Most recent papers:

• Measuring conservation success beyond the traditional biological criteria: the case of conservation projects in Costa Rica, Mekong Valley, and Cameroon.
  Jessica Gruber, Richard Mbatu, Rebecca Johns, Barnali Dixon.
  Natural Resources Forum. October 06, 2017
  Traditionally, the criteria used to measure conservation success or failure are based on biological factors. Biological factors include changes in the amount of targeted conserved species, biodiversity, and total area conserved. However, conservation efforts are not simply a matter of biological concern; environmental, political, social, and conflict pressures on different scales (ranging from local to global) also have strong influences on the outcome of conservation. These other factors can either pose threats to or enhance conservation, but are not addressed by current criteria. Using a proposed holistic rubric that includes interdisciplinary fields, this paper examines a set of conservation factors on different scales – ranging from local to global – to determine their importance in conservation. The paper analyses positive factor influences with more successful conservation and negative factor influences with less successful, or failed, conservation attempts. Neutral and non‐applicable factor influences are also identified, defined, and ranked as a standardization mechanism. The determination of success changed when the holistic rubric was applied to conservation projects in Costa Rica, Mekong Valley, and Cameroon. In the Costa Rica case study, conservation success for Guanacaste and Talamanca national parks is rated ‘moderately low’. In the case of Mekong Valley, conservation success is rated ‘low’ for Lower Mekong, ‘moderately low’ for Greater Annamites, and ‘low’ for Phong Nha‐Ke Bang national parks. Cameroon's Congo Basin and Sangha Tri‐National conservation efforts are both rated ‘low’, while Dja Faunal is rated ‘very low’. We conclude that if conservation efforts are to attain a high level of success, the strategy for global conservation must move away from the traditional biological approach, which focuses mainly on biological concerns, and embrace a holistic approach, which in addition to biological concerns, addresses environmental, political, social, and conflict pressures, which have strong influences on the outcomes of conservation.

  October 06, 2017   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12132   open full text
• Plant indicator status and implications for natural disaster management in both developed communities and indigenous communities.
  Kyoo‐Man Ha.
  Natural Resources Forum. September 14, 2017
  Only a few rigorous studies have attempted to focus on the topic of plant indicators in relation to natural disasters, although recently an increasing number of people have realized its significance. In an effort to aid disaster management, this article studied and aimed to improve the status of plant indicators in predicting or signaling natural disasters. Using a qualitative content analysis, the plant indicators’ uncertain status and certain status are systematically compared using specific plants, developed community efforts, indigenous community traditions, and characteristics of natural disaster management. A key tenet is that all stakeholders must change plant indicators’ uncertain status to certain status by comprehensively elaborating on the integration between developed communities and indigenous communities, plant indicators as a research agenda, the inclusion of plant indicators in disaster management policy and local plans, and education and training.

  September 14, 2017   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12134   open full text
• Productivity effects and natural resource management: econometric evidence from POSAF‐II in Nicaragua.
  Luis A. De los Santos‐Montero, Boris E. Bravo‐Ureta.
  Natural Resources Forum. September 05, 2017
  Understanding how natural resource management (NRM) technologies impact agricultural productivity is essential in order to ensure that policies designed to reduce environmental degradation and alleviate poverty are successful. In this paper, we analyze the impact of natural resource technologies delivered by the Socio‐environmental and Forestry Development Programme‐II (POSAF‐II) in Nicaragua. Using cross‐sectional data for 1,201 farmers (475 beneficiaries, 726 control farmers), we provide empirical evidence concerning the effects of a NRM programme on two critical components of productivity: technological change (TC) and technical efficiency (TE). We use propensity score matching (PSM) to mitigate potential biases from observable variables and a recent stochastic production frontier (SPF) model that addresses sample selection bias arising from unobservable variables. Our results show that POSAF‐II has had a positive impact on the two dimensions of productivity analyzed, i.e., TC and TE. This study contributes to the literature on impact evaluation by showing how an intervention designed to improve NRM can also enhance the income of poor farm households through increases in productivity.

  September 05, 2017   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12133   open full text
• Are denser cities greener? Evidence from China, 2000–2010.
  Rui Wang, Quan Yuan.
  Natural Resources Forum. August 23, 2017
  Whether a city develops into a more compact one with a higher density or a more sprawling one may affect multiple aspects of the urban environment, including ecosystem health, greenhouse gas emissions, and quality of life. Using panel data gathered from China's cities from 2000 to 2010, we take advantage of the significant variation in the temporal change of density across cities to estimate the relationship between gross urban population density and multiple indicators of urban greenness. Fixed‐effects estimates support the widely held belief that density improves air quality and reduces the per capita carbon footprint. Results also suggest that higher density reduces the growth of road infrastructure and vehicle ownership and promotes walking. While density often translates into proximity and accessibility, higher density does reduce a city's per capita urban park and green space. This study strengthens the urban policy and planning literature with much needed longitudinal evidence. Our overall findings support higher density as opposed to lower density urban development in China.

  August 23, 2017   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12131   open full text
• Formalising informal solid waste recycling at the Pomona dumpsite in Harare, Zimbabwe.
  Svongwa Nemadire, Stenly Mapurazi, George Nyamadzawo.
  Natural Resources Forum. August 23, 2017
  The role of informal recycling in poverty alleviation and solid waste management in cities in developing countries has been receiving increased attention. This study explores the integration of the informal recycling sector with the Harare City Council's solid waste management system, focusing on the Pomona dumpsite. The extent of this integration was compared with interventions proposed in InteRa, a new way of evaluating the integration of informal recyclers with the waste management systems of cities in developing countries. Our results suggest that the Harare City Council, which had the vision of transforming itself into a world‐class city, failed to fully integrate the informal recycling sector. We suggest to policymakers that complete integration of the informal sector will not necessarily prevent cities from achieving such visions. Rather, addressing the neglected interventions may help in achieving their visions.

  August 23, 2017   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12130   open full text
• Canada's Model Forests 20 years on: towards forest and community sustainability?
  Ryan Bullock, Kathryn Jastremski, Maureen G. Reed.
  Natural Resources Forum. August 23, 2017
  We review how Canadian Model Forests pursued forest and community sustainability over the course of two decades (1992–2012). Given its roots in the forest industry and forest science, Model Forest programming initially faced some challenges in pursuing the socio‐economic dimensions of sustainable forest management (SFM) in order to fulfil mandated community sustainability objectives. This was due, in part, to how objectives, stakeholders, and expertise were brought together to develop SFM. The programme helped to define sustainability and the SFM paradigm, advance forest science and social research, and bring together a mix of usually adversarial partners in the name of innovation. Ultimately, the termination of federal programming was linked to high‐level policy shifts, yet difficulty in delivering on the socio‐economic dimensions of SFM during a period of forest sector and community crisis was also a factor.

  August 23, 2017   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12129   open full text
• Promoting equity in water access: the limits of fairness of a rural water programme in semi‐arid Mozambique.
  Raphaëlle Ducrot, Magalie Bourblanc.
  Natural Resources Forum. August 23, 2017
  Bridging the water infrastructure gap has become a major policy concern. In rural areas of Africa, access to water is as much constrained by territorial coverage as it is by the poor conditions of water points due to the difficulty in mobilizing communities for repairs. This paper examines the equity considerations of a rural water and sanitation programme in a district of Mozambique, and their impacts on the achievement of the programme's objectives. Our analysis underlines the contradictions in the conceptualization of equity in the design, planning and implementation of the programme. Even an explicitly pro‐poor strategy can fall short of delivering equity. Our findings stress the fact that overlooking local perception of equity can have a direct impact on the ability of a community to ensure the maintenance of their water points. They call for a careful definition of equity in the design of water programmes, as well as closer attention to this criterion as a precondition to achieving the long‐term objective of the programme.

  August 23, 2017   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12128   open full text
• Stakeholders’ perceptions of integrated rainwater management approaches in the Blue Nile Basin of the Ethiopian highlands.
  Annet A. Mulema, Zelalem Lema, Elias Damtew, Aberra Adie, Zadoc Ogutu, Alan J. Duncan.
  Natural Resources Forum. May 24, 2017
  Previous approaches to improve soil and water management in the Ethiopian highlands have achieved marginal success. An integrated approach to rainwater management (RWM) has been piloted to address interrelated problems of land degradation, livestock feed shortage, and soil erosion, in an effort to improve the resilience of rural livelihoods. However, stakeholders’ perceptions about the approach have not been documented. Using data from in‐depth interviews, this study assesses stakeholders’ knowledge, attitudes, skills and practices in the Diga, Jeldu and Fogera districts of Ethiopia. Our study finds gender differences in knowledge and application of integrated RWM strategies amongst farmers. Stakeholders interviewed appreciate fodder development because it directly addresses land degradation and livestock feed shortage, and provides extra benefits to the households. There are differences in successful RWM practices across the districts. Planners, researchers and policy makers engaged in innovation platforms have an increased understanding of the tools to engage multiple stakeholders in planning for RWM. However, inflexible extension approaches and other contextual issues limit wide‐scale use of bottom‐up approaches. We conclude that approaches to RWM that are holistic and engage diverse stakeholders foster the uptake of innovations. Awareness creation, collaboration, capacity development, incentives, monitoring, political will and favorable gender norms are vital to the process.

