scholarly journals Biodiversity offsets and caribou conservation in Alberta: opportunities and challenges

Rangifer ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 99
Author(s):  
Christine B. Robichaud ◽  
Kyle H. Knopff

The federal recovery strategy for boreal woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) sets a goal of self-sustaining populations for all caribou ranges across Canada. All caribou herds in Alberta are currently designated as not self-sustaining and the recovery strategy requires an action plan to achieve self-sustaining status. At the same time, continued natural resource extraction in caribou ranges may be worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Some regulatory bodies have recognized an opportunity for biodiversity offsets to help meet the caribou recovery strategy’s goals while still permitting economic benefits of development. In this review, we evaluate offset opportunities for caribou in Alberta and practical impediments for implementation. We conclude that a number of actions to offset impacts of development and achieve no net loss or net positive impact for caribou are theoretically feasible (i.e., if implemented they should work), including habitat restoration and manipulations of the large mammal predator-prey system. However, implementation challenges are substantial and include a lack of mechanisms for setting aside some resources for long periods of time, public opposition to predator control, and uncertainty associated with loss-gain calculations. A framework and related policy for offsets are currently lacking in Alberta and their development is urgently needed to guide successful design and implementation of offsets for caribou.

Author(s):  
Brian Coupal ◽  
Paula Bentham

The federal Recovery Strategy for the Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), Boreal Population in Canada, identifies coordinated actions to reclaim woodland caribou habitat as a key step to meeting current and future caribou population objectives. Actions include restoring industrial landscape features such as roads, seismic lines, pipelines, cut-lines, and cleared areas in an effort to reduce landscape fragmentation and the changes in caribou population dynamics associated with changing predator-prey dynamics in highly fragmented landscapes. Reliance on habitat restoration as a recovery action within the federal Recovery Strategy is high, identifying 65% undisturbed habitat in a caribou range as the threshold to providing a 60% chance that a local population will be self-sustaining. In alignment with the federal Recovery Strategy, Alberta’s Provincial Woodland Caribou Policy identifies habitat restoration as a critical component of long-term caribou habitat management. Habitat restoration initiatives of Alberta’s historical industrial footprint within caribou ranges began in 2001 and have largely focused on linear corridors, including pipelines. Initiatives include revegetation treatments, access control programs and studies, and restricting the growth of plant species that are favourable to moose and deer, the primary prey for wolves. Habitat restoration for pipelines also includes pre-construction planning to reduce disturbance and create line-of-sight breaks, and construction techniques that promote natural vegetation recovery. Lessons learned from habitat restoration programs implemented on pipeline projects in northeastern Alberta will be shared as an opportunity to improve common understanding of restoration techniques, the barriers to implementation, and potential outcomes.


The article covers the participation of women in peacebuilding processes in a general theoretical context. The author focuses on the positive role of women in the peace process based on the results of UN studies, scientific papers, and statistics. The National Action Plan for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 «Women, Peace, Security» for the period up to 2020 recognized as a fundamental document establishing the need for updating women's representation in building peace in Ukraine. The author outlines several basic models for the inclusion of women in peacebuilding processes. The research identifies the shortcomings of women's representation in peacebuilding issues and indicates priority areas for further development. Based on the analysis of the National Action Plan for the implementation of Resolution 1325, the author determines a list of the main problems and gaps. Particular attention is paid to the need to overcome discriminatory exclusion practices for women due to the negative consequences of such decisions. To achieve this goal, the author proposed to change the focus of the research on women's participation in peacebuilding processes and expand the list of issues in which women are involved. The contextual analysis of the documents has led to the anticipated conclusion that women are mainly involved in social issues and at the level of advisory councils. The intensive participation of public organizations in peacebuilding has a positive impact in the long run. In the results of the study, the author formulates several key conclusions regarding the realization of the National Action Plan for the implementation of the Resolution 1325, identifies problems and weaknesses. To increase the effectiveness of the next plan (up to 2025), the author suggests applying two general scientific approaches. The article identifies the need for continuing research on regional action plans to include women in peacebuilding to create an effective adaptive system of sustainable peace in Ukraine.


Author(s):  
Anna Oleshko ◽  
◽  
Olena Basarab ◽  

The article identifies specific features and suggests areas for improving the corporate culture of media enterprises. Dynamic changes in the economy due to digitalization require a revision of existing organizational forms and methods of management and the formation of a qualitatively new corporate culture at all hierarchical levels. The difficulty of solving this problem is the need to eliminate the negative elements in the Ukrainian corporate culture while adapting the development strategies of organizations to new economic conditions. The specifics of the formation of corporate culture of the media company is its special role, which is to implement the information product in order to obtain economic benefits and meet the social and communication needs of different segments of society. The article proposes changes in the organizational structure of media companies by creating a department for internal corporate communications in order to form a corporate culture that can increase the competitiveness of the company and form its positive image in the media space. This will form a highquality information support for internal communication of the enterprise, increase employee motivation and effectiveness of control over their work. The formation of a qualitatively new corporate culture of media enterprises also involves the transformation of the management system taking into account the need to focus on the use of creative work, increasing the level of knowledge, digital competencies, skills and professionalism, observance of system values of society. Ultimately, the formation of an effective corporate culture will have a positive impact on the process of creating quality information products


