scholarly journals Farmers’ Perception on Forest Degradation in Eastern and Northern Regions of Ghana: Implication for Developing Sustainable Forest Management Strategy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gebreyesus Brhane Brhane Tesfahunegn ◽  
Elias Ayuk ◽  
Kwasi Godfried Samuel Adiku
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Management Strategy ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Logistic Analysis ◽  
Extension System ◽  
Bush Fire ◽  
Northern Regions ◽  
Energy Options

Abstract BackgroundGhana’s forest land is under threat of degradation. Even though forest degradation is reported as serious environmental problem, the nature and extent of farmers’ perception on forest degradation has not been adequately reported. In this study, we have attempted to examine farmers’ perception on forest degradation in the study villages from the Eastern and Northern Regions of Ghana and imply for developing forest management strategy. ResultsIn both regions study villages, farmers’ socioeconomic, farm and institutional attributes varied significantly among the farmers in which this could influence their perception on forest degradation. In this study, the main direct causes of forest degradation were perceived by most farmers’ (> 90%) as high firewood and charcoal demand and wildfire/bush fire. Similarly, poverty and population pressures were perceived by significantly higher proportions of the farmers as the major indirect causes of forest degradation. In study regions, significantly higher proportions of the respondents (97%) perceived that there is no forest near to their residence or farmland in 2017. This study showed that significantly higher proportions of the framers perceived that many plant species (e.g., Mahogany (Khaya ivorensis)) and animal species (e.g., Leopard (Panthera pardus)) were disappeared due to forest degradation. In this study, the majority of the respondents also identified other forest degradation indicators such as temperature increased and rainfall irregularity. The most frequently noted strategy to reduce forest degradation that perceived by significantly higher proportions of the respondents (95.6%) were strengthening and enforcement of forest rules and strategies. The binary logistic analysis result indicated that age, education, farming experience and income were the determinant variables common in both study villages that influenced significantly farmers’ perception on forest degradation. ConclusionThis study shows that significantly higher proportions of the farmers well perceived the causes, indicators and consequences of forest degradation in their village. The perception of farmers on forest degradation can support for decision-making while suggested suitable forest management strategy for their village condition such as introduction of environmental regulations and rules, strengthening farmer-extension system, energy options to replace firewood and charcoal and massive reforestation and afforestation programmes.

scholarly journals Prospects for Nordic intensive forest management solutions in the Republic of Karelia

Silva Fennica ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergei Senko ◽  
Mikko Kurttila ◽  
Timo Karjalainen
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Stand Structure ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Negative Attitude ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Market Demand ◽  
Wood Processing ◽  
Intensive Forest Management ◽  
Forest Stand Structure

In this study, the prospects for future forest management in Republic of Karelia, Russia were analyzed. Forestry has an important role in the economy of Karelia. However, productivity and profitability in the forestry sector are extremely low, forest stand structure and quality are weak, the commercial forest land of coniferous species has declined and the wood processing industry struggles with a deficit of raw materials. The situation is typical to many forest regions in Russia with extensive forest management cited as one reason for the current situation. In contrast, the Nordic countries have significant experience in intensive and sustainable forest management and the results have been to a large extent positive. The transfer of Nordic intensive forest management solutions (NIFMS) could improve forestry in Karelia. SWOT analysis, combined with the multi-criteria decision support (MCDS) method was used to identify local operational environments and to assign priorities. Major threats included unprepared regulations, poor road infrastructure, insecure investments, low forestry productivity, forest degradation, high investment costs and a negative attitude to intensive forestry. The main opportunities are high forest resource potential in Karelia, favorable authority development programs, proven Nordic expertise, wood-based energy development and availability of new technology. Results also showed that the main weaknesses that might influence the NIFMS in Karelia are slow return on investments, low market demand for energy wood, high costs associated with young forest thinnings, high demand for skilled specialists and a lack of investment in research and development.

