scholarly journals A multi-disciplinary perspective to nuance the narrative of tree planting as a nature-based solution

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne M. Vogel ◽  
Sophie Monsarrat ◽  
Maya Pasgaard ◽  
Robert Buitenwerf ◽  
Adam C. Custock ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Tree Planting ◽  
Current Conservation ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Conservation Policies ◽  
Political Perspective ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Global Nature ◽  
Ecological Baselines

From global nature conservation policies to carbon off-set private initiatives, the focus on tree promotion, and tree planting in particular, as a nature-based solution to global environmental crises such as climatic change and biodiversity loss dominates the current discourse. Yet, this fixation on trees does not reflect a scientific consensus on the benefits of tree planting across diverse ecosystems and can have problematic implications from both an ecological and socio-political perspective. In this paper, we synthesise cross-disciplinary insights to challenge the common storyline of tree planting as a one-size-fits-all, nature-based solution to climate change and biodiversity loss. We discuss the appeal of tree planting as a panacea, and how this conflicts with reality, in which a diverse range of stakeholders represent various perspectives and pursue a plurality of goals. We assess the communicative aspects of trees and forests, exploring the symbolic power of a ‘tree’ and how practices in remote-sensing and scientific modelling reinforce the dominant tree planting narrative. We then reflect on the ecological and human contexts that need to be considered in planning of tree planting and how historical ecological baselines continue to influence ecosystem management goals. Finally, we explore how current conservation narratives value forest over other kinds of nature and demonstrate the important – but overlooked – role that non-forest landscapes such as open and semi-open vegetation play in climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation. We conclude that we need to rethink the dominant tree-planting narrative, being mindful and critical of the socio-political drivers behind tree planting initiatives and potential biases, and allow ecological and sociocultural contexts to inform tree-promotion efforts and appropriateness.

scholarly journals Situating Indigenous Resilience: Climate Change and Tayal’s “Millet Ark” Action in Taiwan

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 10676
Author(s):  
Yih-Ren Lin ◽  
Pagung Tomi ◽  
Hsinya Huang ◽  
Chia-Hua Lin ◽  
Ysanne Chen
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Indigenous People ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Cultural Knowledge ◽  
Global Environmental

Whereas indigenous people are on the frontlines of global environmental challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and numerous other forms of critical planetary deterioration, the indigenous experiences, responses, and cultural practices have been underestimated in the mainstream frameworks of environmental studies. This paper aims to articulate a meaningful response to recent calls to indigenous and local knowledge on food as a source of resilience in the face of global climate change. By retrieving the values and practices indigenous people of Taiwan, specifically Tayal women, associate with human and non-human ecologies, our collaborative work with the indigenous community explores indigenous resilience and its relevance to indigenous cultural knowledge and global environmental concerns. Pivoting on the “Millet Ark” action, a Tayal conservation initiative of the bio-cultural diversity of millets, this study revolves around issues of how Tayal communities adapt to the climate change, how to reclaim their voice, heritage, knowledge, place, and land through food, and how to narrate indigenous “counter-stories” of resilience and sustainability. The cultural narrative of “Millet Ark” investigates indigenous way of preserving millet bio-cultural diversity and restoring the land and community heritage, inquiring into how Tayal people are adaptive and resilient to change and therefore sustainable through the cultural and social life of millets.

Global Environmental Change and Emerging Infectious Diseases

2019 ◽  
pp. 38-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Machalaba ◽  
Cristina Romanelli ◽  
Peter Stoett
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Environmental Change ◽  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Economic Costs ◽  
Knowledge Gaps ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Global Environmental

The prediction of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) and the avoidance of their tremendous social and economic costs is contingent on the identification of their most likely drivers. It is argued that the drivers of global environmental change (and climate change as both a driver and an impact) are often the drivers of EIDs; and that the two overlap to such a strong degree that targeting these drivers is sound epidemiological policy. Several drivers overlap with the leading causes of biodiversity loss, providing opportunities for health and biodiversity sectors to generate synergies at local and global levels. This chapter provides a primer on EID ecology, reviews underlying drivers and mechanisms that facilitate pathogen spillover and spread, provides suggested policy and practice-based actions toward the prevention of EIDs in the context of environmental change, and identifies knowledge gaps for the purpose of further research.