Author(s):  
Olga Leptiukhova ◽  
Marija Utkina

For more than half a century bicycle transport demonstrates its effectiveness as one of the elements of the transport network of the city. Currently, vehicles with low-power motors such as electric bicycle, electric scooter, gyrometer, segway, wheelbarrow, scooter motor and others are gaining people's attention. These vehicles can be combined into a group of low-speed individual vehicles (hereinafter - NITS) with similar re-quirements for the operational parameters of urban infrastructure. From the urban point of view, the interest in NITC is that the number of its users has increased significantly in recent years. The article presents the results of a sociological survey of residents of Serpukhov, allowing to assess the current and potential readi-ness of the population to use NITC. The growing popularity of NITC has led to an increase in the environmen-tal and economic effect, which is manifested at a particular level of development of the movement on NITC. The ecological and economic effect of the use of NITC has an extremely positive impact on the improvement of the urban environment. This article provides a list of indicators that reflect the growth in the standards of living of society from movement by the NITC, and the calculation of one of them - the increase in entrepre-neurial activity on the streets with increased traffic to the NITC. Indicators are necessary for calculation of complex criterion of efficiency and safety of street network due to development of the movement by NITC. The result will allow public authorities authorized to make decisions on the strategy of transport policy of cities to quantify the ratio of economic benefits from the development of infrastructure of the NITC with the cost of its construction and operation.


Author(s):  
Michael Hardman ◽  
Mags Adams ◽  
Melissa Barker ◽  
Luke Beesley

With the concept of Urban Agriculture (UA) growing in popularity, more cities and towns are exploring opportunities to enable the practice and transform neglected spaces into havens for produce. This chapter provides an insight into one such town, Todmorden and its Incredible Edible movement, located in the heart of England. This chapter adopts a qualitative approach to critically exploring the IET movement and to understand its impact on Todmorden. We engaged with key actors and the public in order to ascertain views towards the schemes, analysing the positives and negatives of the model. Findings revealed that the scheme has an overwhelmingly positive impact on the town, with social, environmental and economic benefits. Furthermore, it was made clear that IET is helping to create a more just food movement in Todmorden, particularly through its free for all philosophy. However, some negatives were also highlighted during the course of the research, predominately around maintenance issues and a lack of perceived inclusivity in parts. Overall, the scheme was highly valued and seen as a powerful method for growing the wider UA movement; recommendations centred on further replicating the model and helping local food to prosper in similar locations globally.


Land ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 137
Author(s):  
Aireona B. Raschke ◽  
Jeny Davis ◽  
Annia Quiroz

Land managers are currently faced with a nexus of challenges, both ecological and social, when trying to govern natural open spaces. While social media has led to many challenges for effective land management and governance, the technology has the potential to support key activities related to habitat restoration, awareness-raising for policy changes, and increased community resilience as the impacts of increased use and climate change become more apparent. Through the use of a case study examining the work of the Central Arizona Conservation Alliance’s social media ambassadorship and its app-supported community science projects, we examine the potential and realized positive impact that technology such as social media and smartphone apps can create for land managers and surrounding communities.


Rangifer ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Bentham ◽  
Brian Coupal

The Recovery Strategy for the Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), Boreal Population in Canada (EC, 2012), identifies coordinated actions to reclaim woodland caribou habitat as a key step to meeting current and future caribou population objectives. Actions include restoring industrial landscape features such as roads, seismic lines, pipelines, cut-lines, and cleared areas in an effort to reduce landscape fragmentation and the changes in caribou population dynamics associated with changing predator-prey dynamics in highly fragmented landscapes. Reliance on habitat restoration as a recovery action within the federal recovery strategy is high, considering all Alberta populations have less than 65% undisturbed habitat, which is identified in the recovery strategy as a threshold providing a 60% chance that a local population will be self-sustaining. Alberta’s Provincial Woodland Caribou Policy also identifies habitat restoration as a critical component of long-term caribou habitat management. We review and discuss the history of caribou habitat restoration programs in Alberta and present outcomes and highlights of a caribou habitat restoration workshop attended by over 80 representatives from oil and gas, forestry, provincial and federal regulators, academia and consulting who have worked on restoration programs. Restoration initiatives in Alberta began in 2001 and have generally focused on construction methods, revegetation treatments, access control programs, and limiting plant species favourable to alternate prey. Specific treatments include tree planting initiatives, coarse woody debris management along linear features, and efforts for multi-company and multi-stakeholder coordinated habitat restoration on caribou range. Lessons learned from these programs have been incorporated into large scale habitat restoration projects near Grande Prairie, Cold Lake, and Fort McMurray. A key outcome of our review is the opportunity to provide a unified approach for restoration program planning, best practices, key performance indicators, and monitoring considerations for future programs within Canada.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 31
Author(s):  
Gordon Kofi Sarfo-Adu