scholarly journals 25 Years of Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management: How Intergovernmental C&I Processes Have Made a Difference

Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefanie Linser ◽  
Bernhard Wolfslehner ◽  
Simon Bridge ◽  
David Gritten ◽  
Steven Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Criteria And Indicators ◽  
The Earth ◽  
History Of ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Evidence Based Decision Making

Growing concern about forest degradation and loss, combined with the political impetus supplied by the Earth Summit in 1992, led to the establishment of eleven intergovernmental, regional, and international forest-related processes focused on the use of criteria and indicators (C&I) for sustainable forest management (SFM). Up to 171 countries have participated in these processes to apply C&I frameworks as a tool for data collection, monitoring, assessment, and reporting on SFM and on achieving various forest-related UN Sustainable Development Goals. Based on an expert survey and literature analysis we identify six interlinked impact domains of C&I efforts: (1) enhanced discourse and understanding of SFM; (2) shaped and focused engagement of science in SFM; (3) improved monitoring and reporting on SFM to facilitate transparency and evidence-based decision-making; (4) strengthened forest management practices; (5) facilitated assessment of progress towards SFM goals; and (6) improved forest-related dialog and communication. We conclude that the 25-year history of C&I work in forestry has had significant positive impacts, though challenges do remain for the implementation of C&I and progress towards SFM. The work should be continued and carried over to other sectors to advance sustainability goals more broadly.

scholarly journals Sustainable Forest Management, FLEGT, and REDD+: Exploring Interlinkages to Strengthen Forest Policy Coherence

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4841 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yitagesu Tekle Tegegne ◽  
Mathias Cramm ◽  
Jo Van Brusselen
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Forest Policy ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Policy Coherence ◽  
Forest Law ◽  
Verification Systems

Sustainable forest management (SFM) is a concept that guides forest management and policy globally. Over the past decades, two prominent regimes have emerged at the global level that can strengthen SFM: The European Union's Action Plan on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance, and Trade (FLEGT) and the United Nations’ mechanism for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries (REDD+). However, the understanding of how FLEGT and REDD+ can interlink with SFM to strengthen forest policy coherence is limited. Enhancing knowledge about interlinkages and synergies is important in view of recent global commitments to strengthen policy coherence. This study employed content analysis of the main global policy documents related to FLEGT and REDD+ to identify (i) the potential contributions of the two regimes to SFM, and (ii) strategies to manage the interlinkages among SFM, FLEGT, and REDD+. The results revealed several potential interlinkages, such as monitoring, reporting, and verification systems, establishing the enabling conditions of SFM, and addressing drivers of forest degradation. However, the interlinkages must be managed if their potential is to be realized. For this, the study proposes three approaches to managing the interlinkages and catalyzing progress toward SFM.

scholarly journals Sustainable forest management for Galicia

2008 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
pp. 530-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
E W. (Ted) Robak
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Management Strategy ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Forest Sector ◽  
Management Processes ◽  
Privately Owned ◽  
Small Forest

Galicia is the most important forestry region of Spain, but its potential as an engine for economic growth is underdeveloped. Most forests in Galicia are privately owned in small holdings that make it difficult to carry out the sustainable forest management required for forest sector development. This paper outlines a sustainable forest management strategy, and then describes forest management processes and supporting technologies that are seen as necessary for promoting sustainable forest management in a region predominated by small forest ownerships. The paper ends with a brief description of the initial steps that have been taken to implement the strategy. Key words: forest sector planning, small private ownerships, rural and regional economic development, Spain

scholarly journals Kurzumtriebsplantagen – Ergänzung oder Widerspruch zur nachhaltigen Waldwirtschaft? | Short-term rotation plantations – supplement or in contradiction to sustainable forest management?

