Ecuador is currently completing the readiness phase for the implementation of the Reducing Emissi... more Ecuador is currently completing the readiness phase for the implementation of the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) mechanism at the national level. Many challenges regarding rights, multilayered governance and land tenure remain open in this country where Indigenous Peoples (IPs) occupy 68% of the Ecuadorian Amazon. We focused on the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve to exemplify obstacles and answers found in the last years. In a REDD+ pilot project, six communities of the most widespread ethnicities (Shuar, Kichwa and Colonists) living in the buffer zone of the Yasuní National Park (YNP), were chosen. We used literature research, analysis of international and national agendas, as well as primary data on REDD+ perception obtained through semi-structured household interviews and personal observations. First, we reconstruct the historical development of territorial configuration and present the actual land tenure arrangements. And then, we analyze persistent management conflicts within institutional, planning and normative instruments. Finally we explore legal frameworks with a focus on participation and consultation. Our results show that insecure and overlapping land rights, as well as unclear and contradictory institutional responsibilities are major problems for REDD+ implementation. Despite great advancements that have been made, establishing equitable mechanisms to engage IPs and forest owners and stakeholders across many sectors in REDD+ is required. Especially in Ecuador where oil extraction is a priority and the central government has an exclusive competence over ecosystem services including carbon rights. Implementing fair methods for participation, benefit sharing and transfer of knowledge remains a challenge.
Mangrove ecosystems store large amounts of carbon in biomass and sediments. This so called 'blue ... more Mangrove ecosystems store large amounts of carbon in biomass and sediments. This so called 'blue carbon' that is captured by oceanic and coastal ecosystems plays an important role in climate change mitigation strategies. However, most biomass and carbon measurements have been conducted in coastal and delta mangroves, while oceanic mangroves are still insufficiently researched. In this paper we present results from our research on the Karimunjawa archipelago in the Java Sea north of Central Java, Indonesia, where we measured soil carbon stocks (soil total organic carbon-TOC) of an oceanic mangrove ecosystem. In previous research, we had already analyzed above-ground carbon (AGC) and below-ground biomass carbon (BGBC), so that we are now able to present the total ecosystem carbon stock. We took 35 soil samples along seven transects to analyze the relationship between (a) soil TOC and distance from shoreline, (b) total ecosystem carbon stock (AGC + BGBC + soil TOC) and distance from shoreline, (c) total C of living biomass (AGC + BGBC) and distance from shoreline, as well as (d) soil TOC and living biomass. We took another nine soil samples to analyze the distribution of soil TOC in the soil profile at a greater resolution. Our results show that there is a wide range of soil carbon stocks that varies from 3.3 t C ha-1 to 366.7 t C ha-1. On average of the 35 samples soils contribute to 45.5% of the total ecosystem carbon stock. Overall there is no correlation between the analyzed variables. However, there is a correlation between distance from the shoreline and soil carbon stock for the longest transect and a strong relationship between soil depth and soil carbon stock for all samples. Carbon stock per increment decreases with a conspicuous drop at 15 cm.
Developing countries are predicted to have to face most of the impacts from climate change. Adver... more Developing countries are predicted to have to face most of the impacts from climate change. Adversely, their mitigation potential is comparably lower than that of developed countries. Consequently, adaptation to the adverse effects of climate change is of great importance to them. Though, as developing countries frequently face limited financial resources for adaptation, the selection of respective measures and their ranking for implementation are critical processes to achieve the most from the invested means. There is a need for decisionmakers, at the governmental and non-governmental level, to have tools for the selection and prioritization of adaptation measures that can address their financial resources and socioeconomic conditions. Also, such an instrument has to be easy to apply and adaptable to local conditions. Among sectors, forestry belongs to the most vulnerable; it offers great potential for mitigation as well for adaptation. Therefore, this study proposes a prioritization tool for adaptation measures in the forestry sector, taking into account its unique environmental, socioeconomic and institutional aspects. Conceptually, the work is organized around three main steps: (i) the identification of potential adaptation measures, (ii) a catalog of criteria and indicators for the evaluation of those measures and (iii) a Multi-Criteria Analysis for the prioritization of the identified and evaluated measures. As a main method the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is used as the basis for the development of the prioritization tool. The Bosawas Biosphere Reserve in Nicaragua is used as an empirical basis for this study. In the process, four different adaptation measures have been evaluated according to a list of criteria and indicators taking into account the conditions found in the study area. These were then prioritized using the AHP method. As a result, a ranking among the adaptation measures according to the adaptation needs of the biosphere reserve was obtained. "Conservation, reforestation and natural regeneration" resulted as the first choice among the adaptation measure for that case.
