Bringing “Climate-Smart Forestry” Down to the Local Level—Identifying Barriers, Pathways and Indicators for Its Implementation in Practice

The theoretical concept of “climate-smart forestry” aims to integrate climate change mitigation and adaptation to maintain and enhance forests’ contributions to people and global agendas. We carried out two local transdisciplinary collaboration processes with the aim of developing local articulations of climate-smart forestry and to identify barriers, pathways and indicators to applying it in practice. During workshops in northern and southern Sweden, local stakeholders described how they would like forests to be managed, considering their past experiences, future visions and climate change. As a result, the stakeholders framed climate-smart forestry as active and diverse management towards multiple goals. They identified several conditions that could act both as barriers and pathways for its implementation in practice, such as value chains for forest products and services, local knowledge and experiences of different management alternatives, and the management of ungulates. Based on the workshop material, a total of 39 indicators for climate-smart forestry were identified, of which six were novel indicators adding to the existing literature. Our results emphasize the importance of understanding the local perspectives to promote climate-smart forestry practices across Europe. We also suggest how the concept of climate-smart forestry can be further developed, through the interplay between theory and practice.

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Climate Change Challenges and Community-Led Development Strategies: Do They Fit Together in Fisheries Regions?

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14206614 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (20) ◽

pp. 6614

Author(s):

Marek Furmankiewicz ◽

Richard J. Hewitt ◽

Andrzej Kapusta ◽

Iga Solecka

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Local Development ◽

Local Level ◽

Development Strategies ◽

Climate Impacts ◽

Climate Mitigation ◽

Mitigation And Adaptation ◽

Local Stakeholders ◽

National Governments ◽

Climate Problem

Coastal and terrestrial fisheries communities in Europe, often economically marginalised, are likely to face severe impacts as climate change becomes more acute. Although progress on climate mitigation and adaptation from national governments remains slow, local development actions can also address these impacts from the bottom up. In this paper we analyse the Fisheries and Sea Operational Programme 2014–2020 and 36 Local Development Strategies prepared within the framework of this programme for the case of Poland. The strategies, which were prepared by cross-sectoral, area-based partnerships known as Fisheries Local Action Groups, are analysed using a content analysis approach. The aim was to assess the degree to which local stakeholders sought to address the climate challenge. We found that the mitigation of climate impacts and the development of renewable energy did not feature prominently in the analysed documents, suggesting that both central policymakers and local stakeholders in Polish fisheries regions had a low level of awareness about the climate problem and their potentially important role in addressing it. Transformation to a post-carbon society undoubtedly requires additional, targeted support and extensive educational activities at the local level, in Poland and elsewhere.

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Gender, Forests and Climate Change

10.18235/0003072 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Paloma Marcos Morezuelas

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Climate Change Mitigation ◽

Climate Change Impacts ◽

Forest Products ◽

Value Chains ◽

Adaptation Measures ◽

Mitigation And Adaptation ◽

Payment Schemes ◽

Gender Lens ◽

Change Mitigation

As users of forest products and guardians of traditional knowledge, women have always been involved in forestry. Nevertheless, their access to forest resources and benefits and participation in forest management is limited compared to mens despite the fact that trees are more important to women, who depend on them for their families food security, income generation and cooking fuel. This guide aims to facilitate the incorporation of a gender lens in climate change mitigation and adaptation operations in forests, with special attention to those framed in REDD. This guide addresses four themes value chains, environmental payment schemes, firewood and biodiversity that relate directly to 1) how climate change impacts affect women in the forest and 2) how mitigation and adaptation measures affect womens access to resources and benefits distribution.

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The Role of Transdisciplinary Research for Agricultural Climate Change Adaptation Strategies

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy8110237 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (11) ◽

pp. 237 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Markus Schermer ◽

Rike Stotten ◽

Ulrich Strasser ◽

Gertraud Meißl ◽

Thomas Marke ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Land Use ◽

Climate Change Adaptation ◽

Local Level ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Transdisciplinary Research ◽

Economic Sectors ◽

Mountain Areas ◽

Local Stakeholders

While science widely acknowledges the necessity of climate change adaptation (CCA), concrete strategies for CCA by major land-use actor groups at a local level are largely missing. Immediate economic challenges often prevent the establishment of long-term collective strategies. However, collective decisions on a communal level regarding land use are crucial for CCA strategies, given the interdependencies of farming with forestry, tourism, and other economic sectors, especially in mountain areas. This paper presents inter- and trans-disciplinary learning processes, which have evolved into a project modelling the hydrological effects of combined future climate and land-use changes based on the combined scenarios of climate and socio-economic change in an Alpine valley (Brixental in Tyrol/Austria). Locally adapted scenarios illustrate future land-use changes as a result of both climate change and different socio-economic developments. The hydrological results show how an increase in the forested area reduces streamflow (as a measure of water availability) in the long term. For local stakeholders, the process demonstrated clearly the interdependence of different economic sectors and the necessity for collective action at a regional level to influence socio-economic development. Moreover, it made them aware that local decisions on future land use may influence the effects of climate change. Consistent storylines helped stakeholders to visualize a desired future and to see their scope of influence. The transdisciplinary research process allowed local stakeholders to translate the hydrological modelling results into a concrete local CCA strategy.

