scholarly journals Identifying Policy-relevant Indicators for Assessing Landscape Vegetation Patterns to Inform Planning and Management on Multiple-use Public Lands

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah K. Carter ◽  
L. E. Burris ◽  
Christopher T. Domschke ◽  
Steven L. Garman ◽  
Travis Haby ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Structural Connectivity ◽  
Public Lands ◽  
Public Land ◽  
Vegetation Types ◽  
Multiple Use ◽  
Landscape Indicators ◽  
Riparian Wetland ◽  
Landscape Level Management ◽  
Land Health ◽  
Landscape Level

AbstractUnderstanding the structure and composition of landscapes can empower agencies to effectively manage public lands for multiple uses while sustaining land health. Many landscape metrics exist, but they are not often used in public land decision-making. Our objectives were to (1) develop and (2) apply a process for identifying a core set of indicators that public land managers can use to understand landscape-level resource patterns on and around public lands. We first developed a process for identifying indicators that are grounded in policy, feasible to quantify using existing data and resources, and useful for managers. We surveyed landscape monitoring efforts by other agencies, gathered science and agency input on monitoring goals, and quantified the prevalence of potential indicators in agency land health standards to identify five landscape indicators: amount, distribution, patch size, structural connectivity, and diversity of vegetation types. We then conducted pilot applications in four bureau of land management (BLM) field offices in Arizona, California, and Colorado to refine procedures for quantifying the indicators and assess the utility of the indicators for managers. Results highlighted the dominance of upland and the limited extent of riparian/wetland vegetation communities, moderate connectivity of priority vegetation patches, and lower diversity of native vegetation types on BLM compared to non-BLM lands. Agency staff can use the indicators to inform the development of quantitative resource management objectives in land use plans, evaluate progress in meeting those objectives, quantify potential impacts of proposed actions, and as a foundation for an all-lands approach to landscape-level management across public lands.

scholarly journals Market and Regulatory Coefficients for Determining the Rent for Public Land in Regions

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 673-687
Author(s):  
Ruslan A. Samsonov ◽  
Sergey N. Bocharov ◽  
Vitalii V. Mishchenko ◽  
Mikhail Yu. Kobrin
Keyword(s):  
Contract Theory ◽  
Public Lands ◽  
Public Land ◽  
International Studies ◽  
Valuation Theory ◽  
Land Rent ◽  
Domestic Literature ◽  
Property Valuation ◽  
Institutional Differences ◽  
Regulation Mechanisms

As opposed to international studies, Russian scientists apply multifactorial models with specific coefficients to determine the rent for public lands. This research analyses and summarises the existing theoretical and normative approaches to coefficient calculation covered by domestic literature. We examine two types of coefficients: permitted use of land (K) and categories of land users (K 1 ). Based on the property valuation theory (income and comparative approaches), we demonstrated problems and disadvantages of the methods currently used to determine K and K 1 coefficients. Then, using the economic contract theory, we identified market and non-market (hybrid and hierarchical) regulation mechanisms and distinguished K and K 1 coefficients. Institutional differences of these indicators were theoretically substantiated. As a result, we developed economic algorithms for calculating market (K) and regulatory (K 1 ) coefficients that take into account both types of permitted use of land (for K) and categories of land users (for K 1 ) by considering preferences and restrictions in the field. The elaborated methodology was tested by performing complex calculations, which allowed us to obtain the values of K and K 1 coefficients for 18 local councils located in Pervomaysky District of Altai Krai for 112 types of permitted use of land. Proposed methodological recommendations can be applied for developing municipal programmes in Russia and abroad to increase the effectiveness and transparency of public land rent.

Improving institutional incentives for public land management: an econometric analysis of school trust land leases

2005 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
MATTHEW H. BONDS ◽  
JEFFREY J. POMPE
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Public Lands ◽  
The United States ◽  
Institutional Arrangements ◽  
Public Land ◽  
Boards Of Education ◽  
Public Land Management ◽  
Conflicting Objectives ◽  
School Trust

There is considerable interest in the proper management of public lands in the United States, but questions arise over what institutional arrangements may ensure proper land stewardship. Recently, the trust doctrine has been heralded as a way to motivate prudent decision making by land managers. School trust lands, which are managed to generate revenues for public schools, represent a long-standing example of the trust doctrine at work. We examine Mississippi school trust leases and show that the trustees, who are elected officials, maintain multiple conflicting objectives, which ultimately undermine the trust relationship. However, we find that a recent institutional change that made the Boards of Education (the fund recipients) the trustees, caused revenues to increase dramatically.

scholarly journals Outdoor Programs for Veterans: Public Land Policies and Practices to Support Therapeutic Opportunities

