Storm Anatol over Europe in December 1999: impacts on societal and energy infrastructure

Storm Anatol impacted the North Sea and northern Europe on 3–4 December 1999. It brought hurricane force winds to Denmark and northern Germany, and high winds also in Sweden and countries around the Baltic Sea. For many meteorological stations in Denmark, the wind speeds were the highest on record and the storm was ranked as a century event. The storm impacts included extensive forest damage, fatalities, hundreds of injuries, power outages, transportation interruptions, as well as storm surge flooding on the west coast of Denmark. Strongly committed to wind energy, Denmark lost 13 onshore wind turbines destroyed during the storm. An important industry insurer noted that this was a remarkably low number, considering the storm intensity and the large number of turbines (>3500) installed in the country. In 1999, offshore wind energy was just getting started in Europe, and the storm provided an important test of environmental extreme conditions impacting offshore infrastructure. This contribution takes a closer look at the regional met-ocean conditions during the storm. A brief overview is made of the wind field and available wave measurements from the North Sea. An examination is made of water level measurements from around the North Sea to characterize the storm surge and identify possible meteo-tsunamis and infragravity waves. Offshore accidents are briefly discussed to assess if there had been unusual wave strikes on shipping or platforms. At the time of the storm in 1999, there was a growing awareness in the scientific community of possible changes in ambient sea state conditions and the increasing threat of rogue waves. The offshore wind energy community had become aware from the impact of rogue waves from damage at the research platform FINO1 in the southern North Sea during severe storms in 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2013. Storm Anatol may have been another rogue wave storm at an earlier stage of offshore wind energy development.

Remote Sensing Technologies for Assessing Climate-Smart Criteria in Mountain Forests

Monitoring forest responses to climate-smart forestry (CSF) is necessary to determine whether forest management is on track to contribute to the reduction and/or removal of greenhouse gas emissions and the development of resilient mountain forests. A set of indicators to assess “the smartness” of forests has been previously identified by combining indicators for sustainable forest management with the ecosystem services. Here, we discuss the remote sensing technologies suitable to assess those indicators grouped in forest resources, health and vitality, productivity, biological diversity, and protective functions criteria. Forest cover, growing stock, abiotic, biotic, and human-induced forest damage, and tree composition indicators can be readily assessed by using established remote sensing techniques. The emerging areas of phenotyping will help track genetic resource indicators. No single existing sensor or platform is sufficient on its own to assess all the individual CSF indicators, due to the need to balance fine-scale monitoring and satisfactory coverage at broad scales. The challenge of being successful in assessing the largest number and type of indicators (e.g., soil conditions) is likely to be best tackled through multimode and multifunctional sensors, increasingly coupled with new computational and analytical approaches, such as cloud computing, machine learning, and deep learning.

Environmental communication model through community-based tourism development in overcoming mangrove damage

Environmental crises such as pollution, forest damage, loss of biodiversity, and climate change are the real problems. The environmental changes can impact the social and economic life of the community. The destruction of mangrove forests and abrasion is a major problem on the coast of Riau Province. This study aims to explain environmental communication through Community based Tourism (CBT) in overcoming mangrove damage in Pangkalan Jambi Village, Bengkalis Regency. This study uses a qualitative method with case studies. The results showed that environmental communication through CBT was carried out by Community Development of PT Pertamina RU II Sei Pakning in collaboration with a fishing group. Environmental communication activities to overcome abrasion and mangrove damage are done by establishing good relations, strengthening fishermen group institutions, and connecting with other groups or stakeholders. Pertamina empowers the fishing group by holding meetings, providing training, and developing tourism-based innovations to conserve mangroves. The emphasis of communication with CBT uses the principles: friendship, deliberation, and mutual cooperation. Mangrove Education Center, besides being a tourist destination, its existence is an important communication channel for public education to care about the environment. This environmental message is not only addressed to empower communities, school students, and local village youth but also has a broad impact on visitors, even becoming mass media coverage and discussions on social media. This CBT-based environmental communication model must be supported and integrated with other stakeholders so that its existence has a wider and sustainable impact.

The fishing season and the exploitation status of mud crab (Scylla serrata) in Asahan Sea, North Sumatera, Indonesia

Crab is one of the resources that can be found in almost all areas in Indonesia, and its export increases every year. However, increase in its exploitation and mangrove forest damage affect crab availability. Scylla serrata is one of the crab commodities for export in Asahan sea, North Sumatera. Scientific studies are necessary to determine the fishing season and the exploitation status of crabs in the area. Therefore, this study was carried out for 3 years, i.e. in April–December 2018, February–December 2019, and March–December 2020, at one crab landing site in Asahan. The fishing season for S. serrata in this area occurred all year long, with peak seasons in April–June and September–December. The crab’s carapace width (CW) was 65–175 mm, where 71.2% of which were below 120 mm. Its carapace width at first capture (CWc) increased from 103.2 mm to 112.1 mm. Its fishing mortality (F) was 1.40 per year, higher than its natural mortality (M) (0.84 per year). Therefore, its exploitation rate (E) was 0.63, indicating that the species was already overfished. Suggested measures to control the fishing activity include limiting the crab size for capture in accordance with the Regulation of the Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries No. 12 Year 2020 and improving the environment of mangrove habitats.