  May 24, 2017   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12126   open full text
• Evidence of the impacts of the national housing programme on the accessibility of the low‐income population in Rio de Janeiro.
  José Renato Barandier, Milena Bodmer, Izabella Lentino.
  Natural Resources Forum. April 10, 2017
  The Brazilian shift from a primarily rural to a more urban society has created major challenges that public policies must address. One of the most relevant challenges is deep social exclusion in urban areas, especially in terms of adequate housing and access to urban opportunities (e.g., jobs, housing, and services). In this context, land use and transport planning play a critical role in the sustainable development agenda. The work presented here analyses the accessibility of low‐income dwellings licenced under the Brazilian housing programme to the low‐income population. To evaluate the accessibility of the programme's target population, a case study was conducted in the city of Rio de Janeiro, where 58,000 homes licensed under the programme were analysed using GIS tools in terms of the present public transport network and the location of the homes. The amount of time it takes to access public transport on foot and the homes’ locations in relation to major urban opportunities were also analysed. Finally, the same analysis was performed for the future transport network, and the results of the two analyses were compared to identify the scope of the legacy generated by investments in preparation for the 2016 network.

  April 10, 2017   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12124   open full text
• Conflict and collective action in Tonle Sap fisheries: adapting governance to support community livelihoods.
  Blake D. Ratner, Sovannarith So, Kosal Mam, Il Oeur, Sour Kim.
  Natural Resources Forum. April 10, 2017
  This paper presents the results of action research conducted from 2009 to 2015 on the dynamics of resource conflict concerning fisheries and livelihoods in the Tonle Sap Lake, as well as the institutional context and strategies for institutional adaptation to address such conflicts equitably. Over the past 15 years, Cambodia has made significant advances in building the policy framework, regulations and institutions to support community‐based fisheries management and increase the sector's contribution to the rural economy. However, fundamental challenges of increased resource conflict and loss of livelihoods by the most vulnerable remain. Key sources of conflict include destructive and illegal fishing practices, clearing of flooded forests, competing uses of land and water, and overlapping resource claims. Addressing these challenges requires collective action by all key actors: local fishers, the private sector, civil society, development partners, and government from the local to the national level. We identify and elaborate upon four governance priorities: (1) clarify roles and responsibilities in fisheries management; (2) link civil society and government efforts in law enforcement; (3) strengthen partnerships for livelihoods development; and (4) integrate fisheries management into decentralised development planning.

  April 10, 2017   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12120   open full text
• The effect of clean energy regulations and incentives on green jobs: panel analysis of the United States, 1998–2007.
  Taedong Lee.
  Natural Resources Forum. April 07, 2017
  ‘Green jobs’ are often presented as a simultaneous solution for the economic downturn and the environmental crisis, particularly as they relate to sustainable development in energy and climate change. Federal, state, and municipal authorities have employed a variety of policy tools to boost job creation within their jurisdictions. This study focuses on the role that state policies play in creating green jobs. It examines two generic policy tools – regulations and incentives – each of which can be aimed at advancing energy efficiency or renewable energy production, and assesses the relative impact they have had on generating green jobs. In order to measure this impact, we utilize panel data compiled by the Pew Charitable Trusts, which contain a state‐level count of green jobs from 1998 to 2007. The results of the analysis suggest that regulations, particularly those that mandate action on renewable energy, are likely to increase the number of private sector green jobs in states. Regulations with clear guidelines and targets tend to reduce uncertainty in business, and can lead to increased private sector investment and job availability. This study provides practical lessons regarding the type and design of policy instruments and regulations on renewable energy, which effectively encourage green job growth.

  April 07, 2017   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12125   open full text
• Conservation agriculture and sustainable development in Africa: insights from Tanzania.
  Andreas Scheba.
  Natural Resources Forum. March 29, 2017
  In recent years, conservation agriculture (CA) has been increasingly promoted as the best solution to sustainable agricultural development in Africa. Proponents argue that it offers increased yields, reduced labour requirements, improved soil fertility and climate mitigation benefits. At the same time, a growing number of scholars have questioned its promises, impacts and applicability to small, resource‐poor African farmers. To add to the debate, this paper draws on fieldwork from two case study villages in the Lindi region of Tanzania. It scrutinizes CA farmer field schools’ performances, the impact on villagers’ perceptions of core principles and socio‐economic/institutional constraints related to its adoption. It demonstrates how farmer field schools failed to meet initial expectations because of challenges associated with economic benefits, labour demand, availability and accessibility of inputs, infrastructure, governance, and stakeholder relations. It argues that the applicability to and adoption of CA depends on the transformation of individual perceptions as well as structural constraints, including credit facilities, markets for inputs, infrastructure and availability of labour, which has long been a limitation of donor‐initiated programmes. Under constraining socio‐economic and institutional conditions, questions continue to loom large over the long‐term applicability of CA to African smallholder farmers.

  March 29, 2017   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12123   open full text
• An Environmental Kuznets Curve for N2O emissions in Germany: an ARDL approach.
  Manuel A. Zambrano‐Monserrate, Mario Andres Fernandez.
  Natural Resources Forum. March 29, 2017
  This paper analyses the relationship between nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, economic growth, agricultural land used and exports in Germany. We use time‐series data between 1970 and 2012 and the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) methodology to test for cointegration in the long run. Results show that there is a quadratic long run relationship between N2O emissions and economic growth, confirming the existence of an Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) for Germany. Agricultural land area affects N2O emissions positively, whereas exports affect emissions negatively. The turning point is $27,880, which is within the sample and implies that Germany is in the decreasing part of the curve of environmental degradation. The paper shows that, contrary to testing the EKC in less developed countries, mitigation of N2O emissions does not negatively affect growth in Germany. As such, it is feasible to undertake any conservative policy in order to reduce emissions without major consequences on economic sectors.

  March 29, 2017   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12122   open full text
• Assessment of seasonal variations of carbon dioxide concentration in Iran using GOSAT data.
  Seyed Mohsen Mousavi, Samereh Falahatkar, Manouchehr Farajzadeh.
  Natural Resources Forum. March 16, 2017
  Global warming and climate change have been identified as the most important challenges of the 21st century. Greenhouse Gases Observation Satellite (GOSAT) measures the concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO 2) and methane (CH 4) in the atmosphere column from the earth's surface to the upper atmosphere. In this research, GOSAT Thermal And Near Infrared Sensor for Carbon Observation – Fourier Transform Spectrometer (TANSO‐FTS) level 2 data and meteorological parameters were used in the assessment of changes in CO 2 concentration (XCO 2) from 2009 to 2015. We investigated the relationship between XCO 2 and meteorological parameters (temperature and precipitation) obtained from weather stations and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in the year 2013 in Iran. The results reveal a steady increase in the mean atmospheric CO 2 concentration, from 384.89 to 400.39 ppm. It was observed that the XCO 2 varied significantly depending on the month, with the highest concentration of CO 2 in April/May and the lowest concentration in August/September. The correlation between XCO 2 and average monthly air temperature is negative, which means that a reduction in XCO 2 with an increase in temperature is dependent on photosynthetic activities in the growing seasons. The highest and lowest correlation coefficient between the NDVI and XCO 2 was obtained in the spring and in the fall, respectively. These findings are useful for recognizing factors that affect CO 2 concentration in different seasons in arid and semi‐arid regions, and as an initial step toward sustainable management.

  March 16, 2017   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12121   open full text
• REDD+ in Africa: contexts and challenges.
  Belachew Gizachew, Rasmus Astrup, Pål Vedeld, Eliakimu M. Zahabu, Lalisa A. Duguma.
  Natural Resources Forum. March 07, 2017
  REDD+, a climate change mitigation mechanism that values carbon in tropical forests, is expected to provide Africa with a range of environmental and socio‐economic benefits. Drawing on a vast array of literature and personal experiences, this review analyzed particular features and challenges that REDD+ implementation has faced on the continent. The distinct contexts and major challenges regarding governance, finance and technical capacities are discussed, and mechanisms to fill these gaps are suggested. Radical land tenure reform and a perfect safeguard mechanism that transfers forest land and carbon to the communities are unlikely. REDD+ should rather look for systems that respect local institutional arrangements, and allow forest‐based communities to participate in decision‐making and benefit sharing, particularly benefits from emerging REDD+. Finances for REDD+ infrastructure and the results‐based payment are in short supply. While negotiating for potential external sources in the short term, Africa should generate domestic financial resources and look for additional payments for ecosystem services. Africa should also negotiate for forest monitoring capacity building, while strengthening local community forest monitoring. This review contributes to an improved understanding of the contexts and challenges to consider in the capacity and policy development for REDD+ implementation.