The complexity of interactions between numerous environmental and socioeconomic systems in the gl... more The complexity of interactions between numerous environmental and socioeconomic systems in the globalised world requires a deeper understanding of the related systems. Global problems, such as climate change, land degradation, energy crisis or poverty cannot be solved without an understanding of system behaviour and structure. For various broadscale systems, models have been developed. Well known are climate models which are used to generate projections of future climate. For use on regional scales, climate models are downscaled. In addition to climate models, numerous other models have been developed, related to specific topics, such as regional economic models, hydrology models, erosion models, or traffic models. Common aim to all models is the optimisation of systems or the solution of certain problems, respectively. In the hinterland of Rio de Janeiro, many problems, such as biodiversity loss, water pollution, and soil degradation are related to land use intensification processes which are in turn linked to population and economic growth. Against the background of biodiversity conservation in the Atlantic forest, the BMBF project BLUMEN (2002-2005) focused on system stability in the agricultural landscape in the mountain region of the Serra dos Órgãos, which still contains a high proportion of small forest fragments. Based on BLUMEN, the current BMBF project DINARIO-Climate Change, Landscape Dynamics, Land Use and Natural Resources in the Atlantic Forest of Rio de Janeiro-integrates lowland landscapes into the research. Furthermore, the development of sustainable land use strategies will be supported by a deeper analysis of water and soil systems.
extend, which is estimated with 1.0 to 1.5 million km2. The remaining forests are highly fragment... more extend, which is estimated with 1.0 to 1.5 million km2. The remaining forests are highly fragmented and in many places still under high land use pressure. Therefore the Atlantic Forest is considered a biodiversity hotspot. Conservation strategies are regionally concentrated in two Biodiversity Conservation Corridors (BCCs): The Central corridor and the Serra do Mar corridor. The latter covers an area of about 120,600 km2 in the states of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Paraná, and represents the largest relatively intact block of Atlantic Forest. The study area of the presented research is located in the northeastern Serra do Mar corridor, in the upper Guapi-Macacu Watershed, at the foothills of the Serra dos Órgãos mountain range in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The study aims at analyzing land use changes during the last 70 years, as well as the actual state of forest fragmentation. The analysis was conducted based on visual interpretation of historic aerial images fro...
Disasters kill people, destroy infrastructure, damage ecosystems and undermine development, and c... more Disasters kill people, destroy infrastructure, damage ecosystems and undermine development, and could increase in frequency due to climate change. There is a need for increased awareness on the latest advances in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA). A significant advancement is a better understanding of ecosystem-based approaches for reducing disaster risks and adapting to climate change. This book explains the importance of ecosystems and their management for DRR and CCA and provides guidance to plan and implement ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation (Eco-DRR/EbA). The international policy field acknowledges the need to improve resilience through improving, maintaining and managing ecosystem function with a number of mentions and mandates in several important agreements, such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (SFDRR), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). We hope that readers of this source book will retain a few key messages about Eco-DRR/EbA and its core principles. These include: providing multiple benefits and offering a no-regrets strategy. Furthermore, ecosystem-based approaches to DRR/CCA are often more cost-effective over time than grey infrastructure alone, although in some cases, grey-green infrastructure combinations are the most optimal. And finally, gender-sensitive Eco-DRR/EbA is fundamental to transformational resilience, or resilience which leads to sustainable reduction of disaster risks. Our book concludes that there are still knowledge gaps and challenges to mainstreaming Eco-DRR/EbA, not the least being how to scale-up investments in ecosystems for DRR/CCA from a locally specific project to generalisable guidelines. This is indeed one of the main challenges of Eco-DRR/EbA: for example, vegetation that reduces erosion in one locality may not work in another. Nevertheless, this book aims to provide answers to overcome some of these gaps and challenges. It also challenges readers to engage in new research, find ways to incorporate Eco-DRR/EbA in development planning and join the growing community of practice working to advance this emerging field.
