Browsing by Subject "Reforestation"
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Item Open Access Boom and bust carbon-nitrogen dynamics during reforestation(Ecological Modelling, 2017-09-24) Parolari, AJ; Mobley, ML; Bacon, AR; Katul, GG; Richter, DDB; Porporato, A© 2017 Elsevier B.V. Legacies of historical land use strongly shape contemporary ecosystem dynamics. In old-field secondary forests, tree growth embodies a legacy of soil changes affected by previous cultivation. Three patterns of biomass accumulation during reforestation have been hypothesized previously, including monotonic to steady state, non-monotonic with a single peak then decay to steady state, and multiple oscillations around the steady state. In this paper, the conditions leading to the emergence of these patterns is analyzed. Using observations and models, we demonstrate that divergent reforestation patterns can be explained by contrasting time-scales in ecosystem carbon-nitrogen cycles that are influenced by land use legacies. Model analyses characterize non-monotonic plant-soil trajectories as either single peaks or multiple oscillations during an initial transient phase controlled by soil carbon-nitrogen conditions at the time of planting. Oscillations in plant and soil pools appear in modeled systems with rapid tree growth and low initial soil nitrogen, which stimulate nitrogen competition between trees and decomposers and lead the forest into a state of acute nitrogen deficiency. High initial soil nitrogen dampens oscillations, but enhances the magnitude of the tree biomass peak. These model results are supported by data derived from the long-running Calhoun Long-Term Soil-Ecosystem Experiment from 1957 to 2007. Observed carbon and nitrogen pools reveal distinct tree growth and decay phases, coincident with soil nitrogen depletion and partial re-accumulation. Further, contemporary tree biomass loss decreases with the legacy soil C:N ratio. These results support the idea that non-monotonic reforestation trajectories may result from initial transients in the plant-soil system affected by initial conditions derived from soil changes associated with land-use history.Item Embargo Economic Co-Benefits of Nature-Based Carbon Removal Projects in the Brazilian Amazon(2023-04-28) Audie, Michael Jr; Rao, Abhay Venkatesh; Singh, Anant Pratap; Valby, NickMombak is a Brazil-based carbon removal startup with a mission to reforest the Amazon through the conversion of unproductive, low-yield farmland back into rainforest. Their business model relies heavily on the sale of carbon credits on the voluntary carbon market (VCM) to multi-national companies with net-zero targets. While carbon removal projects generally garner a price premium on the VCM as compared to carbon reduction projects, price levels among all offsets remain stubbornly low due both to lack of government policy intervention as well as the nascent and inefficient nature of the VCM. Nature-based solutions, as Mombak offers, additionally generate co-benefits which are of economic value to communities locally and abroad. Through a review of the most relevant economic valuation studies on the Amazon rainforest, this analysis seeks to answer what value added a Mombak carbon credit may generate beyond just its ability to sequester carbon. Our findings demonstrate that the value to society of a Mombak carbon credit far exceeds what is reflected by the VCM today and suggest that a price premium for a Mombak generated carbon credit is more than justified.Item Open Access Exploring Leadership in California’s Environmental Policy Space(2020-04-20) Gilbert, JonathanCalifornia’s federal policymakers often consider their state to be an environmental policy leader. These policymakers see the state as a laboratory for innovative environmental policies to address a range of challenges including climate change, clean air, and water scarcity. Federal representatives who support these state policies then advocate for their adoption at the federal level. This capstone project explores the relationship between the State of California’s environmental policies and those of the federal government. The relationship is examined through interviews with federal and state policymakers as well as a renewable energy industry veteran who works with both federal and state governments. It is further explored through a capstone course plan that touches on water, energy, forest, and agriculture policies. The final capstone project provides recommendations to relevant federal officials on adoption of policies that facilitate increased use of desalination technology, development and deployment of new photovoltaic solar energy technologies, expansion of western wholesale energy markets, greater incentives for reforestation on marginal agricultural and grazing lands, and incorporation of greenhouse gas costs into energy markets.Item Open Access Improving Global Restoration Monitoring(2023-04-28) Liu, Shenyi (Elsie); Zhang, XiaogeForests are important carbon pools that are facing many man-made threats such as poverty, agricultural expansion, mismanagement, illegal logging, and many other factors. Conservation International (CI) has been working on Priceless Planet Coalition Monitoring Framework for forest restoration. On a global scale, our project researches the options available for improving