensuring that lessons learned from evaluation are actually applied is problematic. Experiences covered in this Issue include the use of macro and case-study approaches, and various schemes (investment in human and social capital, and agri-environment and forestry). There is an inherent tension between using a common approach across countries and regions in the interests of comparability and the flexibility needed to capture all the relevant factors in the diverse situations in which rural development actions take place. Un précédent numéro de EuroChoices (Vol. 7, No. 1) comparait et mettait en regard les approches de l'Union européenne et des États-Unis en terme de politique de développement rural. Ce numéro spécial est consacréà l'évaluation de la politique et tire parti d'un atelier qui s'est tenu en juin 2009 au Centre de Conférences de l'OCDE à Paris. L'évaluation va de pair avec l'élaboration des politiques et peut contribuer à améliorer l'efficacité et l'efficience à tous les stades. Quels que soient leur affiliation et l'aspect du développement rural sur lequel ils se concentrent, les évaluateurs sont confrontés à certains problèmes techniques communs. Il s'agit des objectifs multiples (et souvent mal définis) de la politique, du choix d'indicateurs pertinents (en particulier la nécessité de faire la différence entre produit et résultat), de la manière d'établir des valeurs de référence, de la fixation de limites en terme d'incidence et de durée, et de l'identification des effets additifs et de la causalité. Il est difficile de s'assurer que les leçons tirées des évaluations sont effectivement retenues. Les expériences rapportées dans ce numéro comprennent des approches macroéconomiques ou fondées sur des études de cas, et couvrent différents programmes (investissements dans le capital social et humain, mesures agroenvironnementales, mesures forestières). Il existe une tension évidente entre l'utilisation d'une approche commune entre chaque pays et région, qui vise la comparabilité, et la flexibilité qui permet de prendre en compte l'ensemble des différents facteurs des situations variées dans lesquelles les mesures de développement rural sont appliquées. In einer vorherigen Ausgabe von EuroChoices (7:1) wurden Herangehensweisen an die Politik zur Entwicklung des ländlichen Raums in der EU und in den USA verglichen und diskutiert. Diese Sonderausgabe beschäftigt sich auf der Grundlage eines Workshops, der im Juni 2009 am OECD-Hauptsitz in Paris abgehalten wurde, mit Politikevaluation. Die Evaluation erfolgt parallel zur Politikgestaltung und kann in jeder Phase zur Steigerung von Wirksamkeit und Effizienz beitragen. Evaluatoren stehen einigen allgemeinen technischen Problemen gegenüber , ganz gleich, wo sie arbeiten und welchen Aspekten ländlicher Entwicklung sie sich widmen. Dazu zählen multiple (und oftmals unzureichend definierte) politische Ziele; die Auswahl von geeigneten Indikatoren (hier muss insbesondere zwischen Endprodukten und Ergebnissen unterschieden werden); die Frage, wie Ausgangswerte festzulegen und wo Grenzen im Hinblick auf Auswirkungen und den zeitlichen Rahmen zu setzen sind; sowie die Identifizierung von Additionalität und Kausalität. Es ist schwierig sicherzustellen, dass die Erkenntnisse aus der Evaluation auch umgesetzt werden. Die in dieser Ausgabe aufgegriffenen Erfahrungen berücksichtigen u.a. Makro- und Fallstudienansätze sowie verschiedene Maßnahmen (Investitionen in Human-/Sozialkapital sowie Agrarumwelt und Forstwirtschaft). Es besteht eine grundsätzliche Spannung zwischen einer im Interesse der Vergleichbarkeit einheitlichen länder- und regionenübergreifenden Herangehensweise und einer Flexibilität bei der Erfassung aller relevanten Faktoren in den verschiedenen Situationen, in denen ländliche Entwicklung stattfindet. [source] BROADENING THE APPLICATION OF EVOLUTIONARILY BASED GENETIC PEST MANAGEMENTEVOLUTION, Issue 2 2008Fred Gould Insect- and tick-vectored diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, and Lyme disease cause human suffering, and current approaches for prevention are not adequate. Invasive plants and animals such as Scotch broom, zebra mussels, and gypsy moths continue to cause environmental damage and economic losses in agriculture and forestry. Rodents transmit diseases and cause major pre- and postharvest losses, especially in less affluent countries. Each of these problems might benefit from the developing field of Genetic Pest Management that is conceptually based on principles of evolutionary biology. This article briefly describes the history of this field, new molecular tools in this field, and potential applications of those tools. There will be a need for evolutionary biologists to interact with researchers and practitioners in a variety of other fields to determine the most appropriate targets for genetic pest management, the most appropriate methods for specific targets, and the potential of natural selection to diminish the effectiveness of genetic pest management. In addition to producing environmentally sustainable pest management solutions, research efforts in this area could lead to new insights about the evolution of selfish genetic elements in natural systems and will provide students with the opportunity to develop a more sophisticated understanding of the role of evolutionary biology in solving societal problems. [source] Management options for river conservation planning: condition and conservation re-visitedFRESHWATER BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2007SIMON LINKE Summary 1. Systematic conservation planning is a process widely used in terrestrial and marine environments. A principal goal is to establish a network of protected areas representing the full variety of species or ecosystems. We suggest considering three key attributes of a catchment when planning for aquatic conservation: irreplaceability, condition and vulnerability. 