Global Environmental Change and Emerging Infectious Diseases

2017 ◽  
pp. 24-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Machalaba ◽  
Cristina Romanelli ◽  
Peter Stoett
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Environmental Change ◽  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Economic Costs ◽  
Knowledge Gaps ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Global Environmental

The prediction of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) and the avoidance of their tremendous social and economic costs is contingent on the identification of their most likely drivers. It is argued that the drivers of global environmental change (and climate change as both a driver and an impact) are often the drivers of EIDs; and that the two overlap to such a strong degree that targeting these drivers is sound epidemiological policy. Several drivers overlap with the leading causes of biodiversity loss, providing opportunities for health and biodiversity sectors to generate synergies at local and global levels. This chapter provides a primer on EID ecology, reviews underlying drivers and mechanisms that facilitate pathogen spillover and spread, provides suggested policy and practice-based actions toward the prevention of EIDs in the context of environmental change, and identifies knowledge gaps for the purpose of further research.

scholarly journals Global Environmental Change and Noncommunicable Disease Risks

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 261-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard Frumkin ◽  
Andy Haines
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Noncommunicable Disease ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Disease Risks ◽  
Global Environmental Changes

Multiple global environmental changes (GECs) now under way, including climate change, biodiversity loss, freshwater depletion, tropical deforestation, overexploitation of fisheries, ocean acidification, and soil degradation, have substantial, but still imperfectly understood, implications for human health. Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) make a major contribution to the global burden of disease. Many of the driving forces responsible for GEC also influence NCD risk through a range of mechanisms. This article provides an overview of pathways linking GEC and NCDs, focusing on five pathways: ( a) energy, air pollution, and climate change; ( b) urbanization; ( c) food, nutrition, and agriculture; ( d) the deposition of persistent chemicals in the environment; and ( e) biodiversity loss.

scholarly journals Long-Term Impacts of Partial Afforestation on Water and Salt Dynamics of an Intermittent Catchment under Climate Change

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1067 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossein Daneshmand ◽  
Sina Alaghmand ◽  
Matteo Camporese ◽  
Amin Talei ◽  
Pat J.-F. Yeh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
General Circulation Models ◽  
Soil Salinization ◽  
Tree Planting ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Salt Depletion ◽  
Hadley Centre ◽  
Semi Arid

Soil salinization is a major environmental issue in arid and semi-arid regions, and has been accelerated in some areas by removal of native vegetation cover. Partial afforestation can be a practical mitigation strategy if efficiently integrated with farms and pastures. Using an integrated surface-subsurface hydrological model, this study evaluates the water and salt dynamics and soil salinization conditions of a rural intermittent catchment in the semi-arid climate of southeast Australia subjected to four different partial afforestation configurations under different climate change scenarios, as predicted by several general circulation models. The results show that the locations of afforested areas can induce a retarding effect in the outflow of groundwater salt, with tree planting at lower elevations showing the steadier salt depletion rates. Moreover, except for the configuration with trees planted near the outlet of the catchment, the streamflow is maintained under all other configurations. It appears that under both Representative Concentration Pathways considered (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5), the Hadley Centre Global Environmental Model represents the fastest salt export scheme, whereas the Canadian Earth System Model and the Model for Interdisciplinary Research on Climate represent the slowest salt export scheme. Overall, it is found that the location of partial afforestation generally plays a more significant role than the climate change scenarios.

scholarly journals STRATEGIC GUIDELINES FOR COMBATING CLIMATE CHANGE AND THREATS IN GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 79-83
Author(s):  
Lyudmila Levkovska ◽  
Alla Omelchenko
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Environmental Security ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Impact Of Climate Change ◽  
Climate Risks ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
The Impact

It is substantiated that the development of scientific and technological progress since the middle of the last century has led to intensive industrialization that, together with globalization processes, has resulted in global climate change. Nowadays, combating global warming is one of the most challenging and urgent tasks of humanity. Sweeping changes in natural systems, primarily an increase in the frequency and duration of droughts, floods, melting glaciers and rising water in the seven seas, biodiversity loss, etc., are the effect of global temperature rise. There is also a deterioration of living conditions and standards of the public, declining food security, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The research outlines the main trends in climate change. It is clarified the impact of climate change on the environment, man, society, and economy. The authors emphasize the significance and role of local actions towards adapting to the effects of climate change, which may become a tool for reducing climate risks in a global environment. It is justified that the challenge of climate change is addressed by joint efforts of each state of the world economic space. The effects of climate change and adaptation measures within economic realms are regarded by relying on global experience. The purpose of the article is to determine strategic guidelines for implementing adaptation measures to the impact of climate change to guarantee global environmental security. The research is based on a systems approach to solving the issue of guaranteeing global environmental security. In this context, it refers to the stimulation of constant economic modernization and the development of a new economic structure of the 21st century aimed at searching for effective mechanisms and tools promoting the measures for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. First of all, this means the implementation of energy-saving technologies, which will reduce the energy intensity of production and thus, increase economic energy efficiency and enhance global environmental security.