CI’s forest biomass monitoring using remote sensing and gives recommendations to CI’s Restoration Science Team about the most strategic changes. We use geospatial analysis to estimate current environmental conditions and biomass potential for 3 specific sites. On a regional scale, we synthesize information on coffee agroforestry systems as a restoration method in the Oaxaca-Chiapas region in Mexico, make experimental designs for testing out coffee renovation cycles, and identify possible sites that are ideal to conduct the experiments.Item Open Access Item Open Access Linking Forest Restoration to Sustainable Value Chains with se.plan(2023-04-28) Caradine, Reed; Ezekiel, Micah; Piacsek, Gabriel; Wang, MeixinStumpage prices for timber can be low due to lack of demand for wood products, which threatens the sustainability of tree-growing projects. Prices can increase with more investment in local wood processing facilities and related infrastructure – the links in the value chain that would increase timber demand. se.plan, a geospatial tool built by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Forestry Division, helps investors find suitable locations for reforestation projects in emerging markets, but it does not have the capability to help find locations for wood processing facilities. Using Uganda as a case study, we augment the capabilities of se.plan and provide geospatial data to build a wood processing facility siting capability into the tool. To determine decision-making factors relevant to investments in reforestation and wood processing, we conducted a literature review and focus groups, and then we found and modified geospatial datasets relevant to those factors. We made recommendations on how FAO can incorporate the datasets into se.plan.Item Open Access Park Buffer Zone Reforestation Initiative: Batang Gadis National Park in Sumatra, Indonesia(2007-05) Ishii, AkikoSumatra holds extremely high biodiversity, yet its biodiversity is some of the most endangered on Earth, threatened by rapid deforestation. Despite their protected status, some national parks in Indonesia are under severe threat of deforestation due to lack of support from local governments and communities. Batang Gadis National Park (BGNP) is one of the first national parks established through a “bottom-up” process by local communities and local government officials. The buffer zone of BGNP is established to extend 10km outside the national park to reduce the impact of humans on species inside the park. However, the buffer zone is densely populated and the population pressure has caused illegal logging and forest clearing for agriculture and human settlement. The reforestation project is designed to achieve forest rehabilitation and also socio-economic reform of local communities by providing economic alternative income sources and resources. This study suggests priority sites for reforestation projects by analyzing the ecological impacts and socio-economic factors. GIS analysis was employed to examine ecological impacts and to select priority sites. Social survey was used to understand the attitudes and expectations of local communities toward reforestation projects and conservation. This study also provides some suggestions for the effective implementation to achieve conservation goals and enhance both the participation of local communities and their conservation awareness.Item Open Access USING ECOLOGICAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC INDICATORS TO ASSESS THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE RED RIVER DELTA BIOSPHERE RESERVE, VIETNAM(2007-05) Pham, ChauThe Red River Delta Biosphere Reserve has been recognized as model of sustainable development since 1989 when Xuan Thuy Ramsar Site was founded. However, a number of studies have showed issues of “unsustainable development” such as water pollution, overuse of agrochemicals (VEPF, 2005), mangrove deforestation (Beland et al. 2006), poverty differentiation in the area (EJF, 2003). This has raised a question of whether the biosphere reserve actually fulfills the requirement of being a model for sustainable regional development. The objectives of this study, therefore, are to define the sustainability of a biosphere reserve and construct a conceptual framework to select indicators for sustainability. I used keywords to search and collect documents that answer two questions: what are the definitions of sustainable development and how one can evaluate it. I mainly used the approach proposed by Annette Schmidt (2004) to review literature. I selected mangrove reforestation to examine efforts of biodiversity conservation; and agriculture and aquaculture to analyze use of natural resources. Analysis shows that conflicting planning of mangrove reforestation, sea dike construction and the expansion of aquaculture has been the main factors that lead to inefficient replanting of mangroves. However, mangrove reforestation has played important role in enhancing awareness of local people on wetland resources. The main issues of agriculture are salinity intrusion, overuse of agrochemicals, and conflicts with aquaculture owners. Water pollution, low productivity, and poverty differentiation are major issues of sustainable development of aquaculture. These issues will be used to develop criteria for sustainability of the biosphere reserve.