2. Based on observed and modelled distributions of 367 invertebrates in the Australian state of Victoria, conservation value was measured by calculating an irreplaceability coefficient for 1854 subcatchments. Irreplaceability indicates the likelihood of any subcatchment being needed to achieve conservation targets. We estimated it with a bootstrapped heuristic reserve design algorithm, which included upstream,downstream connectivity rules. The selection metric within the algorithm was total summed rarity, corrected for protected area. 3. Condition was estimated using a stressor gradient approach in which two classes of geographical information system Layers were summarised using principal components analysis. The first class was disturbance measures such as nutrient and sediment budgets, salinisation and weed cover. The second class was land use layers, including classes of forestry, agricultural and urban use. The main gradient, explaining 56% of the variation, could be characterised as agricultural disturbance. Seventy-five per cent of the study area was classified as disturbed. 4. Our definition of vulnerability was the likelihood of a catchment being exposed to a land use that degrades its condition. This was estimated by comparing land capability and current land use. If land was capable of supporting a land use that would have a more degrading effect on a river than its current tenure, it was classified vulnerable (66% of the study area). 79% of catchments contained more then 50% vulnerable land. 5. When integrating the three measures, two major groups of catchments requiring urgent conservation measures were identified. Seven per cent of catchments were highly irreplaceable, highly vulnerable but in degraded condition. These catchments were flagged for restoration. While most highly irreplaceable catchments in good condition were already protected, 2.5% of catchments in this category are on vulnerable land. These are priority areas for assigning river reserves. [source] From renewable energy to fire risk reduction: a synthesis of biomass harvesting and utilization case studies in US forestsGCB BIOENERGY, Issue 3 2009A. M. EVANS Abstract The volatile costs of fossil fuels, concerns about the associated greenhouse gas emissions from these fuels, and the threat of catastrophic wildfires in western North America have resulted in increased interest and activity in the removal and use of woody biomass from forests. However, significant economic and logistical challenges lie between the forests and the consumers of woody biomass. In this study, we provide a current snapshot of how biomass is being removed from forests and used across the United States to demonstrate the wide variety of successful strategies, funding sources, harvesting operations, utilization outlets, and silvicultural prescriptions. Through an analysis of 45 case studies, we identified three themes that consistently frame each biomass removal and utilization operation: management objectives, ecology, and economics. The variety and combination of project objectives exemplified by the case studies means biomass removals are complex and difficult to categorize for analysis. However, the combination of objectives allows projects to take advantage of unique opportunities such as multiple funding sources and multiparty collaboration. The case studies also provide insight into the importance of ecological considerations in biomass removal both because of the opportunity for forest restoration and the risk of site degradation. The national view of the economic aspects of biomass removal provided by this wide variety of case studies includes price and cost ranges. This study is an important first step that helps define woody biomass removals which are becoming an essential part of forestry in the 21st century. [source] An Exchange for All Things?GEOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH, Issue 1 2001An Inquiry into the Scholarship of Fire Fire was once considered a founding element and an informing principle for analysis of the world. Today it is neither. Its study resides primarily in those countries that have both public lands, which hold fire, and scientific institutions, with which to study it. In particular, forestry has long claimed fire as a speciality and continues to harbour the most practical experience regarding it. In fact, fire may deserve better, and can give more. A case, not entirely whimsical, can be made for a programme of ,fire studies' that could span the many forms of scholarship that share an interest in humanity's species monopoly over fire's manipulation. [source] Technological Diversity and Jacobs' Externality Hypothesis RevisitedGROWTH AND CHANGE, Issue 2 2005OLOF EJERMO ABSTRACT Recent empirical evidence strongly supports Jacobs's (1969) externality hypothesis that urban diversity provides a more favorable environment for economic development than urban specialization. In order to correctly gauge Jacobs's hypothesis, economic development should be understood as a result of innovations. Furthermore, a relevant diversity measure should take into account the degree of diversity of the inherent classes (e.g. pharmaceuticals are closer to chemicals than to forestry). These ideas are tested using regionally classified Swedish patent application data as a measure of innovativeness. Patent data are also used to reflect technological diversity. The results show that the number of patent applications in Swedish regions is highly and positively dependent on regional technological specialization, quite the opposite of Jacobs's prediction. This paper raises general questions about earlier empirical results. It is concluded that the size of regions is an important factor to consider, since this in itself may affect