Article
Environmental Sciences
Purnamita Dasgupta, Kavitha Srikanth
Summary: Forests are crucial for climate change mitigation and adaptation. However, financial transfers for forest conservation in India did not always lead to desired outcomes, highlighting the importance of incorporating ecological values, particularly carbon values, in financial allocation decisions. Directly incentivizing subnational entities may be more effective than indirect approaches in achieving conservation and afforestation goals.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Carlos Pacheco-Angulo, Wenseslao Plata-Rocha, Julio Serrano, Emilio Vilanova, Sergio Monjardin-Armenta, Alvaro Gonzalez, Cristopher Camargo
Summary: Selective logging in the tropics significantly alters forest structure and function, leading to substantial losses of aboveground carbon. Using Landsat data, this study analyzed forest degradation and carbon emissions in a Forest Reserve in the Venezuelan Amazon. The research demonstrated the significant impact of selective logging on carbon emissions and highlighted the lack of reduced impact logging guidelines in tropical forests.
Article
Forestry
Naveed Ahmad, Saleem Ullah, Na Zhao, Faisal Mumtaz, Asad Ali, Anwar Ali, Aqil Tariq, Mariam Kareem, Areeba Binte Imran, Ishfaq Ahmad Khan, Muhammad Shakir
Summary: This study investigates the estimation of biomass in moist temperate forests in Abbottabad, Pakistan using Sentinel-2 remote sensing data. The results show that the atmospherically resistant vegetation index (ARVI) and multiple linear regression models can be used for accurate biomass estimation.
Article
Forestry
Adam Flanery, Richard Mbatu, Rebecca Johns, Dona Stewart
Summary: Community forestry plays an important role in implementing the REDD+ climate change program. However, the impact of different aspects of rural community agency is not well understood. This study examines forest governance and conflicts in two forest communities in Cameroon and finds that power relations and conflicts pose challenges to the success of the REDD+ program. Understanding these dynamics is important for the implementation of REDD+.
Article
Environmental Studies
Ram Ranjan
Summary: Climate change is expected to negatively impact crop productivity and forest resources, posing food security challenges and complicating carbon mitigation goals. Communities may consider enrolling farmland into carbon reduction programs when faced with declining crop productivity due to warming temperatures.
Article
Environmental Studies
Aurelie Shapire, Remi d'Annunzio, Baudouin Descl, Quentin Jungers, Heritier Koy Kondjo, Josefina Mbulito Iyanga, Francis Inicko Gangyo, Tatiana Nana, Conan Vassily Obame, Carine Milandou, Pierrick Rambaud, Denis Jean Sonwa, Benoit Mertens, Elisee Tehana, Damase Khasa, Clement Bourgoin, Cherubins Brice Ouissika, Daddy D. Kipute
Summary: The Central African region is home to the largest continuous tract of forest in Africa, which plays a crucial role in regulating global climate and harboring extensive biodiversity. However, extractive industries, infrastructure development, and industrial agriculture pose significant threats to these forests. A recent study provides a comprehensive remote sensing assessment of deforestation and degradation drivers in the region, highlighting the importance of addressing multiple direct drivers for effective climate change mitigation and land use planning.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alexis A. Bernal, Scott L. Stephens, Brandon M. Collins, John J. Battles
Summary: The restoration of fire-prone forests and their resilience to disturbances is important, but it may conflict with climate mitigation goals by reducing biomass stocks. This study analyzed historical inventories in the Sierra Nevada/southern Cascade region to identify drivers of historical forest characteristics and projected future changes under climate scenarios. The predictions showed convergence in forest structure, with frequent fire being the likely explanation. Under projected climate, hotter sites favor low tree densities, low biomass, and high pine dominance. The study suggests that by 2069, the region may not be able to support aboveground biomass exceeding 25% of current average biomass stocks. Carbon policy needs to be adjusted to match the limited future aboveground carbon stocks in this region.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Christopher G. Bousfield, Mike R. Massam, Carlos A. Peres, David P. Edwards
Summary: Selective logging is widespread in tropical regions, causing depletion of forest biodiversity and carbon stocks. Carbon payments can protect forests from degradation, but their feasibility in the Amazon is uncertain. A study finds that a relatively low carbon price can effectively safeguard large tracts of the Amazon rainforest and provide cost-effective opportunities for protection.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
News Item
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Katharine Sanderson
Summary: Governments and companies are pledging to reduce and offset carbon emissions, but the lack of robust strategies to accomplish their goals is evident.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Stibniati S. Atmadja, Amy E. Duchelle, Veronique De Sy, Vivi Selviana, Mella Komalasari, Erin O. Sills, Arild Angelsen
Summary: Although there are many REDD+ projects implemented globally by NGOs and for-profit companies, the Paris Agreement focuses on jurisdictional REDD+ at the national and subnational level. This study examines 377 REDD+ projects and finds a decline in the number of new projects. Out of 161 certified projects, most use different carbon accounting parameters than national methods. The assessment suggests that REDD+ projects need to be scaled up more than 40 times to fulfill their potential contribution in limiting global warming. While REDD+ projects can achieve emissions reductions and provide non-carbon benefits to local communities, the inconsistency in carbon accounting methods needs to be addressed.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Forestry