scholarly journals Modification of forests by people means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.S. Grantham ◽  
A. Duncan ◽  
T. D. Evans ◽  
K. Jones ◽  
H. Beyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Ecological Integrity ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Ecosystem Integrity ◽  
Forest Condition ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Continuous Index ◽  
Landscape Level

AbstractMany global environmental agendas, including halting biodiversity loss, reversing land degradation, and limiting climate change, depend upon retaining forests with high ecological integrity, yet the scale and degree of forest modification remains poorly quantified and mapped. By integrating data on observed and inferred human pressures and an index of lost connectivity, we generate the first globally-consistent, continuous index of forest condition as determined by degree of anthropogenic modification. Globally, only 17.4 million km2 of forest (40.5%) have high landscape level integrity (mostly found in Canada, Russia, the Amazon, Central Africa and New Guinea) and only 27% of this area is found in nationally-designated protected areas. Of the forest in protected areas, only 56% has high landscape level integrity. Ambitious policies that prioritize the retention of forest integrity, especially in the most intact areas, are now urgently needed alongside current efforts aimed at halting deforestation and restoring the integrity of forests globally.

The paradox model: towards a conceptual framework for engaging with sustainability in higher education

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Kemp ◽  
Stephen Scoffham
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Civic Responsibility ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Guiding Principle ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Sustainability In Higher Education

Purpose The growing awareness of climate change, biodiversity loss and the wider global environmental emergency has led to calls for decisive and immediate action from all sections of society. This paper aims to consider the question of how universities should respond and what role they might best adopt in current circumstances. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents a conceptual framework, the paradox model, which places sustainability within the contradictory, messy and uncertain terrain that characterises higher education (HE). This is derived from the own experience of leading sustainability within one UK university, as well as the continued engagement with educational theory and philosophy. Findings This paper identifies two fundamental contradictions or paradoxes facing those seeking to engage in sustainability in HE, namely, how to develop authentic sustainability responses within the context of existing HE structures and processes and how to reconcile the demand for immediate action with the much more gradual processes of education. This paper represents these two paradoxes as intersecting axes on a diagram, which creates four quadrants in which a diverse range of responses can be located. The point where these two axes intersect is particularly significant and provides a place from which to navigate responses both individually, collectively and institutionally. Originality/value This paper argues that wisdom provides a guiding principle for discerning which type of response might be appropriate in any given context. It may also indicate a route towards institutional change and underpin the vision of the ecological university of the future based on principles of civic responsibility and social justice.

Global Environmental Change and Emerging Infectious Diseases

2018 ◽  
pp. 393-426
Author(s):  
Catherine Machalaba ◽  
Cristina Romanelli ◽  
Peter Stoett
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Environmental Change ◽  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Economic Costs ◽  
Knowledge Gaps ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Global Environmental

The prediction of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) and the avoidance of their tremendous social and economic costs is contingent on the identification of their most likely drivers. It is argued that the drivers of global environmental change (and climate change as both a driver and an impact) are often the drivers of EIDs; and that the two overlap to such a strong degree that targeting these drivers is sound epidemiological policy. Several drivers overlap with the leading causes of biodiversity loss, providing opportunities for health and biodiversity sectors to generate synergies at local and global levels. This chapter provides a primer on EID ecology, reviews underlying drivers and mechanisms that facilitate pathogen spillover and spread, provides suggested policy and practice-based actions toward the prevention of EIDs in the context of environmental change, and identifies knowledge gaps for the purpose of further research.

scholarly journals Protected and other conserved areas: ensuring the future of forest biodiversity in a changing climate

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-103
Author(s):  
K. MacKinnon ◽  
K. Richardson ◽  
J. MacKinnon
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Effective Conservation

Biodiversity loss and climate change are two of the greatest environmental challenges of our times and are inextricably interlinked. The most significant drivers of forest and biodiversity loss are habitat loss and fragmentation due to land use changes and overexploitation. These changes will be exacerbated by climate change with increasing land degradation and more conversion of forests to meet increasing demands for agriculture and forest resources. Protected areas are the cornerstones of biodiversity conservation. Currently terrestrial protected areas cover about 15 percent of the world's land surface but this is inadequate to fully represent global biodiversity, with many forest ecosystems poorly represented in protected area networks. Ensuring effective biodiversity conservation post-2020 will require both expansion of formal reserve systems and recognition and support for other effective conservation measures, under a diverse range of governance and management regimes. Expanding forest conservation efforts will not only protect biodiversity but is increasingly recognised as an efficient and cost-effective strategy to help societies to cope with climate change and its impacts.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document