2008 ◽  
Vol 159 (6) ◽  
pp. 152-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter A. Schmidt ◽  
Denie Gerold
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Management Strategy ◽  
Cultural Landscape ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Intensive Management ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Management Concepts

Sustainability in forestry does not only cover wood production but it serves all functions of the forest. The increasing demand for wood urges a reconsideration of management concepts. To further ensure the principle of sustainability with the forest as a natural tool for resources, all potentials of the cultural landscape for woody biomass production are to be considered with the strategies for a sustainable development. Such a potential is offered by short-rotation plantations at agricultural sites. Management of such plantations in the agricultural landscape must meet minimum standards in respect to ecology and economy but cannot fulfill all criteria for a sustainable forest management. The less intensive management of such plantations compared to other agricultural land-use systems, has favorable effects on the ecosystem services of the landscape, ecological efficiency of the natural environment and biodiversity. According to a differentiated management strategy for woody stands in forest and agricultural landscapes, short-term rotation plantations as an intensive management strategy for woody ecosystems as well as strictly protected areas for nature conservation and forest regulation consider the concept of partial segregation. The allocation of wood by short-term rotation plantations reduces the pressure on the sustainable, ecologically oriented forest management as an integration strategy which should be implemented on the predominant forested area in the future.

scholarly journals Financialisation in the green economy: Material connections, markets-in-the-making and Foucauldian organising actions

2017 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 531-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adeniyi P Asiyanbi
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Carbon Stock ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Stock Enhancement ◽  
Green Economy ◽  
Cross River

This paper explores the connections between financialisation in the green economy and the material commodification processes that underpin this economy. It argues that these connections are important and can be usefully conceived in terms of spaces of mutuality. These spaces of mutuality direct attention to the material processes of value creation at the level of real environmental assets. That these material processes appear thin, sluggish, fractured, hybridised or stalled in practice invites new modes of analytical engagement. One important mode of analysing these emergent green projects is to emphasise their status as durable processes of becoming or what could be called markets-in-the-making, by going beyond forms of market and economic reductionism. Michel Foucault's analysis of neoliberalism and his idea of ‘organising actions’ prove useful in this regard. Foucauldian organising actions render markets-in-the-making projects visible as durable governmental apparatuses made of disparate elements that are geographically specific, historically contingent and are aligned with an overarching market telos. Drawing on an empirical case of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation plus carbon stock enhancement and sustainable forest management (REDD+) in Nigeria’s Cross River, the paper analyses organising actions along four meta-processes – problematisations, visions, implementation and stabilisation. It concludes by highlighting the wider implications for work on environmental financialisation.

scholarly journals Enhancing Ecologically Sustainable Management of Deadwood in Kenya’s Natural Forests

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Sylvester Ngome Chisika ◽  
Chunho Yeom
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Sustainable Management ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Natural Forest ◽  
Natural Forests ◽  
Ecologically Sustainable

The need for ecologically sustainable management of natural forests has assumed greater prominence in conservation and climate change discourses. However, the identification of deadwood, a critical component of natural forests, continues to receive little attention around the world. Through a review of the existing literature, this study sought to promote consciousness and awareness on the value of deadwood using the case of Kenya’s natural forests in the wider context of biodiversity conservation and climate change. Results substantiate that deadwood in natural forests performs a vital function in forest biological and ecological functions. However, forest degradation through the removal of deadwood, even though widely neglected, results in considerable biodiversity loss and might alter natural forest ecosystems, thereby exacerbating the impacts of climate change. In Kenya, despite the recent sophistication of forest management tools, including the development of the Draft Forest Policy, 2020, and enactment of the Forest Conservation and Management Act, 2016, to increasingly recognize the more progressive forest management paradigms such as participatory forest management in natural forest management, the current deadwood management practice is faulty and could yield outcomes contrary to the policy intentions and the wider provisions of ecologically sustainable forest management. It is because major policy documents lack robust and explicit guidelines on achieving ecologically sustainable management of deadwood despite its centrality in providing ecosystem services and as a highly dependable source of energy resources for over 70% of the Kenyan population. Moreover, deadwood management appears to be affected by many complex biological, technical, policy, and socioeconomic factors that appear to be acting together against sustainable deadwood management. Still, perhaps most importantly, the absence of research on the topic is the most outstanding challenge. Therefore, in the future, improving the sustainable management of natural forests will require the restoration of deadwood and increasing consciousness on the value of deadwood through more research studies.