International journal of disaster risk reduction, Dec 1, 2019
Nature-based solutions (NbS) are highlighted in international agreements such as the Sendai Frame... more Nature-based solutions (NbS) are highlighted in international agreements such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 as promising strategies to reduce disaster risk, adapt to climatic change, and strengthen community resilience. Particular focus is placed on the role of vegetation to prevent or mitigate the impacts of natural hazards and climatic extreme events. Protection forests that aim to minimize the risk of shallow landslides and other slope processes are among the numerous examples of how vegetation can reduce disaster risk and support communities to cope with natural hazards. However, there is no existing systematic review of the protection functions that vegetation offers in different mountain environments and many studies only focus on one specific controlling factor-such as the root systems-without considering NbS as an integrated concept. We performed a detailed investigation into shallow landslides as the most frequent slope processes, and conducted a systematic literature review based on two peer-reviewed bibliographic databases, Scopus and Science Direct, to ascertain the extent to which vegetation is identified as a controlling factor and the targeting of NbS for risk reduction. We assessed more than 13,000 articles published from 2000 to 2018 and conducted an indepth evaluation of the 275 articles that satisfied the assessment criteria. Our results show that despite the promotion of NbS in internal policies, little research has been published on this topic; however, this has increased over the last decade. We therefore encourage transdisciplinary studies that integrate NbS for shallow landslides reduction.
The findings and conclusions of this Working Paper reflect the views of the author(s) and have no... more The findings and conclusions of this Working Paper reflect the views of the author(s) and have not been subject to a detailed review by the staff of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. Contact the Lincoln Institute with questions or requests for permission to reprint this paper.
Charcoal is an important urban fuel; however, when production is unregulated, it is a major cause... more Charcoal is an important urban fuel; however, when production is unregulated, it is a major cause of land and forest degradation. Production through selective harvesting of the preferred large, hardwood tree species leads to a degraded residual forest or woodland composed of juvenile hardwood trees and unused softwood tree species. This situation can be addressed by ensuring that the rate of preferred tree species extraction does not exceed the mean annual increment. This study estimated the sustainable rate of tree harvesting for charcoal in Mutomo District, based on field data collected between December 2012 and January 2013, through a forest inventory. The woodlands are subjected to selective logging for charcoal production, an activity undertaken by about half of the residents for their livelihood. The study findings show that charcoal production through selective logging has led to a reduction of the hardwood trees biomass density to 3.8 t ha −1 compared with an estimated desirable level of 12.5 t ha −1. The results also show that it would take between 25 and 31 years for the woodlands to recover to the desirable stocking level if harvesting was completely stopped. This duration would increase to between 54 and 64 years if 80% of the mean annual increment was harvested for charcoal production and 20% was retained for woodlands recovery. As the residents of Mutomo District are poor and highly dependent on charcoal production for their livelihood, a harvesting plan based on the latter option would set the woodlands on the path to recovery and ensuring a sustainable livelihood source.
Advances in natural and technological hazards research, 2016
In the past few years, many advances in terms of research, implementation and policies have taken... more In the past few years, many advances in terms of research, implementation and policies have taken place around the world with respect to understanding, capturing and facilitating the uptake of ecosystem-based approaches for disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA). We highlight some of these advances here, particularly for coastal (various hazards), riverine (floods), and mountain (landslides) environments. We also highlight that many international agreements reached in 2015 can facilitate the uptake of these approaches whereas ecosystem-based solutions can facilitate the achievement of many goals and targets related to DRR, CCA, and/or sustainable development enclosed in these agreements. Finally, the chapter provides an overview of the rest of the book.