Damages to Himalayan White Pine (Pinus wallichiana) by Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus) in Kaghan Valley, Pakistan

Tree damage is one of the destructive behaviors of the Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus G. (Baron) Cuvier, 1823), and this type of damage causes great economic loss to the forest. A survey about Himalayan white pine (Pinus wallichiana (A. B) Jacks, 1836) damages was conducted at Kaghan Valley, District Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Field surveys were carried out within five major sites of Kaghan Valley, including Manshi reserve forest, Kamal Bann reserve forest, Malkandi reserve forest, Noori Bichla reserve forest, and some Guzara forests. Line transects and diameter at breast height (DBH) methods were selected for data collection. Eighteen transects were placed in different sites of the valley. A total of (n = 201) affected trees were observed from eighteen transects, along with a total population of 1081 trees with the encounter rate (ER: 0.657) and the mean DBH is x¯ = 71.97 cm. Among total damages, the most severe (n = 39: 19.4%) were fully damaged with a greater encounter rate. Bark stripping was made during the late winter season and used as foodstuff when natural food is limited in the area. In severe cases, the bear-stripped bark encircles from the entire tree trunk, which results in the drying of trees and, finally, falls. Among all five sites, Manshi reserve forest was greatly affected, where the highest number (n = 76) of tree damage, and (n = 21) the entire diameter of trunks were damaged. People of the study area claimed that the black bear causes great forest damage, as well as crop destruction that leads to high economic loss.

Forest Management and Adaptation Strategies in Response to Climate Change by the Taiwanese Public

Forests account for 60% of lands in Taiwan. Climate change impacts forests in many aspects and is increasingly likely to undermine the ability of forests to provide basic ecosystem services. To help reduce the impact of climate change on Taiwan’s forests, people must be made aware of the relationship between climate change and forests. Based on questionnaires collected from 17 cities in Taiwan, this study applied spatial analysis to assess the respondents’ understanding of climate change and adaptation strategies for forest management. A total of 650 questionnaires were distributed and 488 valid ones were collected. The results show that (1) Most respondents believe that climate change is true and more than half of the respondents have experienced extreme weather events, especially extreme rainfall; (2) Most respondents believe that climate change will affect Taiwan’s forests with the majority recognizing the increasing impact of extreme events being the primary cause, followed by changes in the composition of tree species and the deterioration of forest adaptability due to climate change; (3) Most respondents expressed that forest management should be adjusted for climate change and called for measures being taken to establish mixed forests as well as monitoring forest damage; (4) In order to address the difficulties faced by forest owners on the impact of climate change, the majority of respondents felt that the government should raise forest owners’ understanding on climate change and adaptation policies, while the subsidy incentives must also be adjusted. The results of this study show that the respondents do realize the importance of climate change and forest management so much so their awareness in this matter led to their support for forest adaptation measures and policies.

Enhancing The Role of Zakat and Waqf on Social Forestry Program in Indonesia

This research aims to initiate the integration model of zakat-waqf with Social Forestry Program. The study is a conceptual paper and qualitative using secondary data and descriptively analyzed. It reviews several existing models related to Zakat and Waqf's role in financing the agriculture and forestry sectors to formulating a novel model for poverty alleviation from communities in and around forests expected to reduce forest destructions in Indonesia. The study concluded that zakat-waqf could finance the Social Forestry program to overcome poverty, inequality and increase the welfare of people living in and around forests. It will provide economic and ecological benefits, especially in reducing forest damage. This research can encourage other researchers to explore the potential of zakat-waqf for financing forestry sectors.Abstrak: Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menginisasi model integrasi zakat dan wakaf dengan program Perhutanan Sosial. Penelitian adalah riset konseptual yang menggunakan data sekunder dan analisis deskriptif. Penelitian ini mengulas beberapa model eksisting mengenai peran zakat dan wakaf dalam membiayai sektor pertanian dan kehutanan untuk menyusun formula baru yang diharapkan mampu menjadi solusi kemiskinan masyarakat di dalam dan sekitar hutan, yang kemudian diharapkan menurunkan tingkat kebakaran dan kerusakan hutan di Indonesia. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa zakat dan wakaf dapat menjadi sumber pembiayaan program Perhutanan Sosial untuk mengatasi kemiskinan, kesenjangan, dan meningkatkan kesejahteraan masyarakat di dalam dan sekitar hutan. Program ini dapat memberikan manfaat ekonomi dan ekologi, spesifiknya untuk mengurangi kerusakan hutan. Penelitian ini diharapkan dapat mendorong peneliti-peneliti lain untuk menganalisis lebih lanjut mengenai potensi zakat dan wakaf untuk membiayai sektor kehutanan.

Persepsi Masyarakat Lokal Terhadap Pengembangan Hutan Mangrove Sebagai Kawasan Ekowisata Di Kampung Ruar Distrik Biak Timur Kabupaten Biak Numfor

The mangrove forest area of ​​Kampung Ruar, East Biak District, is an area that has traditionally been a place for fishing and lime-making efforts by the community who have been hereditary. This condition raises questions from various parties whether this location is suitable to be developed as a mangrove ecotourism destination. Development of Mangrove Ecotourism by the Papua Provincial Forestry Service as a tourist attraction by utilizing local natural potential and supporting tourism policies in Biak Numfor Regency. This study aims to see the socio-cultural conditions of local communities in the Mangrove Forest Area of ​​Kampung Ruar, Biak Timur District, Biak Numfor Regency as an ecotourism area and to assess the local community's perceptions of the development of ecotourism areas in providing benefits to the community both economically and socio-culture in Kampung Ruar Distik Biak Regency. Timur Biak. The study hasli revealed that the perception of local communities about ecotourism (60%), community knowledge about resources (70%) and understanding of community knowledge about forest damage and aspects of forest protection are very good (67), most (49%) people who understand that the potential for ecotourism development has future prospects. The four alternative strategies for mangrove ecotourism in Kampung Ruar, Biak Timur District, Biak Numfor District in Kampung Ruar are as follows: (a) Development of a Tour Package between Mangrove Ecotourism and TBTA Biak; (b) Increase Knowledge and Community Empowerment; (c) Mangrove Rehabilitation and Community Empowerment; and (d) Mentoring and involvement of local communities in management.