  March 07, 2017   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12119   open full text
• Protected areas and deforestation: new results from high‐resolution panel data.
  Brian Blankespoor, Susmita Dasgupta, David Wheeler.
  Natural Resources Forum. February 21, 2017
  This paper investigates the effectiveness of protected areas in slowing tropical forest clearing in 64 countries in Asia/Pacific, Africa and Latin America during the period of 2001–2012 by comparing deforestation rates inside and within 10 km outside of the boundaries of protected areas. Annual time series of these deforestation rates were constructed from recently published high‐resolution data on forest clearing from Hansen et al. (2013). For 4,028 parks, panel estimation based on a variety of park characteristics was conducted to test if deforestation was lower in protected areas because of their protected status, or if other factors explained the difference. From a sample of 726 parks established since 2002, a test was also conducted to investigate the effect of park establishment on protection. Findings suggest park size, national park status and management by indigenous people all are significantly associated with effective protection across regions. For the Asia/Pacific region, the test offers compelling evidence that park establishment has a near‐immediate and powerful effect.

  February 21, 2017   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12118   open full text
• Understanding local community attitudes toward industrial development in the Great Barrier Reef region World Heritage Area: are environmental impacts perceived to overshadow economic benefits?
  Claudia F. Benham.
  Natural Resources Forum. February 21, 2017
  Conflicts between industrial development and environmental conservation can be particularly acute when such development occurs in the vicinity of World Heritage sites. A key example is the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA) in northeastern Australia, where a 2012 review by the World Heritage Council found that rapid port development inshore of the coral reef posed significant risks to local marine ecosystems. Such instances pose pressing challenges for decision‐makers seeking to manage World Heritage sites for multiple values and needs, including those of key stakeholder groups, such as local communities. There is increasingly a societal expectation that public decision‐making takes into account local views and priorities, and that companies seek a ‘social license to operate’. This research explored local community attitudes toward port development associated with the export of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and coal through the GBRWHA. Using data drawn from a survey and interviews, the research examined how a range of geographical factors, including proximity to gas infrastructure and the perceived impacts and risks of development to the local community, economy and environment shape community perceptions of the industry. Findings suggest that local attitudes toward gas and coal terminal development inshore of the GBRWHA are shaped predominantly by community perceptions of environmental impacts and risks associated with such infrastructure, in contrast to a broader public narrative that focuses largely on economic benefits. A complex combination of other factors, including social impacts, personal environmental values, community trust in industry, and equity in decision‐making and distribution of the risks and benefits of industrial development also contribute. Placed in a broader, global context, the findings have important implications for public decision‐making processes in Australia and elsewhere as they suggest that, for local communities, the perceived impacts of gas development on the environment may overshadow the benefits of industry.

  February 21, 2017   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12112   open full text
• Attaining SDG11: can sustainability assessment tools be used for improved transformation of neighbourhoods in historic city centers?
  Tulin Vural Arslan, Selen Durak, Deniz Ozge Aytac.
  Natural Resources Forum. January 20, 2017
  In coping with rapid urbanization resulting from increased urban growth, limited resources, and the threat of natural and man‐made disasters, cities are being pressured to change. The United Nations created goals to address these issues, drafting the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015. Goal 11 of the SDGs addresses issues pertaining to urban development, and focuses on attaining safe, inclusive, resilient and sustainable cities. In order to monitor progress regarding SDG 11, there is a need for globally‐identified and comparable indicators. The City Prosperity Index (CPI) has been recognized as a valuable tool in evaluating the social, economic and physical aspects of cities. However, the CPI is not sufficient in itself in translating information obtained through evaluation into information relevant to policy‐making and planning at the neighbourhood level. Positive urban change can be achieved through improvements made to neighbourhoods, as the core units of cities. Many countries have developed several tools to assess neighbourhoods, applying various indicators to guide the planning process, in an effort to attain sustainability. Many Turkish cities are experiencing the negative effects of rapid urbanization. Within the scope of this study, three neighbourhoods in the historic urban core of Bursa in Turkey have been assessed through Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Neighbourhood Pattern and Design (LEED‐NPD) under LEED Neighbourhood Development (LEED‐ND). By analyzing the existing conditions, this study aims to present the strengths and weaknesses of the case study area and establish a documental and informational base, in order to respond with a plan at the neighbourhood level.

  January 20, 2017   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12115   open full text
• The role of institutions in sustainable urban governance.
  Allison Bridges.
  Natural Resources Forum. January 20, 2017
  In an effort to support a transition to sustainability, urban institutions now face new challenges. Municipal level institutions design and implement sustainability action plans, climate action plans and increasingly, climate adaption projects. This article reviews the debates surrounding the role of institutions in sustainable urban governance, as well as the tools available to assess the plurality of actors working within and across institutional boundaries. Sustainability as a guiding principle in urban planning requires a fundamental reorientation of the rationalities that have governed discrete aspects of social, economic and political life in cities. Institutions, in ordering the administrative and management activities of urban governments, are critical in efforts to hasten the adoption of sustainability ideals and in the implementation of associated projects. Urban political institutions engage with new forms of environmental leadership and polycentric forms of environmental governance in response to contextually specific urban characteristics and actor constellations. The extent to which sustainability ideals are institutionalized depends on sound analysis that helps form new understandings of the ways in which human‐environment systems are coupled — and how this coupling should inform governance action in support of sustainable urban development.

  January 20, 2017   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12116   open full text
• Social disruption, mine closure and housing policy: evidence from the Free State Goldfields, South Africa.
  John Ntema, Lochner Marais, Jan Cloete, Molefi Lenka.
  Natural Resources Forum. January 05, 2017
  The creation of mine settlements became a common practice between 1950 and 1980. These mining towns were seen as places of permanent settlement. This permanency, together with the privatisation of mine‐owned houses (mid‐1980s) increased place attachment. Mine decline thus brought with it some form of social disruption. Whereas mining companies in Australia have attempted to minimise the social disruption caused by mine closure by introducing fly‐in‐fly‐out arrangements, the post‐apartheid housing policy in South Africa has focused on asset building in mining areas. We completed 180 interviews with representatives of households. The survey formed part of a panel survey and further included a control group and 15 qualitative interviews. Our results indicate that though members of the mining community have housing units that are larger than those of the control group, incomes are lower in the mining community, real income is in decline, smaller numbers of household members are contributing to income, self‐assessments of wealth are characterised by lower ratings, household assets increase at a slower pace, and there is a stronger preference to continue to reside in the area. All of the above serves to illustrate the consequences of the asset‐based strategies embedded in South African housing policy. The social disruption associated with mine closure further tends to lock households into locations, and thus inhibits mobility.

  January 05, 2017   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12117   open full text
• Household susceptibility to hydrological change in the Lower Mekong Basin.
  Ruby W. Grantham, Murray A. Rudd.
  Natural Resources Forum. December 23, 2016
  The hydrological conditions of the Lower Mekong Basin support a multitude of ecosystem services. Processes that influence water flow in the Mekong River will thus have implications for the tens of millions of people whose livelihoods depend on these services. This study presents an assessment of livelihood susceptibility to hydrological change in the Lower Mekong Basin. Using an index‐based approach, susceptibility scores were calculated for 2,703 households. Using those scores, we compared average household susceptibility across the basin, among countries and among eco‐zones. Due to their greater livelihood dependency on water‐related activities, mean household susceptibility was higher in Vietnam than in Cambodia, Laos, or Thailand. Households in Northern Laos also had high susceptibility, which was attributed to their low adaptive capacity. The findings suggest that policies aimed at reducing vulnerability to hydrological change in the Lower Mekong Basin should account for geographic context. Further, they highlight how policies may be able to strategically target the most susceptible households, but that poorly designed policies have the potential to exacerbate vulnerability. In the face of high uncertainty surrounding hydrological change in the Lower Mekong Basin, our assessment of susceptibility should help inform precautionary water management policies and provide baseline information needed for more comprehensive vulnerability assessments.

  December 23, 2016   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12113   open full text
• Adapting to climate variability and change in rural Kenya: farmer perceptions, strategies and climate trends.
  Justus Ochieng, Lilian Kirimi, Joyce Makau.
  Natural Resources Forum. December 09, 2016
  Climate change has had a significant impact on rain‐fed agricultural production in developing countries. Smallholder farmers are the most vulnerable, and currently must make production decisions in a high risk and uncertain environment with regard to rainfall and temperature. This paper uses climate and household survey data to analyse farmer perceptions regarding climate change, adaptation measures taken in response to these changes, and how well these perceptions correlate with meteorological data in Kenya. We find that a significant number of farmers perceive climate change as real, and that they are particularly concerned about changes in rainfall and temperature. Changing crop varieties is predominantly used as an adaptation measure since extension messages often encourage adoption of drought‐resistant varieties. Major factors influencing farmer perceptions include age of the farmer, which is often associated with more farming experience and subsequent extension service. Except in low potential zones, farmers' perceptions of climatic variability are in line with climatic data records. Better education, access to extension messages, farm size and credit facilities are necessary for farmers to decide to adapt to climate change. The paper further assesses barriers to the adoption of various adaptation strategies, and lack of finances and knowledge have been found to inhibit adaptation response within the smallholder farming sector. Findings imply that effective adaptation to threats posed by climate variability and change requires a multi‐dimensional collaborative approach, with different stakeholders playing key roles in providing support services in terms of education, extension, credit and meteorological information.