patenting intensity and technological diversity. [source] The influence of natural conditions on the spatial variation of climate in Lapland, northern FinlandINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY, Issue 9 2003Andrea Vajda Abstract At high latitudes in Lapland, near the climatological timberline, forestry and other environmental research require detailed information about the spatial variation of climate. In this study, the influence of local geographical factors on the climate in northern Finland (Lapland), as well as the applicability of the kriging interpolation method in the case of detailed spatial resolution, were examined. The spatial analysis of mean, maximum, minimum temperatures, length of the frost-free season, degree-days and daily range was made using a 1 km × 1 km resolution. The time period used was 1971,2000. We studied whether taking account of external forcing, such as lake coverage and altitude, would improve the accuracy of spatial interpolation of climatological parameters. The geographical factors of coordinates, elevation, lakes and sea influence on the regional features of the climate were examined. According to the results of this study, only geographical position and local relief have a significant influence on regional climate in Lapland. The effect of lakes and sea seems to be secondary. Copyright © 2003 Royal Meteorological Society [source] Building drought management capacity in the Mekong River basin,IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE, Issue 3 2008Wilfried Hundertmark gestion de la sécheresse; développement des capacités; organisation de bassin; Mékong Abstract Over the past decades the Mekong River basin has experienced several droughts, the most recent of which occurred in the hydrological year 2004/2005. Impacts extended across agriculture, forestry, water resources, supply, industry, transport and the environment. In early 2006, the Mekong River Commission Secretariat initiated close consultations with the MRC member states Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam, aiming at the formulation of a common Drought Management Programme, which would enhance the existing drought management capacity and ensure effective support. This paper draws attention to the programme formulation process. It shows how national capacity needs were assessed and synthesized into a basin-wide capacity development programme. The paper concludes that in the context of international waters enhancing cooperation and capacity in drought management requires a strategic framework as an overall guideline for programme formulation and implementation. It defines a common terminology, mechanisms and linkages to integrated water resources management plans. The programme's long-term success depends on the ability to sustain the interest of the national partner institutions. Ultimately, enhanced capacity in drought management must demonstrate its impact on the level of vulnerability of the population living under drought-prone conditions. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Au cours des dernières décennies, le bassin du Mékong a connu plusieurs sécheresses, la plus récente ayant eu lieu dans l'année hydrologique 2004/2005. L'impact a concerné l'agriculture, la forêt, les ressources en eau, la distribution, l'industrie, les transports et l'environnement. Au début de 2006, le Secrétariat de la Commission du Mékong a entamé des consultations étroites avec les états membres, le Cambodge, la RDP du Laos, la Thaïlande et le Vietnam, visant à l'élaboration d'un programme commun de gestion de la sécheresse, qui permettrait de renforcer les capacités existantes de gestion de la sécheresse et d'assurer un soutien efficace. Cet article attire l'attention sur le processus de formulation des programmes. Il montre comment les besoins nationaux de formation ont été évalués et synthétisés dans un programme de développement des capacités pour l'ensemble du bassin. L'article conclut que, dans le contexte des eaux internationales, le renforcement de la coopération et des capacités dans la gestion de la sécheresse a besoin d'un cadre stratégique d'ensemble et d'un guide global pour la formulation des programmes et leur mise en ,uvre. Il définit une terminologie commune, les mécanismes et les liens avec les plans de gestion intégrée des ressources en eau. Le succès à long terme du programme dépend de la capacité à maintenir l'intérêt des institutions nationales partenaires. En fin de compte, le renforcement des capacités dans la gestion de la sécheresse doit démontrer son impact sur le niveau de vulnérabilité de la population vivant dans les régions soumises à la sécheresse. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The ecological research needs of businessJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2010Paul R. Armsworth Summary 1.,Businesses have an unrivalled ability to mobilize human, physical and financial capital, often manage large land holdings, and draw on resources and supply products that impact a wide array of ecosystems. Businesses therefore have the potential to make a substantial contribution to arresting declines in biodiversity and ecosystem services. To realize this potential, businesses require support from researchers in applied ecology to inform how they measure and manage their impacts on, and opportunities presented to them by, biodiversity and ecosystem services. 2.,We reviewed papers in leading applied ecology journals to assess the research contribution from existing collaborations involving businesses. We reviewed applications to, and grants funded by, the UK's Natural Environment Research Council for evidence of public investment in such collaborations. To scope opportunities for expanding collaborations with businesses, we conducted workshops with three sectors (mining and quarrying, insurance and manufacturing) in which participants identified exemplar ecological research questions of interest to their sector. 