Digital Commons Network^™

Population Status And Habitat Preferences Of Critically Endangered Dipterocarpus Littoralis In West Nusakambangan, Indonesia, Iyan Robiansyah, Anthony John Davy

Makara Journal of Science

The conservation of the endemic tree species Dipterocarpus littoralis (Bl.) Kurz. is hampered by the paucity of information on its population biology and ecology. Consequently, a targeted survey was carried out in the West Nusakambangan Nature Reserve to assess its population size and structure as well as habitat preferences. In total, 676 individuals of D. littoralis were located at 52 locations, with an extent of occurrence of 3.66 km2 and an area of occupancy of 1.71 km2. The population had an inverse-J-shaped distribution of diameter at breast height (DBH), with 63% of individuals in the 0-5 cm class and another …

Brazil Breaks With Emerging Economies To Support Robust Climate Action At U.N. Summit, Gregory Scruggs

NotiSur

No abstract provided.

Supreme Court Ruling Reverses Government Decision To Allow Permits For Gmo Soy In Yucatã¡N, Campeche States, Carlos Navarro

SourceMex

No abstract provided.

Dayley, Robert A. & Neher, Clark.D. Southeast Asia In The New International Era, 6th Edition. Boulder: Westview Press, 2013., William Jones, Matthew P. Copeland Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Institutional And Organizational Capacities For Adapting To Climate Change In The Least Developing Countries, Sunil Tankha

Himalayan Policy Research Conference

In our research, we focus on three action arenas: village development, agriculture and forestry. The reason for this is that adaptation capacity is a function of both the intensity of the impacts caused by climate change and the resources to which a community has access and entitlement. Local development therefore is a key issue in increasing adaptive capacities, and in this area the relevant government organizations are the Village Development Committee (VDC), the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation (MFSC). In each of these ministries and departments, we conducted several key …

The Adjudication Of Historical Evidence: A Comment And And Elaboration On A Proposal By Justice Lebel, Shin Imai

Shin Imai

The appropriate forum and procedures for deciding whether Aboriginal and treaty rights exists has been troubling for courts. In the early years after the enactment of section 35, and today, in a significant number of cases, the issue was decided in criminal proceedings. Often charges were laid for hunting or fishing without a license, or out of season. Such was the case in R. v. Marshall and R. v. Bernard when the Supreme Court of Canada was required to consider an appeal of a conviction for a provincial offence related to logging. Justice LeBel mused about the appropriateness of criminal …

Assessing The Sustainability Of Selective Logging In Ankarabolava-Agnakatrika New Protected Area, Eileen Nakahata

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Over the past 50 years, more than 90% of dense low-altitude humid forest in the District of Vangaindrano has been lost to deforestation and the remaining fragments continue to be threatened by slash and burn agriculture and selective cutting by local populations. These activities are driven by widespread poverty, population growth, and lack of development, which have made subsistence increasingly difficult. This study investigates logging rates and the stock of five commercially valuable trees in the Ankarabolava-Agnakatrika New Protected Area. Fifteen 1000m² transects were established systematically within the territory of the Matanga commune. Within each transect data was collected …

Secrets Of The Trade: The Facts Behind The Tpp And Why It’S Important For America’S Future, Travis Cady

Ex-Patt Magazine

The Tran-Pacific Partnership is one of the cornerstones of President Obama’s foreign policy. Find out what makes the deal so controversial and why it has the potential to shape America’s future in the Asia-Pacific.

Incentivizing Corporate America To Eradicate Transnational Bribery Worldwide: Federal Transparency And Voluntary Disclosure Under The Foreign Corrupt Practice Act, Peter Reilly

Faculty Scholarship

In 1977, it was discovered that hundreds of U.S. companies had spent hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes to improve business overseas. In response, Congress passed the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), thereby making it illegal to bribe foreign officials to obtain a business advantage. A major tension has emerged between the federal agencies charged with enforcing the FCPA (i.e., the DOJ and SEC), and the corporate entities trying to stay within the legal and regulatory bounds of the statute. Specifically, while the government appears to be trying to maximize discretion and flexibility in carrying out its enforcement duties, …

Communities In Action: Participatory Assessments As An Initial Stage In Critical Consciousness Raising And Community Capacity Building, Carizma Amila Chapman

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This paper presents the findings of two participatory community assessments conducted in Punta Raton and El Venado, two small coastal towns in Southern Honduras. The community assessments were designed and implemented to establish a baseline of community awareness and action, an important step in community development and environmental sustainability. The aim was to: build community partnerships, identify key stakeholders, facilitate dialogues about concerns, identify local and external resources required for progress, and construct actions plans targeting key communal concerns. The assessments were found to be successful in engaging community members and identifying local needs and resources. However, challenges in intervention …

The Gastrointestinal Tract Microbiota Of The Obligate Bamboo Foragers, The Giant Panda (Ailuropoda Melanoleuca) And The Red Panda (Ailurus Fulgens), Candace Lareine Williams