David L. Skole, Jay H. Samek, Cheikh Mbow, Michael Chirwa, Dan Ndalowa, Tangu Tumeo, Daud Kachamba, Judith Kamoto, Alfred Chioza, Francis Kamangadazi
Summary: Spatial time-series measurements of forest degradation rates are crucial for estimating national greenhouse gas emissions, but have been difficult to obtain for open forests and woodlands. This study in Malawi has produced a new forest map, as well as measurements of forest degradation and deforestation, contributing to the development of tools for calculating carbon emissions and increasing readiness for REDD+ in semi-arid Africa.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Harry Carstairs, Edward T. A. Mitchard, Iain McNicol, Chiara Aquino, Eric Chezeaux, Medard Obiang Ebanega, Anaick Modinga Dikongo, Mathias Disney
Summary: Selective logging is a major cause of forest degradation in the tropics, and the scale and timing of this degradation are not well-known due to the lack of automated remote sensing methods. However, the C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite Sentinel-1 shows promise in detecting canopy gaps caused by logging. Using a novel bi-temporal LiDAR dataset in a forest degradation experiment in Gabon, researchers have found that Sentinel-1 can detect canopy gaps as small as 0.02 ha. There is also a linear relationship between the area of detected Sentinel-1 shadow and LiDAR-based canopy loss at a scale of 1 hectare.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Romain Pirard, Katia Philippot, Claudia Romero
Summary: Since the early 2000s, studies have estimated the opportunity costs associated with avoiding deforestation. However, there is a lack of alignment between the methods used and the objectives, such as determining compensation levels or assessing financial viability. It is important to follow best practices and consider objectives, adapt methods, determine the scope, discuss sensitivity and uncertainties, and consider the study design's implications for better estimations and informed interventions. Our analysis and recommendations aim to improve interventions and result in increased emissions reductions.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & POLICY
(2023)
Review
Forestry
Shalini Dhyani, Indu K. Murthy, Rakesh Kadaverugu, Rajarshi Dasgupta, Manoj Kumar, Kritika Adesh Gadpayle
Summary: Traditional agroforestry systems in South Asia have been historically important and are now being recognized for their role in climate change mitigation. Efforts are being made by South Asian countries to promote agroforestry for achieving climate goals, with key limitations including inconsistent methodologies for database creation, water scarcity, and insufficient financial support for rural farmers. Addressing these issues is crucial for developing climate readiness in the region.
Article
Forestry
Diego Oliveira Brandao, Lauro Euclides Soares Barata, Carlos Afonso Nobre
Summary: This article reviews the impact of human-induced environmental changes on forest products and forest-dependent communities in the Amazon region. The study finds that populations of species associated with forest products are decreasing due to deforestation and selective logging, leading to changes in species composition and loss of valuable species. Over 1 billion native trees and palms are being lost every two years, resulting in economic losses estimated between US$1-17 billion. This loss of native plant species has long-lasting effects on the economic opportunities of forest-dependent communities. However, investments in science and technology offer potential solutions for recovering deforested and degraded lands and engaging companies that use forest products.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Victoria A. Maguire-Rajpaul, Vinesh M. Rajpaul, Constance L. McDermott, Luis Fernando Guedes Pinto
ENVIRONMENT DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY
(2020)
Article
Economics
Safia Aggarwal, Anne Larson, Constance McDermott, Pia Katila, Lukas Giessen
Summary: The urgent need to restore and sustainably manage land and forests to combat social and environmental threats like climate change, COVID-19, and biodiversity loss highlights the critical role of tenure reform, particularly strengthening collective forest tenure. However, there are still challenges in providing robust tenure for community forestry in terms of legal protections, barriers to rights usage, access to justice, and administrative support, despite some successful cases showcasing the potential of communities and smallholders in sustainable forest management and climate change mitigation. Governments are urged to strengthen community and local rights within their legal frameworks and mainstream implementation in policies and practices, with support from NGOs, civil society organizations, donors, research institutions, and academia.
FOREST POLICY AND ECONOMICS
(2021)
Article
Economics
Maria S. Tysiachniouk, Constance L. McDermott, Antonina A. Kulyasova, Sara Teitelbaum, Marine Elbakidze
Summary: This paper explores how the increasing strictness of international rules on Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), as seen in the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)'s certification standards, is influencing the rights of indigenous and local communities in Russia. Through examining the negotiation and re-configuration of international rules regarding the scope and prescriptiveness of FPIC requirements, it is found that Russian stakeholders are perceiving disruptions in their norms of compromise, leading to debates on who should qualify for FPIC in Russia. The ongoing contestations highlight the potential risks of prescriptive international standards narrowing the scope of whose rights matter in local implementation.