Provision of woodfuel is an important ecosystem service of dry forests and woodlands. However, ch... more Provision of woodfuel is an important ecosystem service of dry forests and woodlands. However, charcoal production through selective logging of preferred hardwood species has the potential to alter the physiognomic composition of the residual or re-growth woodlands and may lead to their deterioration and degradation. This study, conducted through forest inventory in Mutomo District in Kenya, assessed the impact of charcoal production on unprotected dry woodlands in terms of tree density, targeted species basal area, species richness, evenness and Shannon diversity. The parameters of the disturbed woodlands were evaluated for significant differences with those of the neighbouring protected Tsavo East National Park, which served as a reference for an ecologically undisturbed ecosystem. By evaluating a consequence of tree harvesting for charcoal production, this study confirmed the overall significant differences between the protected and unprotected woodlands in all the tested parameters. To confirm if the differences in the land-covers of the woodlands had any influence on their degradation, all mentioned parameters were compared between the four differentiated classes and their respective control plots in the protected areas. At the "land-cover level", the statistically significant difference in the basal area of tree species preferred for charcoal production between the protected and unprotected open trees confirms that the class with a high density of large mature trees is the prime target of charcoal producers. In addition, there seems to be a general trend of lower values of tree species richness, evenness and Shannon diversity for the unprotected woodlands subjected to charcoal production. On the other hand, the disturbed woodlands display the potential to recover through their comparably high saplings density. The findings make an important contribution to the discourse on the impact of charcoal production in dry woodlands, a topic that is highly controversial among researchers.
ABSTRACT Deeply incised middle to late Holocene fluvial sediments of several streams in the tropi... more ABSTRACT Deeply incised middle to late Holocene fluvial sediments of several streams in the tropical Guapi-Macacu River catchment in the state of Rio de Janeiro were investigated with stratigraphical, sedimentological and geochronological methods. These investigations revealed multiple changes of the fluvial dynamics during the Holocene, triggered by a millennial climate change and the post-colonial increase of land use. Reduced fluvial dynamics and geomorphic stability prevailed in this region during the relatively dry mid-Holocene from 6.6 until 4.7 cal ka BP. This phase of stability was followed by a period of geomorphic activity as indicated by increased fluvial dynamics from this date. This overall environmental change corresponds well with the onset of quasi-modern humid climate conditions in southeastern Brazil during the mid- to late Holocene transition. A new period of activity has taken place since 0.29 cal ka BP, in relation with the start of European colonization and increased land use pressure. Large areas of Atlantic Forests were converted into agricultural and pasture land, causing strong soil erosion and destabilized slopes. The results of these investigations improve the existing Holocene landscape evolution model and highlight that under the given specific climatic and environmental conditions, even a closed forest cover does not necessarily result in geomorphic stability.
Deforestation and forest degradation activities are the biggest source of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) em... more Deforestation and forest degradation activities are the biggest source of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in Brazil. Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+), developed under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), is one mechanism that could help address both climate change mitigation and sustainable forest management including biodiversity protection and poverty reduction. REDD+ strategies aim at making forests more valuable standing than deforested, by assigning a financial value for the carbon stored in them. The overall goal of this research is to determine the feasibility of REDD+ to support suitable land and forest management in the municipality of Cachoeiras de Macacu. The municipality is located in the state of Rio de Janeiro within the highly fragmented Mata Atlântica biome. The research is based on an environmental governance analysis at the national, regional, and local scales. The elements of the environmental governance frameworks were contrasted with the elements of the REDD+ framework as the baseline, scope, funding instruments and, distribution mechanisms, in order to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for the incorporation of the mechanism in the study area. This analytical exercise allowed drawing conclusions about the major challenges that the incorporation of the mechanisms faces in the study area. The landownership hereditary system, intensive industrial and urban growth, lack of knowledge of REDD+ by authorities and inconsistencies in the law represent some of the major obstacles to define the scope into the study area. Nevertheless, the existence of public and private initiatives such as the "Reservas Particulares do Patrimônio Natural" (RPPN), the "Plano de Areas Verdes," and the creation of "Monumentos Naturales," open a window of opportunity for the development of subnational REDD+ initiatives.