  December 09, 2016   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12111   open full text
• Renewable inequity? Women's employment in clean energy in industrialized, emerging and developing economies.
  Bipasha Baruah.
  Natural Resources Forum. October 18, 2016
  Women are globally underrepresented in the energy industry. This paper reviews existing academic and practitioner literature on women's employment in renewable energy in industrialized nations, emerging economies and developing countries. It highlights similarities and differences in occupational patterns in women's employment in renewables in different parts of the world, and makes recommendations for optimizing women's participation. Findings reveal the need for broader socially‐progressive policies and shifts in societal attitudes about gender roles, in order for women to benefit optimally from employment in renewables. In some industrialized countries, restructuring paid employment in innovative ways while unlinking social protection from employment status has been suggested as a way to balance gender equity with economic security and environmental protection. However, without more transformative social changes in gender relations, such strategies may simply reinforce rather than subvert existing gender inequities both in paid employment and in unpaid domestic labor. Grounded interventions to promote gender equality in renewable energy employment – especially within the context of increasing access to energy services for underserved communities – are more prevalent and better‐established in some non‐OECD (Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development) countries. OECD countries might be well‐advised to try to implement certain programs and policies that are already in place in some emerging economies.

  October 18, 2016   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12105   open full text
• Sustainability assessment of three districts in the city of Donostia through the NEST simulation tool.
  Xabat Oregi, Maxime Pousse, Lara Mabe, Alexandre Escudero, Iker Mardaras.
  Natural Resources Forum. October 06, 2016
  Nowadays, urbanists are facing increasing demands regarding the performance of urban development projects in terms of environment, quality of life and socio‐economic issues. In order to address these increasing demands, actors involved in urban development projects need tools capable of assessing their impacts. These tools should also enable the comparison of all potential scenarios. Taking into account these needs, Nobatek and Tecnalia have developed NEST (Neighbourhood Evaluation for Sustainable Territories), which is one of the first tools that allows for a simultaneous environmental, economic and social analysis at the district scale, with a life‐cycle perspective. Using NEST, the authors of this work carried out an environmental and social evaluation of three districts in the city of Donostia, in the framework of the Essai Urbain research project. The evaluation first consisted of analysing baseline environmental impacts of the three districts. Then, with the objective of reducing environmental impacts and increasing social well‐being, the authors proposed several refurbishment scenarios for the studied districts, focusing on energy issues. The study was performed in close collaboration with the city of Donostia, which enabled the identification and selection of the most relevant scenarios from an environmental standpoint. Moreover, the NEST software has caught the attention of the project's stakeholders regarding environmental issues. Finally, NEST seems to be an interesting alternative in accounting for sustainable development issues from the early stages of urban development projects.

  October 06, 2016   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12104   open full text
• Considering the locals: coastal construction and destruction in times of climate change on Anjouan, Comoros.
  Beate M.W. Ratter, Jan Petzold, Kamardine Sinane.
  Natural Resources Forum. August 30, 2016
  The current discussion of anticipated climate change impacts and future sea level rise is particularly relevant to small island states. An increase in natural hazards, such as floods and storm waves, is likely to have a devastating impact on small islands' coastlines, severely affecting targeted sustainable development. Coastal erosion, notably human‐induced erosion, has been an ongoing threat to small island biodiversity, resources, infrastructure, and settlements, as well as society at large. In the context of climate change, the problem of coastal erosion and the debate surrounding it is gaining momentum. Before attributing associated impacts to climate change, current human activities need to be analysed, focusing not only on geomorphological and climatological aspects, but also on political and traditional cultural frameworks. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the importance of the social‐political‐ecological systems analysis for adaptation strategies, and thus for future sustainable development. Coastal use is based on human constructs of the coast, as well as local perceptions and values ascribed to the coast. We use the case study of Anjouan, Comoros to differentiate between constructive and destructive practices on the coast, from both a mental and technical perspective. Beach erosion is described as more than a resource problem that manifests itself locally rather than nationally. Divergent political scales of interest impact future development as much as local action. Local action is not least framed by mental contribution and attribution of coasts as places for living, recreation and resource use. The present case study demonstrates that mental constructs of coasts as valuable areas can, in some cases, lead to the protection and preservation of beaches by initiatives of collective action. At the same time, local communities see the negative impacts of sand mining as causes of coastal erosion and, therefore, it is difficult to mobilize them to adapt to climate change and sea level rise.

  August 30, 2016   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12102   open full text
• A framework for reforming India's forest biodiversity management regime.
  S. Faizi, M. Ravichandran.
  Natural Resources Forum. August 30, 2016
  India's forest biodiversity management regime is analysed at the policy, legal and institutional levels, from the perspective of the triple objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the principles of the Indian constitution. The forest biodiversity management regime has both structural and functional flaws that render it largely incapable of facing the challenge of increasing biodiversity degradation and deepening poverty among the Adivasis and other forest‐dependent communities. The paper argues for the reform of the forest biodiversity management regime and offers recommendations in regard to most aspects of the regime, with a view of putting the country's conservation enterprise on a course that is effective, sustainable and inclusive, rejecting the report of the High Power Committee (HPC) (also known as the Subramanian Committee), which is premised on easing corporate access to forests.

  August 30, 2016   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12103   open full text
• Thinking inside the basin: scale in transboundary water management.
  Bunyod Holmatov, Jonathan Lautze.
  Natural Resources Forum. August 09, 2016
  While transboundary waters are widely advocated to be best managed at the basin level, practical experience in transboundary waters at the basin vis‐à‐vis other scales has not been systematically examined. To understand past experiences in transboundary water management at alternate scales, this paper: (i) determines the relative abundance of water treaties at different scales and (ii) elucidates how transboundary water law varies according to the scale to which it applies. The paper developed a scale typology with six groups, and systematically applied it to stratify transboundary water treaties. Treaty contents were then compared across scales according to the following set of parameters: primary issue area, temporal development, and important water management attributes. Results of this work reveal: (i) treaties tend to focus on hydropower and flood control at smaller scales, and organizations and policies at larger scales; (ii) a temporal trend toward treaties concluded at larger scales; and (iii) a higher proportion of treaties is at larger scales in Africa and Asia than in Europe and the Americas. These findings suggest that smaller scale cooperation may constitute a more constructive scale in which to achieve development‐oriented cooperation. Further, scope may exist to complement basin scale cooperation with cooperation at smaller scales, in order to optimize transboundary water management. In the context of basin‐wide management frameworks, Africa and Asia may benefit from greater emphasis on small‐scale transboundary water cooperation.

  August 09, 2016   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12099   open full text
• Dynamics of local governance in natural resource conservation in the Okavango Delta, Botswana.
  Emmanuel Mogende, Oluwatoyin Kolawole.
  Natural Resources Forum. July 29, 2016
  There has been a shift in natural resource management worldwide. This paper describes how modern institutions and policies influence management and shape access to and utilization of resources by rural communities in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. It is rooted in the framework of adaptive co‐governance within social‐ecological systems, and employs a critical literature review to analyse access to and use of natural resources in rural Botswana. Prior to the establishment of community‐based natural resource management (CBNRM) in Botswana in 1989, resource governance was dominated by strong traditional institutions that were responsible for natural resource management and decision‐making. Contemporary natural resource governance is characterized by a bureaucratic system that invariably undermines the role of traditional institutions in natural resource governance. Findings indicate that policies and regulatory instruments deny rural communities adequate access to and utilization of resources available within their immediate environment. In spite of an orientation towards an anthropocentric approach to natural resource management (as in the case of CBNRM), the current governance system continues to undermine the inclusion of local resource users as legitimate stakeholders in the decision‐making process.

  July 29, 2016   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12098   open full text
• Qualifying irrigation system sustainability by means of stakeholder perceptions and concerns: lessons from the Segarra‐Garrigues Canal, Spain.
  Sandra Ricart, Anna Ribas, David Pavón.
  Natural Resources Forum. July 21, 2016
  When planning interventions, water and land resource managers increasingly need to take the opinions of stakeholders into account. In the present study, stakeholders’ concerns in a multifunctional water system are assessed, with a focus on the debate about the sustainability of irrigation projects in stressed and competing water contexts. The selected case study pertains to the Segarra‐Garrigues irrigation canal (Spain), the promotion of which has generated social debate and mobilization, as well as pronouncements from European authorities for ensuring its environmental sustainability. Data was collected through semi‐structured interviews and analysed by means of a new codification system for identifying the affinities and conflicts arising from existing water demands. Results show that sustainability concepts are more present in civil society than in public administration and private services or the rural community. However, social sustainability and environmental sustainability are a priority for most stakeholders, while the economic perspective of sustainable development has been conditioned by the first two. These results can be used by relevant authorities as a first step in customizing their interventions, as they provide a clear initial idea of what stakeholder priorities are in the framework of sustainable development.