Theses and Dissertations

Previously, the exact phylogenetic relationship between the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and the red panda (Ailurus fulgens) has been unclear, but with the advent of molecular sequencing technologies, these two animals are now known to be distantly related. Although taxonomically distinct, these two panda species have several things in common, primarily their almost exclusively bamboo diet, but also their similar physical adaptations to their diet and their sympatry in some locations. What was unknown was if their similarities also extended to their gastrointestinal tract (GIT) microbiota. Using next-generation 16S rRNA parallel sequencing technologies, we uncovered several factors that impact bacterial …

What Is The Likelihood Of Being Heard? An Examination Of The Relationship Between Decentralization, Strength In Indigenous Movements, And Meaningful Consultation With Indigenous Groups In Latin America, Brittany M. Bromfield

Political Science Theses

There is a gap in the literature that does not explain the circumstances under which Latin American governments allow MNCs to expand and violate indigenous protection laws. I examine how the capacities of indigenous groups, economic autonomy, and pro-indigenous policies impact government decisions in regards to indigenous land rights. In recent years, indigenous rights are increasingly recognized in Latin America, but with the pressure for economic development to compete internationally, Latin American governments sometimes violate indigenous rights in order to attract multinational corporations. I hypothesize that high economic autonomy, pro-indigenous policies, and strong indigenous groups lead to a higher likelihood …

Liberia And Sierra Leone: Sustainable Paths To Development?, Adam Howe

Journal of Interdisciplinary Conflict Science

Over a decade removed from devastating civil wars in Liberia (2003) and Sierra Leone (2002), both states have unsurprisingly placed a strong emphasis on post-conflict economic development. Despite a streak of impressive GDP growth in both states, a host of underlying structural deficiencies are readily apparent. Long-term natural resource reliance subjects both economies to the boom and bust cycle of global commodity markets while simultaneously encouraging rent-seeking behavior. More specifically, Liberia’s growing iron ore sector and Sierra Leone’s diamond exports have generated pockets of wealth, though the profits have not trickled down to the public at-large. The purpose of this …

Understanding The Challenges Of Expanding Community Forestry In Northwest Cameroon, Caitlin M. Farnung

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The tropical afro-montane forest of the Northwest region is unique and under direct threat from the high population density of the region. Community-based forestry management is an opportunity to sustainably manage the remaining forest fragments.

Community forestry was introduced to Cameroon with the legislation of the 1994 Forestry Law. Over two decades later little research has been conducted in the Northwest region of Cameroon. Twenty-four semi-structured interviews were conducted, and samples of forestry records were analyzed as exploratory research that would act as a base for further research.

This research found that the tenure of the community over the community …

Will Passive Protection Save Congo Forests?, Gillian L. Galford, Britaldo S. Soares-Filho, Laura J. Sonter, Nadine Laporte

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Central Africa's tropical forests are among the world's largest carbon reserves. Historically, they have experienced low rates of deforestation. Pressures to clear land are increasing due to development of infrastructure and livelihoods, foreign investment in agriculture, and shifting land use management, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The DRC contains the greatest area of intact African forests. These store approximately 22 billion tons of carbon in aboveground live biomass, yet only 10% are protected. Can the status quo of passive protection - forest management that is low or nonexistent - ensure the preservation of this forest and its …

Human Rights, Environmental Protection, And The Sustainable Development Goals, John H. Knox

Washington International Law Journal

In recent years, international human rights tribunals and other bodies have identified ways that environmental harm can interfere with the enjoyment of human rights, and have clarified that States have obligations to protect human rights against such interference. For example, States have duties to provide access to environmental information, to protect rights of free expression and association in relation to environmental issues, and to provide for participation in environmental decision-making. This article examines how well the draft Sustainable Development Goals (“SDGs”) proposed by the United Nations Open Working Group reflect the human rights obligations relating to environmental protection. It concludes …

Drone Technology: Benefits, Risks, And Legal Considerations, Kurt W. Smith

Seattle Journal of Environmental Law

The ability for drones to do beneficial and cost-effective environmental work is widely understood and being applied both nationally and internationally. Less well understood are the types of laws that are needed to protect the public amid rising concerns about privacy for citizens, interference with commercial aircraft, and the potential risk to homeland security. Achieving a reasonable balance between the risks and benefits of this technology is critical as the widespread use of drones continues to grow.

