Land Cover and Land Use Change on Islands


Book Description

Globalization is not a new phenomenon, but it is posing new challenges to humans and natural ecosystems in the 21st century. From climate change to increasingly mobile human populations to the global economy, the relationship between humans and their environment is being modified in ways that will have long-term impacts on ecological health, biodiversity, ecosystem goods and services, population vulnerability, and sustainability. These changes and challenges are perhaps nowhere more evident than in island ecosystems. Buffeted by rising ocean temperatures, extreme weather events, sea-level rise, climate change, tourism, population migration, invasive species, and resource limitations, islands represent both the greatest vulnerability to globalization and also the greatest scientific opportunity to study the significance of global changes on ecosystem processes, human-environment interactions, conservation, environmental policy, and island sustainability. In this book, we study islands through the lens of Land Cover/Land Use Change (LCLUC) and the multi-scale and multi-thematic drivers of change. In addition to assessing the key processes that shape and re-shape island ecosystems and their land cover/land use changes, the book highlights measurement and assessment methods to characterize patterns and trajectories of change and models to examine the social-ecological drivers of change on islands. For instance, chapters report on the results of a meta-analysis to examine trends in published literature on islands, a satellite image time-series to track changes in urbanization, social surveys to support household analyses, field sampling to represent the state of resources and their limitations on islands, and dynamic systems models to link socio-economic data to LCLUC patterns. The authors report on a diversity of islands, conditions, and circumstances that affect LCLUC patterns and processes, often informed through perspectives rooted, for instance, in conservation, demography, ecology, economics, geography, policy, and sociology.




The Global Economics of Forestry


Book Description

This book traces the economic and biological pattern of forest development from initial settlement and harvest activity at the natural forest frontier to modern industrial forest plantations. It builds from diagrams describing three discrete stages of forest development, and then discusses the management and policy implications associated with each, supporting its observations with examples and data from six continents and from both developed and developing countries. It shows that characteristic distinctions between the three stages make forestry unusual in natural resource management and that effective policy requires different, even contrasting, decisions at each stage. William F. Hyde’s comprehensive discussion covers a wide range of issues, including the impacts of both specific forest policies and broader macroeconomic policies, the unique requirements of current issues such as global warming, biodiversity and tourism, and the complexities of the different forest products industries. Concluding chapters review the roles of the newer institutional landowners, of smaller private and farm landowners, and of public agencies. This highly-original volume reaches far beyond forest economics; it explains what forestry can do for regional development and environmental conservation and what policies designed for other sectors and the macro-economy can do for forestry.




Developmental Dilemmas


Book Description

Developmental Dilemmas singles out land as an object of study and places it in the context of one of the world's largest and most populous countries undergoing institutional reform: the People's Republic of China. The book demonstrates that private property protected by law, the principle of 'getting-the-prices-right', and the emergence of effectively functioning markets are the outcome of a given society's historical development and institutional fabric. Peter Ho argues that the successful creation of new institutions hinges in part on choice and timing in relation to the particular constellation of societal, economic, political and cultural parameters. Disregarding these could result in rising inequality, bad land stewardship, and the eruption of land-related grievances.




Sustainable Forestry Management and Wood Production in a Global Economy


Book Description

A global view of responsible forestry management Sustainable Forestry Management and Wood Production in a Global Economy examines emerging issues and key strategies for sustaining wood production while maintaining other forest resources. Internationally recognized forestry experts explore a broad range of topics on sustainable forestry at t




China's Forests


Book Description

Forestry and Forest Policy are key issues for the protection of China’s natural environment and for its continued economic development. Originally published in 2003, the contributors to this title review the successes of China’s forest policies and the growth of its forests over the past quarter-century and examine the challenges facing China’s forests and rural environment. China’s Forests: Global Lessons from Market Reforms is a valuable resource for students interested in environmental studies, international forest policy, and the modern development of China.




China's West Region Development: Domestic Strategies And Global Implications


Book Description

In the last two decades, China's western inland region has largely been left out of the nation's economic boom. While its 355-million population accounts for 28% and its land area for 71% of China's total, the region's share of the national GDP is under 20%. Since 1999, Beijing has implemented the West China Development Program to boost the region's growth. To study the major domestic issues and the global implications of this program, the University of Victoria's Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives organized and hosted a multidisciplinary international conference on March 6-8, 2003. This volume of papers presented at the conference offers perspectives on the issues by leading experts of diversified academic disciplines from China, Canada, the US, and other countries.




China's West Region Development


Book Description

In the last two decades, China's western inland region has largely been left out of the nation's economic boom. While its 355-million population accounts for 28% and its land area for 71% of China's total, the region's share of the national GDP is under 20%. Since 1999, Beijing has implemented the West China Development Program to boost the region's growth. To study the major domestic issues and the global implications of this program, the University of Victoria's Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives organized and hosted a multidisciplinary international conference on March 6?8, 2003. This volume of papers presented at the conference offers perspectives on the issues by leading experts of diversified academic disciplines from China, Canada, the US, and other countries.




World Forests, Markets and Policies


Book Description

In the 1990s the world community has arrived at a particularly in developing countries and in econo historical turning point. Global issues- the decline mies in transition. These three organizations have of biological diversity, climate change, the fate of different backgrounds and focuses, but have found forest peoples, fresh water scarcity, desertification, it relevant and rewarding to their core operations to deforestation and forest degradation - have come collaborate in WFSE activities. The intention of to dominate the public and political debate about these organizations is to continue supporting the forestry. In the economic sphere, forest industries WFSE research and developing the mutual collab have assumed global dimensions. oration. The World Forests, Society and Environment In the year 2000,WFSE took on anewchallenge, Research Program (WFSE) is a response by the re extending its research network to involve five new searchcommunity to thisglobalization. The WFSE Associate Partners: the Center for International slogan 'Globalization calls for global research' re Forestry Research (CIFOR) in Indonesia;the Cent flects both the means and the end of the program. er for Research and Higher Education on Natural The program is involved in promoting and execut Resources of Tropical America (CATIE) in Costa ing research in different parts of the world, and Rica; the International Centerfor Research inAgro through its publications and communications net Forestry (ICRAF) in Kenya; the World Forestry work, linking researchers worldwide.