Ecuador is currently completing the readiness phase for the implementation of the Reducing Emissi... more Ecuador is currently completing the readiness phase for the implementation of the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) mechanism at the national level. Many challenges regarding rights, multilayered governance and land tenure remain open in this country where Indigenous Peoples (IPs) occupy 68% of the Ecuadorian Amazon. We focused on the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve to exemplify obstacles and answers found in the last years. In a REDD+ pilot project, six communities of the most widespread ethnicities (Shuar, Kichwa and Colonists) living in the buffer zone of the Yasuní National Park (YNP), were chosen. We used literature research, analysis of international and national agendas, as well as primary data on REDD+ perception obtained through semi-structured household interviews and personal observations. First, we reconstruct the historical development of territorial configuration and present the actual land tenure arrangements. And then, we analyze persistent management conflicts within institutional, planning and normative instruments. Finally we explore legal frameworks with a focus on participation and consultation. Our results show that insecure and overlapping land rights, as well as unclear and contradictory institutional responsibilities are major problems for REDD+ implementation. Despite great advancements that have been made, establishing equitable mechanisms to engage IPs and forest owners and stakeholders across many sectors in REDD+ is required. Especially in Ecuador where oil extraction is a priority and the central government has an exclusive competence over ecosystem services including carbon rights. Implementing fair methods for participation, benefit sharing and transfer of knowledge remains a challenge.
Mangrove ecosystems store large amounts of carbon in biomass and sediments. This so called 'blue ... more Mangrove ecosystems store large amounts of carbon in biomass and sediments. This so called 'blue carbon' that is captured by oceanic and coastal ecosystems plays an important role in climate change mitigation strategies. However, most biomass and carbon measurements have been conducted in coastal and delta mangroves, while oceanic mangroves are still insufficiently researched. In this paper we present results from our research on the Karimunjawa archipelago in the Java Sea north of Central Java, Indonesia, where we measured soil carbon stocks (soil total organic carbon-TOC) of an oceanic mangrove ecosystem. In previous research, we had already analyzed above-ground carbon (AGC) and below-ground biomass carbon (BGBC), so that we are now able to present the total ecosystem carbon stock. We took 35 soil samples along seven transects to analyze the relationship between (a) soil TOC and distance from shoreline, (b) total ecosystem carbon stock (AGC + BGBC + soil TOC) and distance from shoreline, (c) total C of living biomass (AGC + BGBC) and distance from shoreline, as well as (d) soil TOC and living biomass. We took another nine soil samples to analyze the distribution of soil TOC in the soil profile at a greater resolution. Our results show that there is a wide range of soil carbon stocks that varies from 3.3 t C ha-1 to 366.7 t C ha-1. On average of the 35 samples soils contribute to 45.5% of the total ecosystem carbon stock. Overall there is no correlation between the analyzed variables. However, there is a correlation between distance from the shoreline and soil carbon stock for the longest transect and a strong relationship between soil depth and soil carbon stock for all samples. Carbon stock per increment decreases with a conspicuous drop at 15 cm.
Developing countries are predicted to have to face most of the impacts from climate change. Adver... more Developing countries are predicted to have to face most of the impacts from climate change. Adversely, their mitigation potential is comparably lower than that of developed countries. Consequently, adaptation to the adverse effects of climate change is of great importance to them. Though, as developing countries frequently face limited financial resources for adaptation, the selection of respective measures and their ranking for implementation are critical processes to achieve the most from the invested means. There is a need for decisionmakers, at the governmental and non-governmental level, to have tools for the selection and prioritization of adaptation measures that can address their financial resources and socioeconomic conditions. Also, such an instrument has to be easy to apply and adaptable to local conditions. Among sectors, forestry belongs to the most vulnerable; it offers great potential for mitigation as well for adaptation. Therefore, this study proposes a prioritization tool for adaptation measures in the forestry sector, taking into account its unique environmental, socioeconomic and institutional aspects. Conceptually, the work is organized around three main steps: (i) the identification of potential adaptation measures, (ii) a catalog of criteria and indicators for the evaluation of those measures and (iii) a Multi-Criteria Analysis for the prioritization of the identified and evaluated measures. As a main method the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is used as the basis for the development of the prioritization tool. The Bosawas Biosphere Reserve in Nicaragua is used as an empirical basis for this study. In the process, four different adaptation measures have been evaluated according to a list of criteria and indicators taking into account the conditions found in the study area. These were then prioritized using the AHP method. As a result, a ranking among the adaptation measures according to the adaptation needs of the biosphere reserve was obtained. "Conservation, reforestation and natural regeneration" resulted as the first choice among the adaptation measure for that case.