Ecosystem Services Of Prairie Wolf Slough: Quantifying Carbon Storage, Megan L. Hoff

DePaul Discoveries

This project is a case study of the benefits of a natural area in Highland Park, Illinois, Prairie Wolf Slough (PWS). A series of experiments were set up to quantify the carbon storage potential of PWS. The results presented here provide an estimate of the aboveground biomass in the forest of PWS with a preliminary estimate of the stored carbon’s value. This is done using the social cost of carbon. It was found that species carbon storage differed based on the number of individuals for each species and their physical size. In addition, using the 2015 discount rate of 3%, …

Assessing The Relationship Between Landscape Change And Conservation Plans Since 1991 In Tompkins County, Ny, Kelly Nickodem

Theses - ALL

Various levels of government try to manage the spread of urbanization and the increasing threat to open space and agricultural lands by implementing various comprehensive or conservation plans. Extensive research has also studied the changing landscape using remote sensing and GIS, yet little has been done to connect the environmental policies with these technologies. Using Tompkins County, New York as a case study, this project attempts to combine these two aspects by examining how land-cover and land-use is changing over time with respect to environmental policies put in place at various governmental levels. Each town in the county has developed …

Va Coastlines (End Of 2014-2015 Term), Virginia Coastal Policy Center

Virginia Coastal Policy Center

No abstract provided.

Newsletter (May 2015), Virginia Coastal Policy Center, William & Mary Law School

Virginia Coastal Policy Center

No abstract provided.

Human Activity Impacts On Belize Deforestation (1995-2010) And Future Trend Prediction, Xinyi Zheng, Rui Fan

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

Belize is a small country located in Central America. It is known for its high biodiversity and large rainforest coverage. However, as the demand of wood products increases, the vast rainforest is facing the threat of deforestation and land degradation. The tropical rainforest ecosystem is extremely important not only because of the numerous tropical wildlife living there but also because of its medicinal values. What factors, other than human logging of the forest, affect the potential of land degradation of Belize? We propose that such factors may include the ecosystem type of the area, whether it is a national protected …

Demographic Survey Of The Sohisika (Schizolaena Tampoketsana), James Lucas

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

The sohisika (Schizolaena tampoketsana; family Sarcolaenaceae) is a little-known, highly threatened angiosperm endemic to the forest fragments and savanna of the Hauts Plateaux region at Ankafobe Commune, Madagascar. Through targeted surveillance of sohisika at Ankafobe, this study aimed primarily to characterize the demography of the sohisika via GPS mapping of latitude, longitude, and altitude, through dendrometric measures such as height and diameter at breast height (DBH), and through calculation of distribution patterns via Morisitas index. Secondary goals aimed to describe the ecology of the sohisika within its environment and hoped to identify patterns between age class, aspect, habitat, and surrounding …

An Emerging Alliance Of Ranchers And Farmers In The Brazilian Amazon, Ryan Thomas Adams

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

No abstract provided.

Predicting Probability Of Deforestation In Belize, Xinyi Zheng, Rui Fan

Atlas of Maine

Belize is a Central American country that is known for its high biodiversity. According to the Water Center of the Humid Tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean (CATHALAC) and NASA, Belize’s forest cover decreased from 75.9% in late 1980 to 62.7% in 2010. In this project, we developed a spatial model of deforestation in Belize. We hypothesized that factors influencing the potential of deforestation in Belize included elevation, distance to human-built facilities, distance to roads, and whether an area is protected. We performed a binary logistic regression to generate a best-fit model of deforestation probability. Whether an area is …

Diversity On Earth, Diversity In Policy: A Comparison Of The Styles Of Environmental Governance, Darcy Sharp

QuaesitUM

No abstract provided.

From The Editor: An Introduction To A Special Issue Of Landscapes Of Violence: Photo Essays On Policy And Violence, Ventura R. Pérez

Landscapes of Violence

No abstract provided.

Illegal Logging And Its Dynamics Of Violence Within The P'Urhépecha Plateau, Ana Del Conde

Landscapes of Violence

Mexico currently occupies the fifth place in deforestation worldwide . Within this trade 60,000 hectares of both forest and rainforest are lost on a yearly basis through illegal logging. This situation has been the reality for the people in the P'urhépecha plateau of Michoacán, where, thanks to a series of legal vacuums, organized crime has found in illegal logging an additional trade to drug trafficking. Nevertheless, through the implementation of an autonomous government based on the P'urhépecha uses and customs, the municipality of Cherán is developing novel political and social strategies to control this situation.

Monarch Butterfly Populations Recover Modestly From 2014, Carlos Navarro

SourceMex

No abstract provided.

The Logging Ban Policy In Addressing Deforestation: A Comparison Between Thailand And Indonesia, Safrina Safrina

Indonesian Journal of International Law

The logging ban policy is applying in several countries, such as Thailand and Indonesia, in order to deal with deforestation and forest degradation in natural forests. However, both countries still have had difficulties resolving the problem. The logging ban in Thailand does not work as expected due to centralized systems of forestry policy that still applies in Thailand. However, Indonesia is actively adjusting the decentralized system, which gives authority to local governments to set policies regarding forestry. The effectiveness of logging ban to achieve conservation goals and economic development continues to be debated; however, it should be noted that the …