3.,Ten to fifteen per cent of primary research papers in Journal of Applied Ecology and Ecological Applications evidenced business involvement, mostly focusing on traditional rural industries (farming, fisheries and forestry). The review of UK research council funding found that 35% of applications mentioned business engagement, while only 1% of awarded grants met stricter criteria of direct business involvement. 4.,Some questions identified in the workshops aim to reduce costs from businesses' impacts on the environment and others to allow businesses to exploit new opportunities. Some questions are designed to inform long-term planning undertaken by businesses, but others would have more immediate commercial applications. Finally, some research questions are designed to streamline and make more effective those environmental policies that affect businesses. 5.,Business participants were forward-looking regarding ecological questions and research. For example, representatives from mining and quarrying companies emphasized the need to move beyond biodiversity to consider how ecosystems function, while those from the insurance sector stressed the importance of ecology researchers entering into new types of interdisciplinary collaboration. 6.,Synthesis and applications. Businesses from a variety of sectors demonstrated a clear interest in managing their impacts on, and exploiting opportunities created by, ecosystem services and biodiversity. To achieve this, businesses are asking diverse ecological research questions, but publications in leading applied ecology journals and research council funding reveal limited evidence of direct engagement with businesses. This represents a missed opportunity for ecological research findings to see more widespread application. [source] Spatial viability analysis of Amur tiger Panthera tigris altaica in the Russian Far East: the role of protected areas and landscape matrix in population persistenceJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 6 2006CARLOS CARROLL Summary 1The Amur or Siberian tiger Panthera tigris altaica forms a relatively small and disjunct population of less than 600 individuals in the Russian Far East. Because tigers in this region require large territories to acquire sufficient prey, current strictly protected areas, comprising 3·4% (10 300 km2) of the region, are unlikely to prevent extirpation of the subspecies in the face of expanding forestry and external demand for tiger parts. 2We used resource selection function models and spatially explicit population models to analyse the distribution and predict the demographic structure of the population to identify policy options that may enhance population viability. 3A resource selection function model developed from track distribution data predicted that tigers were most likely to occur in lower altitude valley bottoms with Korean pine forest and low human impacts. 4The results from the spatially explicit population model suggested that current tiger distribution is highly dependent on de facto refugia with low human impacts but without statutory protection, and that small increases in mortality in these areas will result in range fragmentation. Although an expanded reserve network only marginally increases tiger viability under current conditions, it dramatically enhances distribution under potential future scenarios, preventing regional extirpation despite a more hostile landscape matrix. 5The portion of tiger range most resistant to extirpation connects a large coastal reserve in the central portion of the region with largely unprotected watersheds to the north. A southern block of habitat is also important but more severely threatened with anthropogenic disturbances. The results suggest that preserving source habitat in these two zones and ensuring linkages are retained between blocks of habitat in the north and south will be critical to the survival of the tiger population. 6Synthesis and applications. Conservation priorities identified in this analysis differ from those suggested by a conservation paradigm focusing only on sustaining and connecting existing protected areas that has been applied to tiger conservation in more developed landscapes with higher prey densities. An alternative paradigm that assesses population viability in a whole-landscape context and develops priorities for both protected area expansion and increasing survival rates in the landscape matrix may be more appropriate in areas where tigers and other large carnivores coexist with low-density human populations. Although landscape connectivity merits increased emphasis in conservation planning, identification of landscape linkages should be tied to broad-scale recommendations resulting from spatial viability analyses in order to prevent misdirection of resources towards protecting corridors that add little to population persistence. [source] Influence of land use on plant community composition and diversity in Highland Sourveld grassland in the southern Drakensberg, South AfricaJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2005T. G. O'CONNOR Summary 1Biodiversity conservation of grasslands in the face of transformation and global climate change will depend mainly on rangelands because of insufficient conservation areas in regions suited to agriculture. Transformed vegetation (pastures, crops and plantations) is not expected to conserve much biodiversity. This study examined the impact of land use on the plant diversity and community composition of the southern Drakensberg grasslands in South Africa, which are threatened with complete transformation to pastures, crops and plantations. 