The complexity of interactions between numerous environmental and socioeconomic systems in the gl... more The complexity of interactions between numerous environmental and socioeconomic systems in the globalised world requires a deeper understanding of the related systems. Global problems, such as climate change, land degradation, energy crisis or poverty cannot be solved without an understanding of system behaviour and structure. For various broadscale systems, models have been developed. Well known are climate models which are used to generate projections of future climate. For use on regional scales, climate models are downscaled. In addition to climate models, numerous other models have been developed, related to specific topics, such as regional economic models, hydrology models, erosion models, or traffic models. Common aim to all models is the optimisation of systems or the solution of certain problems, respectively. In the hinterland of Rio de Janeiro, many problems, such as biodiversity loss, water pollution, and soil degradation are related to land use intensification processes which are in turn linked to population and economic growth. Against the background of biodiversity conservation in the Atlantic forest, the BMBF project BLUMEN (2002-2005) focused on system stability in the agricultural landscape in the mountain region of the Serra dos Órgãos, which still contains a high proportion of small forest fragments. Based on BLUMEN, the current BMBF project DINARIO-Climate Change, Landscape Dynamics, Land Use and Natural Resources in the Atlantic Forest of Rio de Janeiro-integrates lowland landscapes into the research. Furthermore, the development of sustainable land use strategies will be supported by a deeper analysis of water and soil systems.
extend, which is estimated with 1.0 to 1.5 million km2. The remaining forests are highly fragment... more extend, which is estimated with 1.0 to 1.5 million km2. The remaining forests are highly fragmented and in many places still under high land use pressure. Therefore the Atlantic Forest is considered a biodiversity hotspot. Conservation strategies are regionally concentrated in two Biodiversity Conservation Corridors (BCCs): The Central corridor and the Serra do Mar corridor. The latter covers an area of about 120,600 km2 in the states of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Paraná, and represents the largest relatively intact block of Atlantic Forest. The study area of the presented research is located in the northeastern Serra do Mar corridor, in the upper Guapi-Macacu Watershed, at the foothills of the Serra dos Órgãos mountain range in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The study aims at analyzing land use changes during the last 70 years, as well as the actual state of forest fragmentation. The analysis was conducted based on visual interpretation of historic aerial images fro...
Disasters kill people, destroy infrastructure, damage ecosystems and undermine development, and c... more Disasters kill people, destroy infrastructure, damage ecosystems and undermine development, and could increase in frequency due to climate change. There is a need for increased awareness on the latest advances in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA). A significant advancement is a better understanding of ecosystem-based approaches for reducing disaster risks and adapting to climate change. This book explains the importance of ecosystems and their management for DRR and CCA and provides guidance to plan and implement ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation (Eco-DRR/EbA). The international policy field acknowledges the need to improve resilience through improving, maintaining and managing ecosystem function with a number of mentions and mandates in several important agreements, such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (SFDRR), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). We hope that readers of this source book will retain a few key messages about Eco-DRR/EbA and its core principles. These include: providing multiple benefits and offering a no-regrets strategy. Furthermore, ecosystem-based approaches to DRR/CCA are often more cost-effective over time than grey infrastructure alone, although in some cases, grey-green infrastructure combinations are the most optimal. And finally, gender-sensitive Eco-DRR/EbA is fundamental to transformational resilience, or resilience which leads to sustainable reduction of disaster risks. Our book concludes that there are still knowledge gaps and challenges to mainstreaming Eco-DRR/EbA, not the least being how to scale-up investments in ecosystems for DRR/CCA from a locally specific project to generalisable guidelines. This is indeed one of the main challenges of Eco-DRR/EbA: for example, vegetation that reduces erosion in one locality may not work in another. Nevertheless, this book aims to provide answers to overcome some of these gaps and challenges. It also challenges readers to engage in new research, find ways to incorporate Eco-DRR/EbA in development planning and join the growing community of practice working to advance this emerging field.