  July 21, 2016   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12097   open full text
• Who counts, what counts: representation and accountability in water governance in the Upper Comoé sub‐basin, Burkina Faso.
  Carla Roncoli, Brian Dowd‐Uribe, Ben Orlove, Colin Thor West, Moussa Sanon.
  Natural Resources Forum. July 05, 2016
  This article examines the unfolding of integrated water resource management (IWRM) reforms in southwest Burkina Faso, where water resources are subject to conflicting claims by a diversity of users. We first describe the establishment a local water user committee, showing how choices regarding composition and operations grant varying levels of recognition to different stakeholders. We then discuss the implications for key dimensions of decentralized governance, namely representation and accountability. In particular we focus on: (a) how the interplay of political agendas and policy disconnects shapes the committee's viability and credibility and (b) how tensions between techno‐scientific and local knowledge affect participation and transparency. We argue that in contexts defined by contentious politics and neo‐patrimonial practices, representativeness is better ensured by the direct inclusion of user groups rather than elected officials. Though limited discretionary power, information access, and technical capabilities of committee members inhibit accountability, rural producers uphold their claims through social mobilization and reliance on local knowledge. Recognizing the opportunities offered by the country's recent democratic turn, we formulate recommendations aimed at addressing structural drivers and enabling citizen agency in decentralized water governance. At the same time, further research is needed on local people's understandings of representation and accountability, to ensure that they are involved in institutional design and practices in ways that affirm what they value and what they know.

  July 05, 2016   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12095   open full text
• Impact of forest policies on timber production in India: a review.
  Mili Ghosh, Bhaskar Sinha.
  Natural Resources Forum. June 29, 2016
  Until the 20th century, forest policies across the globe focused primarily on effective forest utilization for timber production. Subsequent loss of forest land prompted many countries to review and amend such policies, in an attempt to incorporate the principles of conservation and sustainable forest management. One of the countries to implement such changes was India, which introduced new policies, acts and programmes to regulate forest conversion and degradation, beginning in the 1980s. These policies, acts, and programmes included the Forest Conservation Act of 1980, the National Forest Policy of 1988 and the Hon. Supreme Court Order of 1996. All of these regulations affected the timber supply from government forest areas, and created a huge gap in timber supply and demand. Currently, this deficit is met through imports and trees outside forests (TOFs). Timber production from government forest areas is abysmally low (3.35% of total demand) compared to potential timber production from TOFs, which fulfil 45% of the total timber demand in India. This implies that TOFs have immense potential in meeting the growing timber demand; however, they have not been fully utilized due to discrepancies in state level TOFs’ policies. The present paper provides a review of different forest policies, acts and guidelines in relation to timber production in India, and provides specific recommendations in order to maximize timber production in the context of increasing demand for timber products.

  June 29, 2016   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12094   open full text
• Sustainable mobility as Swiss cheese? – Exploring influences on urban transport strategy in Basel.
  Paul Fenton.
  Natural Resources Forum. June 06, 2016
  This paper explores the development and implementation of strategies for sustainable mobility in Basel, Switzerland. Basel (Bâle, Basilea, Basle) has been identified as a ‘relatively successful’ practitioner of sustainable mobility, with an urban form that is not only conducive to walking and cycling, but also has an extensive public transport system and high levels of commuting using these sustainable modes of transport. With a low share of journeys by motor vehicles compared to many other European cities – combined with a legally‐binding objective to reduce vehicle traffic by a further 10% from 2010 to 2020 – Basel appears to be a forerunner with regard to sustainable mobility policy and practice. Five years after this objective was passed into law – following a public vote, as Basel is part of the Swiss confederation and practices direct democracy – this study aims to assess the extent of policy implementation and reflect on challenges and opportunities for the future. The paper presents findings from a series of interviews with stakeholders in Basel on the theme of sustainable mobility. Key questions include: is it possible to develop coherent strategies and policies to further reduce the role of motor vehicles and in doing so, achieve a modal shift? How does participation in a direct democracy influence strategy and policy development and outcomes? Do compromises and trade‐offs mean strategies and policies promoting sustainable mobility are, like Swiss cheese, riddled with holes? By illustrating challenges and opportunities when advancing sustainable mobility in a participative culture, the study provides insights for policymakers and researchers in other contexts. Among the conclusions is an emphasis on the importance of committed individuals capable of expanding the ‘strategy space’ of processes. Participation provides one such opportunity, yet may also generate divergent or contradictory trends causing incrementalism. A rapid transition to sustainable mobility is thus likely to require increased politicisation of the topic by both politicians and civil servants.

  June 06, 2016   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12093   open full text
• Environmental information sharing: a means to support the legitimization of oyster farmers’ stewardship over water quality management in NSW, Australia.
  Nicolas Paget, Katherine Anne Daniell, Ana Rubio Zuazo, Olivier Barreteau.
  Natural Resources Forum. June 01, 2016
  Oyster farmers depend on good water quality. Activities upstream from estuaries result in externalities that impact water quality. Over the last 10 years, oyster farmers have been developing estuary‐wide environmental management systems ( EMSs ) to tackle internal (i.e. industry‐related) and external (i.e. catchment) issues in N ew S outh W ales, A ustralia. Drawing on interview‐based research and document analyses, this paper shows that the process of creating an EMS for the oyster industry, as well as the creation of the EMS itself, resulted in legitimizing the industry's stewardship over the natural resource it depends on (water). For the oyster industry, this result was due to a change in the scale on which EMSs have been developed: instead of viewing issues at the individual business level, the systems expanded their viewpoint to the entire catchment, and included every oyster business in the estuary, as well as all other activities in the upper catchment. By providing a means of communicating internal efforts and with the support of local government bodies, EMSs provided a mechanism with which influence over upstream actors and activities could be exerted. We demonstrate this by using the ‘social‐ecological systems’ and ‘ ENCORE ’ frameworks, emphasizing the transitions that allowed for this change of scale to take place.

  June 01, 2016   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12092   open full text
• Key factors that influence households’ tree planting behaviour.
  Yusuph J. Kulindwa.
  Natural Resources Forum. April 14, 2016
  Despite a decrease in indigenous forests and a growing demand for tree products in developing countries, tree planting activities are not considerably expanding in Tanzania. In this paper, we analyse factors that influence households’ tree planting behaviour, as well as the number of trees planted. Coast and Morogoro regions in the east of Tanzania were selected as the case, and data was gathered from 202 households in 11 villages in these regions where tree planting programmes have been or still are active. A Heckman model is used to analyse the factors that drive tree planting behaviour. Results indicate that households get wood energy from forest reserves (57%), in addition to their own planted trees (9.1%). Emperical findings show that the most important factors have significantly positive effects on households’ tree planting behaviour, as well as the extent to which it was implemented. These factors include households’ land sizes, households’ awareness of tree planting programmes, tree planting for wood energy, and the age of the head of the household. The right/freedom to harvest and transport tree products, households’ attitudes towards tree planting, and family size have significantly negative effects on households’ tree planting behaviour. This paper is perhaps the first comprehensive study to analyse the factors that influence households’ tree planting behaviour in Tanzania, and it uncovers results that are useful, even for other developing countries with similar conditions.

  April 14, 2016   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12088   open full text
• Tourism and wetland conservation: application of travel cost and willingness to pay an entry fee at Ghodaghodi Lake Complex, Nepal.
  Pramod Lamsal, Kishor Atreya, Krishna Prasad Pant, Lalit Kumar.
  Natural Resources Forum. March 23, 2016
  This study investigated the need and applicability of wetland tourism for resource conservation, using the case of Ghodaghodi Lake Complex, a Ramsar Site in western Nepal. The travel cost method (TCM) was used to determine the recreation potential of the lake complex, while the contingent valuation method (CVM) was used to calculate willingness of visitors to pay an entry fee as a payment vehicle for conservation. The per capita travel cost was found to be NPR 540 (US $7.71), while the mean willingness to pay an entry fee was NPR 34 (US $0.48) per visitor per entry. In addition, factors affecting wetland visitation rates and maximum willingness to pay were identified. Policy implications include the establishment of an entry fee system to offset conservation budgetary constraints, government investment in social benefits equating to at least per capita travel cost identified, and public‐private partnerships, with community participation in tourism promotion and wetland conservation.

  March 23, 2016   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12089   open full text
• Energy production and sustainability: A study of Belo Monte hydroelectric power plant.
  Issa Ibrahim Berchin, Jéssica Garcia, Mauri Luiz Heerdt, Angélica de Quevedo Moreira, Ana Clara Medeiros Silveira, José Baltazar Salgueirinho Osório de Andrade Guerra.
  Natural Resources Forum. January 21, 2016
  The increase in energy demand due to economic and population growth necessitates the expansion of the Brazilian energy supply. Hydropower energy, a renewable energy source, arguably clean, presents an energy solution for many countries such as Brazil, with large hydric reservoirs, which help them reduce energy dependence on fossil and imported fuel sources. However, it must be emphasized that without careful planning, the creation of hydropower plants will cause severe social and environmental damage due to the large areas that need to be flooded for the implementation of these plants. The installation of hydropower plants floods vast forest areas, causing loss of biodiversity, displacement of native Brazilian people and riverside populations, and changes to the water acid levels and the natural course of rivers. To mitigate these effects, authorities must first conduct a study on installation possibilities and potential socio‐environmental consequences, to be interpreted and used by the agents involved. Aiming to analyze the social‐environmental impacts of the hydropower plants, this research seeks to investigate the capacity of mitigation of the negative effects of the implementation of the hydropower plants, specifically with regard to the Belo Monte plant, Brazil.