2The main land uses in this high rainfall region are: ranching or dairy production under private tenure using indigenous grassland, pastures (Eragrostis curvula, kikuyu and ryegrass) and maize; plantation forestry; communal tenure (maize and rangelands); and conservation. 3Plant diversity and composition were assessed using Whittaker plots. Transformed cover types were depauperate in species and ranged from kikuyu (1·4 species m,2) and ryegrass (2·9), to pine plantation (3·1), E. curvula pasture (3·1), commercial maize (3·2) and communal maize (7·8). With the exception of pine plantations, these communities supported mostly exotic (50 of 70 species) or ruderal indigenous species and made little contribution to plant species conservation. Abandoned communal cropland reverted to an indigenous grassland almost devoid of exotic species within c. 20 years. 4It was predicted that frequently cultivated sites (maize and ryegrass) would support less diversity than long-lived pastures (kikuyu and E. curvula). This was contradicted by the relatively high species diversity of communal maize fields, which was attributed to a lack of herbicides, and the depauperate communities of kikuyu and of E. curvula pasture, which were attributed, respectively, to a dense growth form and a severe mowing regime. 5Pine plantations harboured fourfold more indigenous species per plot (27) than other transformed types. Species were mostly shade-tolerant grassland relics that had persisted for 12 years since planting, and some forest colonizers. Indigenous species were unlikely to be maintained because of aggressive invasion by the exotic Rubus cuneifolius and severe disturbance associated with tree harvest and replanting. 6The richness of indigenous grasslands was expected to differ in response to grazing pressure but they differed only in composition. Grasslands were dominated by grasses, despite the richness of herbaceous species. The dominance of Themeda triandra was reduced under livestock grazing in favour of more grazing-tolerant species. Exotic species were inconspicuous except for the dicotyledon Richardia brasiliensis, a subdominant under communal grazing. 7Southern Drakensberg grasslands are probably now stocked with livestock six- to 35-fold higher than during pre-settlement times. A grassland protected for c. 50 years supported twofold greater richness (101 species plot,1) than grazed grasslands, suggesting that a 150-year history of increased mammalian grazing had already reduced plant diversity. 8Synthesis and applications. Land acquisition is costly, thus conservation of plant diversity in the southern Drakensberg requires a policy that inhibits transformation of rangelands. This can be achieved by enhancing their economic viability without changing the vegetation composition. Their inherent value must be recognized, such as for water production. The viability of commercial ranches can be improved by increasing their size. Conservation efforts need to be focused on plant taxa that only occur on unprotected rangelands. [source] Applied issues with predators and predation: editor's introductionJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2002S. J. Ormerod Summary 1,The effects of predation are among the most pervasive in ecology. As parasitoids, parasites, grazers or top carnivores, predators have large influences on the distribution, density, dynamics and evolved traits of other organisms. Effects scale-up to influence community attributes such as species coexistence and ecosystems processes such as production or trophic cascades. 2,Increasingly, however, some of the largest predation issues fall clearly within the scope of applied ecology. They include instances where, due to their ecological attributes and trophic position: (i) predators are valuable to nature conservation, as biocontrol agents, as natural enemies, or as grazers used in rangeland or ecosystem management; (ii) natural or introduced predators are viewed negatively due to effects on conservation, agriculture, forestry, hunting or disease transmission; (iii) predators are affected by human activities such as resource exploitation, or from exposure to factors such as biomagnified pollutants and disturbance; (iv) predators are controversial because different groups view them as either desirable or undesirable. 3,In all these cases, ecologists have a pivotal rôle in facilitating appropriate management. For valued predators, this involves developing sufficient ecological understanding to optimize habitat, increase prey abundance or to reinforce, establish or reintroduce desirable species. For predators considered undesirable, management can involve direct control. In other cases, predation and its consequences can be mitigated by deterrent, exclusion, supplementary feeding, habitat management to favour prey, predator swamping, or by compensating losses financially. These latter strategies are often used where predators are themselves considered too valuable to remove or control. 4,This collection of seven papers illustrates many of these themes by examining contrasting aspects of the applied ecology of Eurasian lynx; by further probing the interaction between predatory birds and red grouse; by exploring the effects of weather on biocontrol; and by illustrating effects on plant species where grazing or seed predation play a dominant rôle. 5,A key lesson from these and other recent papers in the Journal of Applied Ecology is that the successful management of predators depends invariably on understanding adequately the exact ecological context in which predator,prey interactions take place and in which problems arise. With predator-related issues growing rather than diminishing, ecologists will need sufficient resources to maintain current research if they are to provide the understanding required to offer and evaluate sound management. 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