2020 ◽  
Vol 118 (5) ◽  
pp. 534-547
Author(s):  
Monika M Derrien ◽  
Lee K Cerveny ◽  
David G Havlick
Keyword(s):  
Land Management ◽  
Outdoor Recreation ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Public Lands ◽  
Public Land ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
Outdoor Activity ◽  
Public Land Management ◽  
Outdoor Programs

Abstract Many veterans returning from military deployment experience stress- or trauma-related symptoms that make reintegration with civilian society difficult. Nature exposure and outdoor recreation can be important parts of alternative and complementary approaches to reduce symptoms and build on veterans’ pre-existing strengths. Multiple outdoor programs now exist for veterans; many of these occur on federal public lands and present a variety of needs, opportunities, and challenges. This paper relies on interviews (n = 36) with public land managers, program providers and participants, health professionals, and veterans to enhance understanding about outdoor programs for veterans (OPVs). We develop a typology of OPVs to help land managers understand current and potential programs, and then describe programs’ varying dimensions. We examine opportunities and challenges for land managers in their interactions with OPVs. Results inform policymakers and public officials interested in developing more effective institutional partnerships and programs that engage and serve veterans and their communities. Study Implications: With growing scientific evidence of the benefits of nature-based therapy, nature exposure, and outdoor recreation for veterans, programming for veterans on public lands has proliferated. Public land-management agencies vary in the extent to which they have systematically organized to provide opportunities for veterans, developed partnerships to support veterans’ health, and explicitly acknowledged agency roles in serving veterans. We describe seven types of outdoor programs for veterans (OPVs) that currently serve this population: supported outdoor activity; guided outdoor activity; retreat; outdoor job training; stewardship or service; horticulture, farming or gardening; and animal-assisted therapy. Each OPV type has different needs for infrastructure, outdoor spaces, and administrative or programmatic engagement. OPVs occurring on public lands typically involve one or more partner organizations, such as commercial outfitters and guides, health providers, veterans’ associations, foundations, corporations, and research institutions. There is potential for public land-management agencies to expand their role as institutional leaders in support of veterans’ health by facilitating the use of public lands as therapeutic landscapes. By enhancing new and existing relations with OPV providers, health providers, and other government agencies, public land agencies could expand benefits to veterans and spur broader societal benefits.

scholarly journals Promoting Landscape-Level Forest Management in Fire-Prone Areas: Delegate Management to a Multi-Owner Collaborative, Rent the Land, or Just Sell It?

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 22
Author(s):  
Ana Martins ◽  
Ana Novais ◽  
José Lima Santos ◽  
Maria João Canadas
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Policy Option ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Forest Owner ◽  
Target Area ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Forest Ownership ◽  
Landscape Level Management ◽  
Landscape Level

Forest management at the landscape level is a requirement for reducing wildfire hazard. In contexts where non-industrial private forest ownership prevails, the collaboration among multiple owners has been proposed as the way forward to reach consistent fuel management at that level. The current literature has been focused on identifying the factors that lead to collaboration among owners. In this study we explored other ways to reach landscape-level management in addition to the collaborative way, such as those that may be promoted through land renting or selling. Different contexts and owner types may require different solutions. Thus, we explicitly asked which alternative would be chosen by a given forest owner, from the following set: keeping individual management, entering a multi-owner collaborative arrangement where they delegate management, renting to a pulp company; or selling the land. In a context of small-scale ownership and high recurrence of wildfires in Portugal, a face-to-face survey was carried out to a sample of landowners. Our results suggest that there is not an a priori generalized unwillingness of owners to delegate management, rent or sell the land and thus they seem prone to align themselves with policy strategies to promote management at the landscape level. Multinomial logit regression modelling allowed us to explain and predict owners’ choices among the aforementioned set of alternative management options. We found that choosing multi-ownership collaboration, as opposed to keeping current individual management, is associated with passive management under harsher conditions, by non-residents without bonding capital. The identified factors of owners’ choices show the limited scope of tenancy and land-market mechanisms to promote landscape-level management. The best policy option was found to depend on the owner profiles prevailing in the target area. This suggests that studying the existing context and owner types is required to design effective policies.

scholarly journals Quantifying development to inform management of Mojave and Sonoran desert tortoise habitat in the American southwest

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. 167-184
Author(s):  
SK Carter ◽  
KE Nussear ◽  
TC Esque ◽  
IIF Leinwand ◽  
E Masters ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sonoran Desert ◽  
Mojave Desert ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Public Lands ◽  
American Southwest ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Desert Tortoise ◽  
Multiple Use ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Development Levels