  January 21, 2016   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12085   open full text
• Implementing SDG 15: Can large‐scale public programs help deliver biodiversity conservation, restoration and management, while assisting human development?
  Peter Bridgewater, Mathieu Régnier, Roberto Cruz García.
  Natural Resources Forum. January 21, 2016
  Among the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the proposed SDG 15 promotes activities that, inter alia, “Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems”. An important potential contribution in achieving SDG 15 is through public programmes designed to jointly promote human development through poverty alleviation and improvement of human livelihoods and biodiversity conservation/management/restoration. An analysis of twenty public programmes with such joint objectives yielded twelve lessons learned. In addition to financial commitments, government and intergovernmental agency input for such public programmes includes ensuring political will and appropriate legal frameworks. Local communities and civil society provide input through traditional and indigenous ecological knowledge and stewardship. Appropriate shared inputs in development and the implementation of such public programmes, with communication between local community, broader civil society, the scientific community and governments will result in: better use and management of biodiversity; alleviation of poverty; security of livelihoods and better governance systems. The Ecosystem Approach of the Convention on Biological Diversity provides an ideal framework when planning and implementing new programmes. Application of the lessons learned to new public programmes will ensure that the answer to the question posed in the title is an emphatic “Yes”, and assist with the achievement of SDG 15.

  January 21, 2016   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12084   open full text
• A Yin‐Yang approach to education policy regarding health and the environment: early‐careerists' image of the future and priority programmes.
  Paul Watts, Benjamin Custer, Zhuang‐Fang Yi, Enoch Ontiri, Marivic Pajaro.
  Natural Resources Forum. January 21, 2016
  Since the inception of sustainable development (SD), there has been a somewhat ignored contradiction between paradigms that are ecosystem‐based and paradigms that are human‐based or purely economic. We suggest that this contradiction can be unified through a balance of the two. The Chinese Yin‐Yang philosophy is applied as a tool or approach to seeking balance between these ecocentric and anthropocentric paradigms. Priority education policy design for the merging of ecology and health are projected through an Ecohealth lens in response to increasing SD challenges and the intention of the international Ecohealth organization to contribute to SD goals. Meeting SD goals along the nexus of health and environment is further considered through early‐careerist cultural assessments and projections. The groups considered for their professional image of the future are: members of the Ecohealth Association Student Section and Chinese early‐careerists participating in a related conference. In response to SD goals, a problem‐based learning design is suggested as an education policy priority. Rather than approaching SD as a boolean concept, for example, by either focusing on ecosystem sustainability or economic development, we suggest education policy for programmes and curriculums that will help emerging professionals balance these paradigms, so as to best address national and global challenges.

  January 21, 2016   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12083   open full text
• The legacy of migration in response to climate stress: learning from the Gilbertese resettlement in the Solomon Islands.
  Simon D. Donner.
  Natural Resources Forum. January 21, 2016
  The long‐term threat of sea‐level rise to coral atoll and reef island communities in Kiribati, Tuvalu and other nations has raised the possibility of international migration. Historical resettlements in the Pacific may provide valuable insight into the long‐term effect of future climate change‐related migration on communities. This study evaluates the challenges faced by Gilbertese people resettled from modern‐day Kiribati to Ghizo in the Solomon Islands by the British colonial administration in the mid‐1900s. Drawing upon field interviews (n = 45) conducted in 2011 and the available historical literature, the study examines the circumstances of the initial failed resettlement in the equatorial Phoenix Islands, the subsequent relocation to Ghizo, and the recent concerns of the Gilbertese in Ghizo. Focus is placed on the struggle to recover from the 2007 tsunami that devastated the unprepared community. The analysis reveals that uncertainty about land tenure (raised by 61% of respondents) persists 60 years after resettlement, and is linked to the ability to recover from the tsunami, tensions with the Melanesian population, concerns over political representation, cultural decline, and education and employment opportunities. The Gilbertese experience can serve as a cautionary tale for policymakers considering mechanisms for facilitating climate change‐related migration.

  January 21, 2016   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12082   open full text
• Analysis of energy security and sustainability in future low carbon scenarios for Brazil.
  Fátima Lima, Joana Portugal‐Pereira, André F.P. Lucena, Pedro Rochedo, Jorge Cunha, Manuel Lopes Nunes, Alexandre Salem Szklo.
  Natural Resources Forum. January 21, 2016
  This study estimated a series of indicators to assess the energy security of supply and global and local environmental impacts under different mitigation scenarios through 2050 in Brazil, designed with the integrated optimization energy system model MESSAGE‐BRAZIL. The assessment of interactions between environmental impacts and energy security dimensions was complemented through the application of life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. Overall results imply energy security establishes more synergies than trade‐offs in increasingly stringent mitigation scenarios, especially patent within the sustainability dimension, which increases energy security and provides additional benefits regarding climate change mitigation and air pollution emissions. It is still necessary to extend analysis to other energy sectors in addition to the power supply sector and to promote a better understanding of repercussions of energy scenario expansion in energy security.

  January 21, 2016   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12081   open full text
• The global partnership for sustainable development.
  Yongfu Huang, Muhammad G. Quibria.
  Natural Resources Forum. May 06, 2015
  This paper examines whether foreign aid, together with other economic, social and environmental factors, contributes to sustainable development. It starts with an illustrative theoretical growth model where foreign aid promotes sustainable development by protecting the environment. Using factor analysis and newly developed estimation methods for a dynamic panel data model with endogenous regressors, the empirical section of the paper finds evidence that foreign aid has had a significantly positive influence on sustainable development in aid recipient countries. This effect is very likely to go through channels related to growth and resources as well as a technology channel with respect to energy intensity. This research has important implications for a post‐2015 development framework on international collective action with regard to a sustainable future.

  May 06, 2015   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12068   open full text
• Connecting stressors, ocean ecosystem services, and human health.
  Paul A. Sandifer, Ariana E. Sutton‐Grier.
  Natural Resources Forum. June 02, 2014
  Ocean and coastal ecosystems provide many critical ecosystem services that support human health and well‐being including providing food, storm protection, and carbon sequestration. Environmental stressors acting individually or concurrently and synergistically are reducing the ability of coastal ecosystems to provide key ecosystem services that may result in decreases in human health and well‐being. We outline some impacts to human health and well‐being that may result from the effects on coastal and ocean ecosystem services of five example stressors: rising temperatures, nutrient enrichment, ocean acidification, habitat destruction and the concomitant loss of biodiversity, and extreme weather events. We conclude with suggestions for research and related actions to improve our understanding and management of coastal ecosystems. These include the need for natural and biomedical/public health scientists, and their respective professional organizations, to work together to increase understanding of the connections between healthy and degraded coastal and marine ecosystems and human health, and for policy and decision‐makers to account for these impacts when considering trade‐offs among management alternatives.

  June 02, 2014   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12047   open full text
• Enhancing the Global Ocean Observing System to meet evidence based needs for the ecosystem‐based management of coastal ecosystem services.
  Thomas C. Malone, Paul M. DiGiacomo, Emanuel Gonçalves, Anthony H. Knap, Liana Talaue‐McManus, Stephen Mora, Jose Muelbert.
  Natural Resources Forum. May 26, 2014
  Ecosystem‐based approaches (EBAs) to managing anthropogenic pressures on ecosystems, adapting to changes in ecosystem states (indicators of ecosystem health), and mitigating the impacts of state changes on ecosystem services are needed for sustainable development. EBAs are informed by integrated ecosystem assessments (IEAs) that must be compiled and updated frequently for EBAs to be effective. Frequently updated IEAs depend on the sustained provision of data and information on pressures, state changes, and impacts of state changes on services. Nowhere is this truer than in the coastal zone, where people and ecosystem services are concentrated and where anthropogenic pressures converge. This study identifies the essential indicator variables required for the sustained provision of frequently updated IEAs, and offers an approach to establishing a global network of coastal observations within the framework of the Global Ocean Observing System. The need for and challenges of capacity‐building are highlighted, and examples are given of current programmes that could contribute to the implementation of a coastal ocean observing system of systems on a global scale. This illustrates the need for new approaches to ocean governance that can achieve coordinated integration of existing programmes and technologies as a first step towards this goal.

  May 26, 2014   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12045   open full text
• Call for Papers.
  
  Natural Resources Forum. May 20, 2014
  There is no abstract available for this paper.