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A Method for the Definition of Local Vulnerability Domains to Climate Change and Relate Mapping. Two Case Studies in Southern Italy

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12229454 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (22) ◽

pp. 9454

Author(s):

Mauro Francini ◽

Lucia Chieffallo ◽

Annunziata Palermo ◽

Maria Francesca Viapiana

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Case Studies ◽

Southern Italy ◽

Early Stage ◽

Local Level ◽

Urban Context ◽

Adaptation Measures ◽

Mitigation And Adaptation ◽

Climate Exposure ◽

Definition Of

Climate change is contributing to raising disaster risk, with variable impacts depending on the local level of vulnerability. This paper describes a method for the definition of local vulnerability domains to climate change. The application of the methodology is aimed at building local vulnerability maps. The set of indicators of climate exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity, theoretically identified and practically tested on two case studies in southern Italy, contributes to support the territories in identifying the main local vulnerabilities, as well as define, subsequently, a systematic framework for identifying the most suitable mitigation and adaptation measures to climate change according to the specificities of the contexts of interest. In this regard, we consider the framework of risks and related impacts due to climate change on urban infrastructure proposed by the European Commission in order to face common challenges in the EU territories. Specifically, reference is made to three thematic focuses, which are “transport infrastructures”, “energy infrastructures” and “buildings and construction sector”. Although still at an early stage, the results of the research contribute to identifying useful elements of interrelation with the urban context for guiding resilient planning choices and reducing risks.

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Integration of Forest and Climate Change Policies in Nepal

Journal of Forest and Natural Resource Management ◽

10.3126/jfnrm.v1i1.22647 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 1-13

Author(s):

Ganesh Paudel ◽

Shankar Adhikari ◽

Prabin Bhusal

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Local Level ◽

Forest Policy ◽

Climate Change Impacts ◽

Legal Framework ◽

Climate Change Policies ◽

Mitigation And Adaptation ◽

Forest Policies ◽

Emerging Issues ◽

User Groups

Climate change poses threats to forest ecosystems, forest dependent communities and society as a whole. Incorporation of climate change in forest policy and vice-versa is essential to effectively deal with climate change impacts while managing forest. Review of climate change and forest policies, incorporating forestry and climate change issues has not been substantially discussed and analyzed yet in Nepal. In this paper we aim to review the climate change and forest policies in terms of its content, relevancy and adequacy. We reviewed five forest policies and three climate change related plans and policies regarding integration of forest and climate change issues in respective policies. Our review reveals that forest policies contain notable provisions in regard to the contribution of forestry to climate change mitigation and adaptation. However, new and emerging issues such as climate refugia and invasive species are least concerned in forest policies. Climate change policies also contain provisions for forest management focusing on the mobilization of forest user groups for carrying out adaptation activities at the local level. However, the implementation of both polices seems poor due to lack of legal framework. Therefore, formulation of legal framework for implementation of these policies is essential. Similarly, we suggest both policies need to be revised incorporating the provisions based on scientific findings and field experience.

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Communicating climate change in the Pacific using a bottom-up approach

Pacific Journalism Review – Te Koakoa ◽

10.24135/pjr.v20i2.167 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 20 (2) ◽

pp. 77 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Usha Sundar Harris

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Pacific Islands ◽

Scientific Evidence ◽

Local Level ◽

Cultural Barriers ◽

Bottom Up ◽

Participatory Media ◽

Discursive Space ◽

Mitigation And Adaptation ◽

The Pacific

While scientific evidence in support of climate change is growing, awareness and education about its effects, especially among vulnerable communities, is lacking, due to language and cultural barriers. Communities are unlikely to respond to government policies promoting mitigation and adaptation strategies without an improved perception of climate change risk at a local level. Mapping the flow of information between decision makers and citizens is an important part of this process. This article broadly explores the communication channels that are being used for awareness and knowledge sharing in the Pacific. At its core, the article discusses a way in which participatory media has been piloted to enable community discussion about issues around climate change in the Pacific Islands. The ‘bottom-up’ approach encourages participation of marginalised groups such as women, youth, and people with disabilities who bring diverse perspectives in content creation. This discursive space enables citizens to share knowledge and acquire better understanding of the impacts on livelihood and culture. However, a strong community network and consistent mentoring support are prerequisites for participatory media to have long term benefits.