International journal of disaster risk reduction, Dec 1, 2019
Nature-based solutions (NbS) are highlighted in international agreements such as the Sendai Frame... more Nature-based solutions (NbS) are highlighted in international agreements such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 as promising strategies to reduce disaster risk, adapt to climatic change, and strengthen community resilience. Particular focus is placed on the role of vegetation to prevent or mitigate the impacts of natural hazards and climatic extreme events. Protection forests that aim to minimize the risk of shallow landslides and other slope processes are among the numerous examples of how vegetation can reduce disaster risk and support communities to cope with natural hazards. However, there is no existing systematic review of the protection functions that vegetation offers in different mountain environments and many studies only focus on one specific controlling factor-such as the root systems-without considering NbS as an integrated concept. We performed a detailed investigation into shallow landslides as the most frequent slope processes, and conducted a systematic literature review based on two peer-reviewed bibliographic databases, Scopus and Science Direct, to ascertain the extent to which vegetation is identified as a controlling factor and the targeting of NbS for risk reduction. We assessed more than 13,000 articles published from 2000 to 2018 and conducted an indepth evaluation of the 275 articles that satisfied the assessment criteria. Our results show that despite the promotion of NbS in internal policies, little research has been published on this topic; however, this has increased over the last decade. We therefore encourage transdisciplinary studies that integrate NbS for shallow landslides reduction.
The findings and conclusions of this Working Paper reflect the views of the author(s) and have no... more The findings and conclusions of this Working Paper reflect the views of the author(s) and have not been subject to a detailed review by the staff of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. Contact the Lincoln Institute with questions or requests for permission to reprint this paper.
Charcoal is an important urban fuel; however, when production is unregulated, it is a major cause... more Charcoal is an important urban fuel; however, when production is unregulated, it is a major cause of land and forest degradation. Production through selective harvesting of the preferred large, hardwood tree species leads to a degraded residual forest or woodland composed of juvenile hardwood trees and unused softwood tree species. This situation can be addressed by ensuring that the rate of preferred tree species extraction does not exceed the mean annual increment. This study estimated the sustainable rate of tree harvesting for charcoal in Mutomo District, based on field data collected between December 2012 and January 2013, through a forest inventory. The woodlands are subjected to selective logging for charcoal production, an activity undertaken by about half of the residents for their livelihood. The study findings show that charcoal production through selective logging has led to a reduction of the hardwood trees biomass density to 3.8 t ha −1 compared with an estimated desirable level of 12.5 t ha −1. The results also show that it would take between 25 and 31 years for the woodlands to recover to the desirable stocking level if harvesting was completely stopped. This duration would increase to between 54 and 64 years if 80% of the mean annual increment was harvested for charcoal production and 20% was retained for woodlands recovery. As the residents of Mutomo District are poor and highly dependent on charcoal production for their livelihood, a harvesting plan based on the latter option would set the woodlands on the path to recovery and ensuring a sustainable livelihood source.
Advances in natural and technological hazards research, 2016
In the past few years, many advances in terms of research, implementation and policies have taken... more In the past few years, many advances in terms of research, implementation and policies have taken place around the world with respect to understanding, capturing and facilitating the uptake of ecosystem-based approaches for disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA). We highlight some of these advances here, particularly for coastal (various hazards), riverine (floods), and mountain (landslides) environments. We also highlight that many international agreements reached in 2015 can facilitate the uptake of these approaches whereas ecosystem-based solutions can facilitate the achievement of many goals and targets related to DRR, CCA, and/or sustainable development enclosed in these agreements. Finally, the chapter provides an overview of the rest of the book.