The European Union Forest Law Enforcement on Governance and Trade (EU-FLEGT) Action Plan seeks to promote widespread sustainable forest management and relies largely on transnational actors and international law in its operationalization. The EU FLEGT sets out EU custom regulation through Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) which is a bilateral agreement between the EU and wood exporting countries with instruments aimed at promoting sustainable practices within the forest resources value chain. Ghana became a signatory to the FLEGT VPA since 2007, as part of the process, it is required to use technology to track timber logging from source to point of export. Issues of networks and inter-agency collaboration and dealing with human elements remain crucial in ensuring effective operationalization. Adopting a qualitative case study design as well as theories and concepts from the public policy implementation literature, this study examines the implementation vagaries of the FLEGT VPA in Ghana. Although the VPA is a laudable idea of using Information Technology (IT) in effectively tracking timber to its original source to ascertain legality or otherwise of the timber, the needed IT infrastructure and resources have not matched up with the goal. Additionally, the VPA implementation is expensive and has come with additional cost to the implementers, The study further observes that the increasing ‘red flags’ that are raised on the Ghana Wood Tracking System is a blend of technical errors emanating from negligence or capacity challenges and human manipulation. This calls for regular consultations and workshops with relevant stakeholders in order to assess which skills are deficient and a need to beef up through on-the-job training. The domestic market and trading activities tend to fuel demand for illegal timber hence a constraint to the full realization of the VPA objective. The study makes policy suggestions on how to address these implementation challenges.


2020 ◽  
Vol 850 ◽  
pp. 81-86
Author(s):  
Jevgenijs Jaunslavietis ◽  
Jurijs Ozolins ◽  
Mārtiņš Kalniņš ◽  
Galia Shulga ◽  
Brigita Neiberte ◽  
...  

The recycling of paper and paperboard waste for obtaining powder cellulose has a positive impact on environmental and economic benefits due to its possibility to be applied in various fields of industry, including the fabrication of wood-polymer composite1,2. The extraction of cellulose from cellulose-containing wastes can be carried out by their mechanical disintegration with acid or alkali hydrolysis. In comparison with the known method3 the proposed method can be realized under more gentle conditions. For this aim, recycled de-inked waste paper was cut into small pieces (d < 5 mm) which were soaked in 0,05% hydrochloric solution at hydromodulus 1/20 (paper/water) for 2 hours at the intensive mechanical stirring for paper pieces disintegration. After soaking, the excessive water was pressed, and the disintegrated paper mass was dried, at first, at 60 °C for 16 hours and then at 120 °C for 2 hours. After drying, the paper mass was milled in a planetary mill for 15 minutes at a moderate rotation speed. The obtained cellulose particles were characterized by physicochemical properties. It was found, that obtained recycled paper particles (RPAP) had a similar contact angles with water compared to reference cellulose powder. However, polarity of RPAP was 20,5%, but of reference cellulose – 43,5%. RPAP could be characterized as more amorphous than cellulose because its crystallinity index was 61%, but reference cellulose powder – 81%. Using laser granulometry, it was found, that 99% of particles were less than 200 μm, and 90% of particles were less than 140 μm.


Author(s):  
BAGUS UTAMA EMTIEN ◽  
I WAYAN BUDIASA ◽  
PUTU UDAYANI WIJAYANTI

The Economic Benefits of Organic Certification on Cashew Farming in the Dukuh Village, Kubu Sub-District of Karangasem Regency Demand for organic cashew nuts in the international market is very high. The existence of organic certificate gives positive impact for cashew farmers, especially in increasing the selling price. Subak Abian Buana Kusuma is one of subak abian in Karangasem regency which conducts certified organic farming from certification institution of International Institute for Marketecology (IMO) Switzerland. Organic cashew certification is done by international certification agency IMO (Institute for Marketecology) Switzerland with the support of PT. PMA (Profil Mitra Abadi) and Dinas Kehutanan dan Perkebunan Kabupaten Karangasem to Subak Abian Buana Kusuma which is technically certified by ICS (Internal Control System). Revenue per hectare of certified organic farmers is Rp. 28,111,004,74 and non-organic farmers is Rp. 12,560,166.20, with a percentage of 119% greater income per hectare of organic farmers while the income per kg of organic farmers is Rp. 21,238.16 and non-organic farmers is Rp. 11,721.14 / kg with a percentage of 81% larger per kilogram of organic farmers. Premium price received by farmers is Rp.9000,00 with the cost of certification per kg is Rp. 163.00. Organic premium received by farmers is Rp. 9,517,02 / kg. The RC ratio of Subak Abian Buana Kusuma and Pandan Sari were 4.69 and 2.87 respectively, and the Profit Rate was 369% and 187%, compared to 5% for 5% said to be very worthy to be cultivated. The value of t arithmetic> t table (2.34> 2.05), means that the income per hectare of organic cashew farms is greater than non-organic cashew nut production.


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