scholarly journals Challenges to Sustainable Forest Management and Community Livelihoods Sustenance in Cameroon: Evidence from the Southern Bakundu Forest Reserve in Southwest Cameroon

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewane Basil Ewane ◽  
Ewane Bertrand Olome ◽  
Heon-Ho Lee
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Forest Monitoring ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
Forest Reserve ◽  
Forest Law ◽  
Key Issues

Sustainable forest management in Cameroon is being plagued with many challenges directly related to key issues in the areas of forest law enforcement and governance. This study used questionnaires to examine the major community livelihood activities undertaken in the SBFR causing deforestation and forest degradation and to explore the localized trigger forces, and their implications for sustainable forest management in Cameroon. The authors found that the rated localized forces triggering indiscriminate human activities in the Southern Bakundu Forest Reserve (SBFR) are scarcity of farmland outside the forest reserve land, population growth, poverty and the more fertile nature of the forest reserve land than the limited, overused, and degraded community farming land. In addition, the authors found that forest monitoring activities in the field by forestry officials were plagued with complicity by some corrupt forestry officials, forces of law and order, administration, local management committee leaders, and disgruntled local population in the apprehension of illegal forest exploiters, besides inadequate resources. The strategies to address the above issues have not been prioritized. Based on the results, this paper argues that the governance failure to prioritize more and better investment in modern agriculture, non-wood domestic cooking energy and reliable rural transport systems, amongst others, including building institutional capacity and physical infrastructure compromises sustainable forest management in Cameroon at both the national and local community levels. In this light, a set of holistic and comprehensive strategic programmes are recommended as the way forward to guaranteeing sustainable development in forest management in Cameroon.

scholarly journals REDD+ policy translation and storylines in Laos

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 436-455
Author(s):  
Sabaheta Ramcilovik-Suominen ◽  
Iben Nathan
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Benefit Sharing ◽  
Donor Funding ◽  
Village Level ◽  
Policy Translation ◽  
The Village ◽  
Civic Environmentalism

This article examines the (re)production of discourses and storylines in the process of policy translation of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) in Laos. Applying the concepts of policy discourses and policy translation, we first identify the prominent storylines at the various governance levels in Laos. Second, we compare and contrast these storylines with the global REDD+ discourses. Further, we discuss how different actors' capacities and political agendas shape REDD+ storylines at different levels of governance. We find that national and sub-national storylines portray REDD+ mainly as a tool for supporting Laos' forestry strategy and sustainable forest management; for capacity-building and donor funding; and for village forest management and education of villagers. At the village level, many see REDD+ as a project for various political elites and external actors to control forests and cheat villagers. We conclude that, while globally there is increasing attention to civic-environmentalism in REDD+, neoliberalist and techno-managerial discourses still dominate. At the village level, however, civic-environmentalist ideas, such as social safeguards, benefit sharing, and equity largely disappear and two opposing discourses emerge representing anti-civic ideas and REDD+ resentment.  Furthermore, while techno-managerial ideas permeate all levels in Laos, neoliberalist ideas in terms of carbon trading are almost absent. During policy translation, REDD+ thus transforms into "just another" top-down development project. This serves the interest of Laos's techno-managerial elite well, but has little positive prospect for local people and forests. In this perspective, the lack of alternative discourse-coalitions promoting non-carbon benefits, social safeguards, and equity is striking.Key Words: REDD+, Laos, policy translation, environmental discourses, neoliberalism, civic environmentalism 

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