Provision of woodfuel is an important ecosystem service of dry forests and woodlands. However, ch... more Provision of woodfuel is an important ecosystem service of dry forests and woodlands. However, charcoal production through selective logging of preferred hardwood species has the potential to alter the physiognomic composition of the residual or re-growth woodlands and may lead to their deterioration and degradation. This study, conducted through forest inventory in Mutomo District in Kenya, assessed the impact of charcoal production on unprotected dry woodlands in terms of tree density, targeted species basal area, species richness, evenness and Shannon diversity. The parameters of the disturbed woodlands were evaluated for significant differences with those of the neighbouring protected Tsavo East National Park, which served as a reference for an ecologically undisturbed ecosystem. By evaluating a consequence of tree harvesting for charcoal production, this study confirmed the overall significant differences between the protected and unprotected woodlands in all the tested parameters. To confirm if the differences in the land-covers of the woodlands had any influence on their degradation, all mentioned parameters were compared between the four differentiated classes and their respective control plots in the protected areas. At the "land-cover level", the statistically significant difference in the basal area of tree species preferred for charcoal production between the protected and unprotected open trees confirms that the class with a high density of large mature trees is the prime target of charcoal producers. In addition, there seems to be a general trend of lower values of tree species richness, evenness and Shannon diversity for the unprotected woodlands subjected to charcoal production. On the other hand, the disturbed woodlands display the potential to recover through their comparably high saplings density. The findings make an important contribution to the discourse on the impact of charcoal production in dry woodlands, a topic that is highly controversial among researchers.
ABSTRACT Deeply incised middle to late Holocene fluvial sediments of several streams in the tropi... more ABSTRACT Deeply incised middle to late Holocene fluvial sediments of several streams in the tropical Guapi-Macacu River catchment in the state of Rio de Janeiro were investigated with stratigraphical, sedimentological and geochronological methods. These investigations revealed multiple changes of the fluvial dynamics during the Holocene, triggered by a millennial climate change and the post-colonial increase of land use. Reduced fluvial dynamics and geomorphic stability prevailed in this region during the relatively dry mid-Holocene from 6.6 until 4.7 cal ka BP. This phase of stability was followed by a period of geomorphic activity as indicated by increased fluvial dynamics from this date. This overall environmental change corresponds well with the onset of quasi-modern humid climate conditions in southeastern Brazil during the mid- to late Holocene transition. A new period of activity has taken place since 0.29 cal ka BP, in relation with the start of European colonization and increased land use pressure. Large areas of Atlantic Forests were converted into agricultural and pasture land, causing strong soil erosion and destabilized slopes. The results of these investigations improve the existing Holocene landscape evolution model and highlight that under the given specific climatic and environmental conditions, even a closed forest cover does not necessarily result in geomorphic stability.
Deforestation and forest degradation activities are the biggest source of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) em... more Deforestation and forest degradation activities are the biggest source of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in Brazil. Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+), developed under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), is one mechanism that could help address both climate change mitigation and sustainable forest management including biodiversity protection and poverty reduction. REDD+ strategies aim at making forests more valuable standing than deforested, by assigning a financial value for the carbon stored in them. The overall goal of this research is to determine the feasibility of REDD+ to support suitable land and forest management in the municipality of Cachoeiras de Macacu. The municipality is located in the state of Rio de Janeiro within the highly fragmented Mata Atlântica biome. The research is based on an environmental governance analysis at the national, regional, and local scales. The elements of the environmental governance frameworks were contrasted with the elements of the REDD+ framework as the baseline, scope, funding instruments and, distribution mechanisms, in order to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for the incorporation of the mechanism in the study area. This analytical exercise allowed drawing conclusions about the major challenges that the incorporation of the mechanisms faces in the study area. The landownership hereditary system, intensive industrial and urban growth, lack of knowledge of REDD+ by authorities and inconsistencies in the law represent some of the major obstacles to define the scope into the study area. Nevertheless, the existence of public and private initiatives such as the "Reservas Particulares do Patrimônio Natural" (RPPN), the "Plano de Areas Verdes," and the creation of "Monumentos Naturales," open a window of opportunity for the development of subnational REDD+ initiatives.
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Papers by Udo Nehren