Two tortoise species native to the American southwest have experienced significant habitat loss from development and are vulnerable to ongoing threats associated with continued development. Mojave desert tortoises Gopherus agassizii are listed as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act, and Sonoran desert tortoises G. morafkai are protected in Arizona (USA) and Mexico. Substantial habitat for both species occurs on multiple-use public lands, where development associated with traditional and renewable energy production, recreation, and other activities is likely to continue. Our goal was to quantify development to inform and evaluate actions implemented to protect and manage desert tortoise habitat. We quantified a landscape-level index of development across the Mojave and Sonoran desert tortoise ranges using models of potential habitat for each species (152485 total observations). We used 13 years of Mojave desert tortoise monitoring data (4732 observations) to inform the levels and spatial scales at which tortoises may be affected by development. Most (66-70%) desert tortoise habitat has some development within 1 km. Development levels on desert tortoise habitat are lower inside versus outside areas protected by actions at national, state, and local levels, suggesting that protection efforts may be having the desired effects and providing a needed baseline for future effectiveness evaluations. Of the relatively undeveloped desert tortoise habitat, 43% (74030 km2) occurs outside of existing protections. These lands are managed by multiple federal, state, and local entities and private landowners, and may provide opportunities for future land acquisition or protection, including as mitigation for energy development on public lands.

scholarly journals Exploring Potential of Public Land Based Revenues to Finance City Infrastructure: An assessment using linear programming for Guntur Municipal Corporation

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Prasanth Vardhan Puttaparthi ◽  
Ayon Kumar Tarafdar ◽  
Abdul Razak Mohamed
Keyword(s):  
Linear Programming ◽  
State Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Programming Model ◽  
Public Lands ◽  
Urban Infrastructure ◽  
Public Land ◽  
Functional Domain ◽  
Capital Investments ◽  
Revenue Optimization

Municipalities are in search of exploring alternative own revenues to finance urban infrastructure investments in India. As compared to others, monetization of public land is within the functional domain of local governments subject to certain constraints. This study employs a linear programming model incorporating the constraints enforced by state government to assess the potentials of public lands for urban infrastructure capital investments. This approach is largely different from the existing literature, which does not determine the capacity of municipal public lands based on realized revenues. This investigation finds that certain proposed leasing strategies for Guntur Municipality under different simulations as done in this research have potentials to realize 240% more revenues compared to ‘business as usual’ scenario and hence, provide new policy insights for leasing public lands in a revenue optimization perspective. The framework adopted by this helps local governments to estimate the potentials of public lands and establish revenue targets.

scholarly journals FOREST RECREATION MOVES AHEAD IN ONTARIO

1962 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-125
Author(s):  
A. B. Wheatley
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Public Interest ◽  
Renewable Resources ◽  
Public Lands ◽  
Timber Production ◽  
Multiple Use ◽  
The Public ◽  
Land Use Plan ◽  
Outdoor Experiences ◽  
Recreational Use

1. The public right to use and enjoy its forest- and lakeland must be protected.2. Specially developed areas to provide for wild-land recreational use is necessary to enable people to participate in outdoor experiences. An expanding provincial parks system is fundamental to this.3. Multiple-use of public lands, including parks, is fundamental to a full land use concept. A waste of a resource is contrary to the public interest.4. There should always be a practice of reserving public lands for park purposes, incorporating the multiple-use concept, in order to avoid a possible development that is not compatible with the main potentials of the land.5. The recreational resource in forest areas is very real and must be part of a land use plan in which timber production and recreation, being renewable resources, should be reconciled and each developed to provide the maximum public value.

How Ideological Divides Serve to Limit Bureaucratic Autonomy: A Case Study of the BLM

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 375-386
Author(s):  
Joshua Malay ◽  
Matthew R. Fairholm
Keyword(s):  
Research Question ◽  
Public Lands ◽  
Management Policy ◽  
Main Question ◽  
Multiple Use ◽  
Bureaucratic Autonomy ◽  
The Public ◽  
Group Politics ◽  
Specific Interests

The main question this article seeks to address is how the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) bureaucratic autonomy is affected by deep ideological divides over public lands management policy. Daniel Carpenter’s theory of bureaucratic autonomy serves to provide the definition and method for evaluating the research question. The case study identifies that the bureaucratic autonomy afforded the BLM is intrinsically bound to interest group politics. There exists little room for initiative not supported by specific interests. Actions required by the multiple use mandate, but not supported by interests, will be suppressed. But, of greater interest in understanding the BLM, once support shifts for an initiative, all previous action is undone or at least mitigated to a point of inconsequence. Hence, limited bureaucratic autonomy is afforded either way, as the multiple use requirement will not satisfy all parties and does not allow the BLM to ignore other potential uses of the public lands.

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