  May 20, 2014   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12046   open full text
• Quantitative accounting for social economic indicators.
  Darian McBain, Ali Alsamawi.
  Natural Resources Forum. May 02, 2014
  In this paper we consider the evolution of quantitative accounting of social indicators for measuring societal progress and sustainable development, with particular reference to economic analysis and social indicators. We examine the use of the System of National Accounts and introduce the concept of using input‐output analysis for the development of social indicators. The use of satellite accounts for input‐output analysis of environmental impacts and the development of environmental footprints has been well documented. The novelty of this paper is the use of a methodology frequently used to develop environmental indicators to quantify social impacts and to further the development of social footprints. We provide a case study of the use of social satellite accounts for labour, using multi‐regional input‐output analysis to develop a global inequality footprint for labour embodied in trade, and argue the case for the development of a system of social economic accounts, similar to the System of Environmental‐Economic Accounts adopted by the United Nations Statistical Commission in 2012. This work contributes to the development of social valuation metrics as a means for measuring societal progress and developing sustainability indicators for use in management and decision‐making.

  May 02, 2014   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12044   open full text
• Extending the EU Renewable Energy Directive sustainability criteria to solid bioenergy from forests.
  Uwe R. Fritsche, Leire Iriarte, Johnny Jong, Alessandro Agostini, Nicolae Scarlat.
  Natural Resources Forum. April 22, 2014
  Solid bioenergy from forests plays — and is expected to continue to play — a key role to fulfil the renewable energy targets at the European Union level. When the Renewable Energy Directive was enacted, sustainability criteria were incorporated solely for biofuels and bioliquids. Sustainability criteria for solid bioenergy are also needed in order to prevent wood and primary forest residues from posing additional environmental risks to ecosystems. Acknowledging this, the European Commission has been working on extending the biofuels and bioliquids provisions to solid biomass. An internal draft was circulated in August 2013 which addressed the ways to both balance and mitigate the risks in three main topics: biodiversity; sustainable forest management; and greenhouse gases. This paper presents a set of criteria and indicators, developed during workshops with experts from Governments, scientific institutions, businesses and NGOs, that may be considered by the EU to assure that solid biomass from forests is obtained in an environmentally sustainable way.

  April 22, 2014   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12042   open full text
• The contribution of non‐timber forest products towards sustainable rural development: The case of Candelilla wax from the Chihuahuan Desert in Mexico.
  Miguel Arato, Stijn Speelman, Guido Van Huylenbroeck.
  Natural Resources Forum. April 21, 2014
  The promotion of development projects based on the commercialization of non‐timber forest products has increased in recent decades, showing a positive contribution to rural development; yet it has led to controversial approaches in resource preservation. This paper examines the case of Candelilla wax from the Chihuahuan Desert in northern Mexico, identifying its potential contribution to poverty alleviation in marginal areas, and its unique opportunity to access potential markets of a wide variety of industries all around the world. In this paper, the authors base their analysis on three main aspects: social, economic and environmental. Potential benefits that could be obtained from the collaboration of private institutions, development organizations, policymakers and rural producers through integrated rural development projects are featured.

  April 21, 2014   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12043   open full text
• Natural food resources bank in the form of forestry and grassland: Scenarios to ensure sustainable food security.
  Wenbiao Wu, Yixing Yang, Charles S. Brennan, Wei Huang.
  Natural Resources Forum. March 19, 2014
  An evaluation was conducted to establish the feasibility of a Natural Food Resources Bank (NFRB), in the form of forestry or grassland, to achieve both continuous food production and an accumulation of primary nutrients in living perennial plants. The development of an NFRB protects our living environment from deterioration (especially soil erosion) by increasing the surface coverage of the world's land, even in mountainous areas. Additionally a functioning NFRB enhances food sustainably and security, representing a tangible and renewable food resource production system. Research has identified the prospects of cultivating the NFRB in the form of forestry and also grassland. The review investigated the distinct differences of an NFRB from a range of approaches and discusses the environmental advantage and feasibility of cultivating NFRB. The ability of the NFRB to realize sustainable food resources production for ensuring food security is evaluated in terms of environmental and economical feasibility. A NFRB can attenuate climatic change by increasing CO2 absorption and fixation. It is worth considering the replacement of the annual food production system by the NFRB (especially in steeplands) in environmental law, and replacing the policy of maintaining annual food reserves by the NFRB in food security policy.

  March 19, 2014   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12039   open full text
• Exploring risk, resistance and the power of myths among coastal fishing communities in Kerala, India.
  Sunil D. Santha, Gahana P., Aswin V. S.
  Natural Resources Forum. March 18, 2014
  This paper attempts to capture the socially constructed nature of risk by analyzing the discourses embedded in community beliefs, myths and experiential narratives regarding coastal hazards and fishworkers' livelihoods. This paper draws insights from the works of James Scott on power and resistance in the everyday life of marginalized populations. Qualitative data for the study was collected using semi‐structured interview schedules, in‐depth group interviews, oral histories and storytelling across twenty marine fishing villages in Kerala. A significant finding of the study is that the communal discourse of coastal hazards or kolu is an integral part of fishworkers' resistance against formal authority and scientific knowledge systems in coastal management. The myths and beliefs of fishworkers are expressions of their concerns about present forms of development and coastal resource management.

  March 18, 2014   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12041   open full text
• A review of the protection of sources of drinking water in China.
  Henian Wang, Xinxiao Yu.
  Natural Resources Forum. February 25, 2014
  Water is a natural resource key to human and environmental health. China has suffered serious contamination of its water sources in the past decade, which has had severe consequences on the water supplies of millions of residents. Frequent polluting accidents and the amount of wastewater discharged have caused concern for the safety of drinking water. Fortunately, those at various levels of government have realized the importance of protecting the sources of drinking water and confirmed a list of 175 nationally important sources. Measures have also been adopted to control water pollution, including infrastructural, physical, chemical, ecological, administrative, and legal measures. While helpful, some areas in need of more attention are rural water, groundwater, agricultural pollution, and domestic sewage. Based on the lessons learned from experiences in developed countries, we offer some suggestions for improving, inter alia, funding, legal construction, management, and awareness‐raising, as well as present proposals for the future protection of our sources of drinking water. Future work should focus on water quality standards, quantitative research, high technology and legislation.

  February 25, 2014   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12036   open full text
• Myanmar under reform: Emerging pressures on water, energy and food security.
  Mirja Kattelus, Muhammad Mizanur Rahaman, Olli Varis.
  Natural Resources Forum. December 17, 2013
  Myanmar's water‐related sectors are subject to intensive changes, as the country's abundant land and water resources provide substantial scope for development. Recent steps towards economic reform in Myanmar have led to a surge of foreign investment directed towards intensified natural resource extraction. Both the agricultural and the energy sector are increasingly affected by foreign investments that will impact the status of water, energy and food security in the country. With these on‐going developments, Myanmar's future is largely dependent on how its natural resources are managed and how the benefits from the resource extraction are shared. With various institutional changes and new actors welcomed to the sectors, existing livelihoods and ecosystems dependent on the land and water resources are to face increasing competition for the shared resources, while lacking secured access to them. There are increasing concerns that this sectoral development is occurring at the expense of environmental and social sustainability. As one way to tackle these challenges, the water‐energy‐food nexus approach could help in finding synergies and co‐benefits across sectors by addressing the imbalances along the nexus and externalities derived from the on‐going intensification.

  December 17, 2013   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12032   open full text
• Economic use value of the Belize marine ecosystem: Potential risks and benefits from offshore oil exploration.
  Andrés M. Cisneros‐Montemayor, F. Gordon Kirkwood, Sarah Harper, Dirk Zeller, U. Rashid Sumaila.
  Natural Resources Forum. July 11, 2013
  The announcement of plans for exploratory oil drilling at a number of offshore sites in Belize raised concerns about the risks associated with drilling, particularly given the socio‐economic importance of the marine ecosystem. The current economic value of fisheries and marine ecotourism is estimated, along with the potential revenue from offshore oil and potential economic losses stemming from oil pollution, under various assumptions on risk and uncertainty. Marine fisheries and ecotourism are estimated to generate around US$ 183 million per year. Single‐year estimated maximum revenue is higher for oil extraction initially but quickly declines; during a 50 year (two generation) period, total discounted benefits from marine fisheries and ecotourism are estimated at US$ 5.1 billion, compared to US$ 3.2 billion from offshore oil revenue. Following a hypothetical oil spill, discounted losses in marine fisheries and ecotourism due to perception and ecological impacts are estimated at US$ 912 million, with clean‐up costs and capital losses of US$ 6.1‐10.4 billion. Considering the short extraction life of oil resources compared to fisheries and ecotourism, the difference in benefits increases substantially in favour of the latter with a longer time horizon. A recent public referendum resulted in a 98% vote against oil exploration and a subsequent annulment of oil concessions pending environmental impact assessments.

