In East Africa, human population growth and demands for natural resources cause forest loss contributing to increased carbon emissions and reduced biodiversity. Protected Areas (PAs) are intended to conserve habitats and species. Variability in PA effectiveness and 'leakage' (here defined as displacement of deforestation) may lead to different trends in forest loss within, and adjacent to, exis...

The increased use of renewable energy sources, including forest biomass, in energy consumption is a marked characteristic in many countries’ current energy policies. Use of forest biomass for energy is supported as a sustainable form of energy that contributes to social welfare, local development and forest economy. Thus, in Europe there is a sharp increase in demand for wood as a source of ren...

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China’s Natural Forest Protection Program (NFPP) and Sloping Land Conversion Program (SLCP), introduced in 1998 and 1999, respectively, are integral parts of the world’s largest reforestation effort. Statereported forest cover data indicate effective policy implementation through net forest cover expansion but overlook the scale-dependence of and spatial variation in forest cover change pattern...

The cutaneous microbiota of amphibians can be defined as a biological component of protection, since it can be composed of bacteria that produce antimicrobial compounds. Several factors influence skin microbial structure and it is possible that environmental variations are among one of these factors, perhaps through physical-chemical variations in the skin. This community, therefore, is likely ...

This research examined the relative importance of indicators and standards of quality at three mountain summits in the Northern Forest. The three summits ranged from low to high levels of use, development, and management. Computer-generated photographs were used to present a range of resource, social, and managerial conditions in a stated choice survey. Results suggest that visitors prefer mini...

For several decades, land use in Malinau district was dictated by the central government through the allocation of land to agriculture, timber concessions and mining companies. Now, with a policy of decentralization in place, district governments have a greater say in the allocation of land use. As a part of the district government development programs to increase district revenue, several fore...

Effects of vegetation patterns on yields of the surface and subsurface waters in the Heishui Alpine Valley in west China Y. Liu, S. An, Z. Deng, N. Fan, H. Yang, Z. Wang, Y. Zhi, C. Zhou, and S. Liu Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Global Changes, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection, the Chinese Academy of Fo...

This study presents a methodology for derivation of fractional canopy cover, detection of main tree species, and extraction of forest stands using logistic regression, airborne remote sensing data and field samples. In a first step, canopy height models (CHMs) are generated using medium point density LiDAR DSM and DTM and a high-quality matching DSM. Then, fractional canopy covers are calculate...

On Pacific islands non-native rats and mongooses threaten many native species. In Fiji we compared visitation rates of rats and mongooses at bait stations and measured biomass of leaf-litter invertebrates to assess the relative predation pressure from these species in forest areas at different distances from the forest edge. Forest areas over 5 km from the forest edge had significantly fewer ba...