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Climate Change Policies—Mitigation and Adaptation at the Local Level

Sustainable Systems and Energy Management at the Regional Level ◽

10.4018/978-1-61350-344-7.ch014 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 261-287

Author(s):

Lara Lázaro Touza ◽

Elena López-Gunn

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Research Method ◽

Local Level ◽

Policy Integration ◽

Local Climate ◽

Climate Change Policies ◽

Environmental Policy Integration ◽

Mitigation And Adaptation ◽

Elite Interviews ◽

Global Energy Consumption

Despite city level involvement in climate change policies since the 90’s existing understanding on how cities address climate change is still limited. Yet cities are key in dealing with climate change as they account for two thirds of global energy consumption, three fourths of CO2 emissions and their mitigation potential is significant. In order to advance current understanding on cities and climate change, semi-structured elite interviews were conducted. Data has been analysed using the Environmental Policy Integration (EPI) framework as a pre-requisite for sustainable development in Madrid, one of the EU cities expected to be significantly affected by climate change. The EPI theoretical framework has been used elsewhere in the literature for the analysis of other national and sectorial environmental issues and is applied in this chapter to the local level for the analysis of climate change policies. The research method is hence deductive in nature. The main findings indicate that progress has been made as regards mitigation. Adaptation is occurring spontaneously in sectors already experiencing impacts; however adaptation is poorly integrated into a comprehensive local climate policy.

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GRIHA incentives and implementation mechanisms: catalyst for climate change mitigation and adaptation

10.35543/osf.io/8qea3 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Priyanka Kochhar ◽

Namrata Amarjeet Mahal ◽

Sanjay Seth ◽

Mandeep Singh

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Climate Change Mitigation ◽

Information Dissemination ◽

Climate Adaptation ◽

Local Level ◽

Green Building ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Rating Systems ◽

Mitigation And Adaptation ◽

Change Mitigation

Green building rating systems are effective for implementing climate change mitigation strategies. GRIHA facilitates implementation of relevant policies of the Government of India, and embeds climate adaptation measures within the design, construction and operational phases of building project development. 17 States provide incentives at municipal levels to projects that certify with GRIHA rating. ClimateSMART Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF), which is a major culmination of Government of India schemes, provides for implementation of energy efficiency and green buildings through adoption and incentivisation of green building rating systems. However, only 25/100 smart city proposals have included green building rating systems to achieve essential goals. Based on feedback from certification agencies, project proponents, and government officials, there is need for information dissemination and guidance on institutional mechanisms for incentivising green rated projects at the local level. This paper examines existing institutional mechanisms for incentivising GRIHA rated projects, and provides recommendations for municipal bodies to meet relevant CSCAF requirements.

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INTEGRATING CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION INTO SPATIAL PLANNING: DEVELOPING CRITERIA FOR SPATIAL PLAN EVALUATION IN THE SELANGOR RIVER BASIN

PLANNING MALAYSIA JOURNAL ◽

10.21837/pm.v12i4.126 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Chee Ping Ngang ◽

Joy Jacqueline Pereira ◽

Halimaton Saadiah Hashim

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Sustainable Development ◽

River Basin ◽

Spatial Planning ◽

Climate Change Mitigation ◽

Local Level ◽

National Level ◽

Mitigation And Adaptation ◽

State And Local ◽

Change Mitigation

Spatial planning practice in Malaysia has given greater prominence to environmental matters since the amendment of the Town and Country Planning Act 1976 in 1995, in which sustainable development has become the core emphasis of all planning policies and plans. However, elements of climate change, which require being addressed in strategic planning, have not been explicitly incorporated into spatial plans that cover urban and rural areas at both state and local levels. This study presents a framework for the evaluation of the content of spatial plans in response to climate change adaptation and mitigation in the case of the Selangor River Basin, which may be considered the life support for the Kuala Lumpur Conurbation, the largest urban mega region in Malaysia. A content analysis of national, state and local level spatial plans reveals that the overall quality of plans is higher at the national level, but gradually declines towards lower tier plans, and that generally an equal emphasis has been paid to both climate change mitigation and adaptation. The findings support the argument that spatial planning provides a platform for coordinating mitigation and adaptation responses through its sustainable development policies, however, there is a need to reframe the scope of sustainable development in the country for this purpose.

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