  July 11, 2013   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12023   open full text
• Government and voluntary policymaking for sustainability in mining towns: A longitudinal analysis of Itabira, Brazil.
  Alberto Fonseca, Patricia Fitzpatrick, Mary Louise McAllister.
  Natural Resources Forum. July 11, 2013
  The socio‐economic fabric of single‐company mining towns needs to be carefully considered by both Government and companies in sustainability policymaking. Policy design and effectiveness in such towns are significantly impacted by the city's economic dependence on a single company. This paper explores the perceived effectiveness of government and voluntary private sector mining policies for pursuing sustainability in the historic mining town of Itabira, Brazil over a period of 20 years. Itabira serves as a worthwhile case study because it allows for an in‐depth and longitudinal analysis that can reveal valuable lessons to policymakers of different sectors and jurisdictions located elsewhere. Based on extensive face‐to‐face interviews and literature reviews, study results indicate that changes to the state environmental licensing policies in the 1990s led to significant socio‐environmental improvements in the area. The globalization of the mining company also contributed to an increase in the quantity and quality of voluntary industry policies. Recent technological improvements in the beneficiation processes of the mining company promises to extend the life of the mine to 2050. Although there are significant incremental socio‐environmental policies and programmes, sustainability remains an elusive vision in Itabira, with no clear objectives or monitoring and accountability mechanisms. The paper concludes by recommending a more formal integrated policymaking framework.

  July 11, 2013   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12024   open full text
• Improving visitor management approaches for the changing preferences and behaviours of country park visitors in Hong Kong.
  Lewis T.O. Cheung.
  Natural Resources Forum. July 11, 2013
  This study identified the changing preferences of country park visitors in Hong Kong and the potential for such changes to have further negative impacts on the ecologically sensitive areas of country parks. A questionnaire was used to collect feedback from 644 country park visitors to understand their preferences and visitation patterns. To investigate visitors’ preferences and behaviours and to develop better visitor management strategies, the survey data were compared with studies conducted 20 years ago. The results showed that the most popular nature‐based activities of 20 years ago, namely, picnicking and barbecuing, have significantly declined in popularity, while other activities, namely, nature studies and nature photography, have surged in popularity in recent years. These changes in visitor preferences have directly increased the negative impacts of visitors on country parks as they dispersed away from the high intensity recreation zones to the ecological sensitive areas. This emerging group of country park visitors has not been fully considered in the existing approach to visitor management and may irreversibly impact the ecological value of country parks. In this study, visitor management in Hong Kong's country parks was reviewed based on these research findings, and potential improvements were suggested.

  July 11, 2013   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12025   open full text
• Forest management policies and oil wealth in Iran over the last century: A review.
  Farshad Amiraslani, Deirdre Dragovich.
  Natural Resources Forum. June 30, 2013
  Deforestation is a problem in many developing countries. In Iran, the introduction of forestry management policies in the twentieth century coincided with a period of severe depletion in forest cover. This over‐utilization resulted from tree cutting for road construction, the establishment of sawmills and match factories, and in particular, the growing demand for charcoal and fuelwood for a rapidly increasing population. The formal forestry management policies initiated in the early 1900s were inadequately enforced, leading to continuing loss of forests through largely unregulated exploitation. Despite the discovery of oil in 1908 and natural gas in 1937, gas pipeline construction for domestic consumption was slow, kerosene was only gradually substituted for wood, charcoal consumption only fell steeply after 1960, and the established forest cover decreased sharply between 1970 and 1990. In 1991, the first of the post‐Revolution national Five Year Development Plans commenced and environmental protection was allocated significant budgetary support. The Five Year Plans implemented substantial reductions in livestock grazing in forests and encouraged reforestation, which partly offset the continuing forest removal. Using estimates based on fuelwood consumption in Brazil and USA, the forested area in Iran in 1850 would have disappeared by 2000 without the Government intervention which provided widespread access to fossil fuels. This energy‐source shift decreased local pressure on the dwindling forest resources and was reinforced by Government policies to conserve and extend forests.

  June 30, 2013   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12016   open full text
• Urban forest corridors in Australia: Policy, management and technology.
  M‐Z Wang, J.R. Merrick.
  Natural Resources Forum. June 25, 2013
  This paper demonstrates the importance of the remaining urban forests, and the related policy and management issues, by reviewing the current situation in Sydney, Australia. Transport corridor vegetation surveys are used to show challenges and implications for the future. The process of medium to long‐term policy formulation, with initial management strategy development at the local level, is outlined. This study also addresses the increasing need for integration with other urban issues, including the existing general urban forest strategies. The benefits of using active remote sensing technologies are illustrated by using light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data to generate a high resolution, 3‐dimensional surface model. Among the major transport corridors in the Sydney metropolitan area, segments of two long‐established main roads were selected for detailed studies of the roadside forest resource. Data analysis indicated that roadside trees are very diverse and distributed in a patchy way. Some areas are treeless and some have dense stands. The results also showed high variability in species composition between local areas, with canopy cover and shading varying widely. We identify a number of issues and lessons from conservation, pollution and socio‐economic perspectives, which have broader applications, and relate these findings back to policies and planning.

  June 25, 2013   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12021   open full text
• Implementing REDD through community‐based forest management: Lessons from Tanzania.
  Elizabeth J. Z. Robinson, Heidi J. Albers, Charles Meshack, Razack B. Lokina.
  Natural Resources Forum. June 25, 2013
  REDD (reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation) aims to slow carbon releases caused by forest disturbance by making payments conditional on forest quality over time. Like earlier policies to slow deforestation, REDD must change the behaviour of forest degrading actors. Broadly, it can be implemented with payments to forest users in exchange for improved forest management, thus creating incentives; through payments for enforcement, thus creating disincentives; or through addressing external drivers such as urban charcoal demand. In Tanzania, community‐based forest management (CBFM), a form of participatory forest management, was chosen by the Tanzania Forest Conservation Group, a local NGO, as a model for implementing REDD pilot programmes. Payments are made to villages that have the rights to forest carbon. In exchange, the villages must demonstrably reduce deforestation at the village level. In this paper, using this pilot programme as a case study, combined with a review of the literature, we provide insights for REDD implementation in sub‐Saharan Africa. We pay particular attention to leakage, monitoring and enforcement. We suggest that implementing REDD through CBFM‐type structures can create appropriate incentives and behaviour change when the recipients of the REDD funds are also the key drivers of forest change. When external forces drive forest change, however, REDD through CBFM‐type structures becomes an enforcement programme with local communities rather than government agencies being responsible for the enforcement. That structure imposes costs on local communities, whose local authority limits the ability to address leakage outside the particular REDD village.

  June 25, 2013   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12018   open full text
• Community forest management: Can the green economy contribute to environmental justice?
  David Barkin, Mario Fuente.
  Natural Resources Forum. April 12, 2013
  Policymakers face a dilemma in highly diverse societies with many ecosystems: how to implement national policies that allow for serious consideration of these differences. In connection with the attempts to advance towards sustainability in forest systems, Mexico is confronting this problem with difficulty. Although it has committed to implementing policies consistent with REDD+, there are competing pressures for supporting commercial development of plantations on the one hand, and community based management systems that involve multiple objectives in complex proposals on the other. We trace the implications for environmental justice of the choices being made by indigenous communities in the highlands of Oaxaca for promoting sustainable programmes that assure adequate living standards and environmental protection. The analysis shows that this alternative approach offers an interesting set of outcomes that the standard paradigm of the green economy has difficulty achieving.

  April 12, 2013   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12010   open full text
• “How far do you have to walk to find peace again?”: A case study of First Nations' operational values for a community forest in Northeast British Columbia, Canada.
  Annie L. Booth, Bruce R. Muir.
  Natural Resources Forum. March 24, 2013
  In this paper we report upon research conducted with two First Nations located in British Columbia, Canada (Saulteau First Nations and West Moberly First Nations) on their preferences regarding forest operations within their community forest license. We confirmed the forestry‐related values previously documented in other research, and we are able to determine specific parameters with regard to the protection or integration of these values, particularly those that are ecologically based. In addition, we identify significant cultural values expected in forestry planning and management, their parameters, as well as values not commonly discussed within the literature, such as concerns over non‐indigenous access and conflicting, overlapping resource tenures. We conclude that further research, which accounts for and readily accommodates indigenous values and preferences, is needed to examine North American indigenous participation in both community forest tenures and in developing forest operation planning.

  March 24, 2013   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12005   open full text
• Forest‐poverty nexus: Exploring the contribution of forests to rural livelihoods in Kenya.
  Jane Kabubo‐Mariara.
  Natural Resources Forum. January 22, 2013
  This paper explores the contribution of forests to the livelihoods of local communities in Kenya. The paper uses survey data to explore resource extraction and the economic reliance of households on forests. The results suggest that both rich and poor households depend on forests, and that membership in forest user groups, and therefore participation in forest activities, may be based on a household's monetary rather than asset income. The results imply that forests support the living standards of the poor through the diversification of household income sources. The econometric results point to the role of household heterogeneity in private resource endowments in influencing dependence on forests. Participation in collective action and farm size are also significant determinants of forest dependence. The results call for a balanced policy approach to forest management that facilitates both access to forests by poor households and forest conservation.

  January 22, 2013   doi: 10.1111/1477-8947.12003   open full text