FOREST POLICY AND ECONOMICS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Sabaheta Ramcilovic-Suominen, Sophia Carodenuto, Constance McDermott, Juha Hiedanpaa
Summary: Balancing climate mitigation agendas with environmental justice remains a challenge in climate change governance, especially in mechanisms like REDD+. This study examines the REDD+ process in Laos through an environmental justice framework, highlighting challenges faced by marginalized communities and the role of authoritarian control in hindering justice. The findings question the adequacy of safeguards in promoting justice under a nationally driven REDD+ program, emphasizing the importance of recognition and the political context in shaping justice outcomes.
Article
Ecology
Marine Elbakidze, Lucas Dawson, Constance L. McDermott, Sara Teitelbaum, Maria Tysiachniouk
Summary: This study focuses on the revision of national-level Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards in Canada, Sweden, and Russia in line with biodiversity-related International Generic Indicators (IGIs). The results show that despite efforts by FSC-International to harmonize standards across countries, there are various factors influencing outcomes at the national level. Process-related factors, biodiversity-related actions, desired control over biodiversity outcomes, and the adequacy of available biodiversity knowledge were found to be key factors in the standard-development processes and outcomes in each country.
ECOLOGY AND SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Development Studies
Fiona Nunan, Mary Menton, Constance L. McDermott, Mark Huxham, Kate Schreckenberg
Summary: Efforts to achieve 'win-win' outcomes in improving sustainable management of renewable natural resources face challenges, with governance quality and performance being key factors. Local ownership and inclusive governance are highlighted as important for enhancing the potential of ecosystem services in improving livelihoods, while the presence of multiple governance structures makes causality difficult to trace.
Article
Environmental Studies
Sara Teitelbaum, Maria Tysiachniouk, Constance McDermott, Marine Elbakidze
Summary: This paper conducts a comparative analysis of the Forest Stewardship Council's (FSC) standard development processes in Canada, Russia, and Sweden, revealing similarities in key debates but differences in stakeholder dynamics and outcomes, leading to different conceptions of FPIC reflected in national standards.
Article
Geography
Victoria A. Maguire-Rajpaul, Chris Sandbrook, Constance McDermott, Mark A. Hirons
Summary: Smallholders in Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana play a crucial role in the global chocolate industry, but are now being governed by foreign chocolate corporations through "climate-smart" schemes. This article compares the cases of Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana and finds that smallholder behavior is primarily governed by neoliberal and sovereign powers, reframing them as environmental subjects. However, these corporate-led schemes overlook critical differences between countries and exacerbate violence and religious conflicts in Cote d'Ivoire.
Article
Environmental Studies
Constance L. McDermott, Jasper Montana, Aoife Bennett, Carolina Gueiros, Rachel Hamilton, Mark Hirons, Victoria A. Maguire-Rajpaul, Emilie Parry, Laura Picot
Summary: This paper argues for an equity-based approach to transformation in global governance, highlighting the shortcomings of target-based thinking. The authors illustrate their argument through five case-study vignettes, demonstrating how target-based thinking reinforces power imbalances and fails to deliver desired environmental outcomes.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE
(2023)
Article
Development Studies
Tim Forsyth, Constance L. McDermott, Rabindra Dhakal
Summary: Equitable resilience is an important focus of development policy, but the framing of equity itself can shape the target and scope of development efforts. Universalistic assumptions may overlook dynamic and intersectional influences on risk and vulnerability. Efforts that focus on caste and gender as indicators of social marginalization may overlook changes in vulnerability contexts and increasing vulnerability to climate change. Critical attention is needed to understand how normative framings of equity shape equitable resilience.
Article
Geography
Tim Forsyth, Constance L. McDermott
Summary: Maladaptation arises from exclusion based on inappropriate risk and social identity understandings. Transformative climate justice discussions need to consider deep co-production and address the exclusionary visions within environmental science and policy.
POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Thomas J. Creedy, Rebecca A. Asare, Alexandra C. Morel, Mark Hirons, John Mason, Yadvinder Malhi, Constance L. McDermott, Emmanuel Opoku, Ken Norris
Summary: This study analyzes the impact of ENSO on cocoa production and climate in Ghana. It finds that in recent decades, El Nino years experience reductions in cocoa production followed by several years of increased production, and that this pattern has significantly shifted compared with prior to the 1980s. ENSO phase appears to affect the climate in Ghana, and over the same time period, there have been corresponding significant shifts in the climatic conditions resulting from ENSO extremes, with increasing temperature and water stress.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
Rodd Myers, Rebecca L. Rutt, Constance McDermott, Ahmad Maryudi, Emmanuel Acheampong, Marisa Camargo, Hoang Cam
JOURNAL OF POLITICAL ECOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Development Studies
Constance L. McDermott, Mark Hirons, Abidah Setyowati
SOCIETY & NATURAL RESOURCES
(2020)
Article
Environmental Studies
Zoha Shawoo, C. L. McDermott