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Borovichev EA, Kozhin MN, Koroleva NE, Petrova OV, Akhmerova DR, Shulina MV. Conservation of the Rare and Endangered Vascular Plants in the Mining and Tourism Area: Khibiny Mountains, Murmansk Region, Russia. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:1180. [PMID: 38732395 PMCID: PMC11085426 DOI: 10.3390/plants13091180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
The Khibiny Mountains (hereafter called Khibiny Mts.) are one of the most urbanized and industrialized regions in the Russian Arctic. There are combined a developed mining complex, elaborate infrastructure, a well-known tourist resort, and a large population, all amidst an exceptionally rich biodiversity of plants. In this study, we analyzed the current knowledge of the spatial distribution of rare and endangered vascular plants and vegetation and the impacts of human activities on these ecosystems. Approximately 28% of the protected vascular plant species in the Murmansk Region were registered within the confines of the Khibiny Mts. In particular, although only a handful of protected species had a widespread presence, most rare species were confined to the southern reaches of the mountain range, with only a select few extending into other parts. Papaver lapponicum was the only species that thrived across the entire territory, including industrial areas. The studied territory contained nine specially protected areas spanning 123,220 hectares. Nature monuments adjacent to mining sites and urban centers play an important role in preserving regional biodiversity. However, the expansion of the mining industry, alongside deforestation and wildfires, poses considerable threats to the biodiversity of the Khibiny Mts. A comprehensive biodiversity conservation strategy implemented in this region balances the local and expansive territorial protection of rare species and habitats, ensuring environmental preservation while facilitating social and economic progress, a noteworthy example of environmental protection in the Arctic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugene A. Borovichev
- Avrorin Polar-Alpine Botanical Garden-Institute, Kola Science Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Apatity 184209, Russia; (M.N.K.); (N.E.K.); (O.V.P.)
| | - Mikhail N. Kozhin
- Avrorin Polar-Alpine Botanical Garden-Institute, Kola Science Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Apatity 184209, Russia; (M.N.K.); (N.E.K.); (O.V.P.)
| | - Natalia E. Koroleva
- Avrorin Polar-Alpine Botanical Garden-Institute, Kola Science Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Apatity 184209, Russia; (M.N.K.); (N.E.K.); (O.V.P.)
| | - Olga V. Petrova
- Avrorin Polar-Alpine Botanical Garden-Institute, Kola Science Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Apatity 184209, Russia; (M.N.K.); (N.E.K.); (O.V.P.)
| | - Diana R. Akhmerova
- Institute of Industrial Ecology Problems in the North, Kola Science Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Apatity 184209, Russia; (D.R.A.); (M.V.S.)
| | - Maria V. Shulina
- Institute of Industrial Ecology Problems in the North, Kola Science Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Apatity 184209, Russia; (D.R.A.); (M.V.S.)
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Buffa DC, Thompson KE, Reijerkerk D, Brittain S, Manahira G, Samba R, Lahiniriko F, Brenah Marius CJ, Augustin JY, Tsitohery JRF, Razafy RM, Leonce H, Rasolondrainy T, Douglass K. Understanding constraints to adaptation using a community-centred toolkit. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220391. [PMID: 37718606 PMCID: PMC10505857 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Worldwide, marginalized and low-income communities will disproportionately suffer climate change impacts while also retaining the least political power to mitigate their consequences. To adapt to environmental shocks, communities must balance intensifying natural resource consumption with the need to ensure the sustainability of ecosystem provisioning services. Thus, scientists have long been providing policy recommendations that seek to balance humanitarian needs with the best outcomes for the conservation of ecosystems and wildlife. However, many conservation and development practitioners from biological backgrounds receive minimal training in either social research methods or participatory project design. Without a clear understanding of the sociocultural factors shaping decision-making, their initiatives may fail to meet their goals, even when communities support proposed initiatives. This paper explores the underlying assumptions of a community's agency, or its ability to develop and enact preferred resilience-enhancing adaptations. We present a context-adaptable toolkit to assess community agency, identify barriers to adaptation, and survey perceptions of behaviour change around natural resource conservation and alternative food acquisition strategies. This tool draws on public health and ecology methods to facilitate conversations between community members, practitioners and scientists. We then provide insights from the toolkit's collaborative development and pilot testing with Vezo fishing communities in southwestern Madagascar. This article is part of the theme issue 'Climate change adaptation needs a science of culture'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle C. Buffa
- The Pennsylvania State University, 312 Carpenter Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA, USA
| | - Katharine E. T. Thompson
- The Pennsylvania State University, 312 Carpenter Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA, USA
- The Climate School, Columbia University, Hogan Hall, 2910 Broadway, New York, NY 10025, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, 101 Circle Rd, SBS Building S-501, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Dana Reijerkerk
- Stony Brook University Libraries, 100 Nicolls Rd., Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Stephanie Brittain
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science, Department of Biology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - George Manahira
- The Morombe Archaeological Project, Commune de Befandefa, Ampamata Andavadoake 618, Madagascar
| | - Roger Samba
- The Morombe Archaeological Project, Commune de Befandefa, Ampamata Andavadoake 618, Madagascar
| | - Francois Lahiniriko
- The Morombe Archaeological Project, Commune de Befandefa, Ampamata Andavadoake 618, Madagascar
| | | | - Jean Yves Augustin
- The Morombe Archaeological Project, Commune de Befandefa, Ampamata Andavadoake 618, Madagascar
| | | | - Roi Magnefa Razafy
- The Morombe Archaeological Project, Commune de Befandefa, Ampamata Andavadoake 618, Madagascar
| | - Harison Leonce
- The Morombe Archaeological Project, Commune de Befandefa, Ampamata Andavadoake 618, Madagascar
| | - Tanambelo Rasolondrainy
- Université de Toliara, Centre de Documentation et de Recherche, sur l’Art et les Traditions Orales à Madagascar, Université de Toliara, Toliara 601, Madagascar
| | - Kristina Douglass
- The Climate School, Columbia University, Hogan Hall, 2910 Broadway, New York, NY 10025, USA
- The Morombe Archaeological Project, Commune de Befandefa, Ampamata Andavadoake 618, Madagascar
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Division of Birds, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA
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Makrickas E, Manton M, Angelstam P, Grygoruk M. Trading wood for water and carbon in peatland forests? Rewetting is worth more than wood production. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 341:117952. [PMID: 37196393 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.117952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
While traditional forest management systems aim at maximizing timber production, sustainable forest management focuses on the multiple benefits of entire forest landscapes. The latter is now at the top of policy agendas. This calls for learning through evaluation to support the implementation of policies aiming towards multi-functional forest landscapes. The aim of this study is to quantify the economic trade-offs among natural, current, and re-wetted peatland forests using seven indicators, viz. drainage maintenance, rewetting, water retention, wood production, and three types of carbon sequestration as economic indicators. We discuss ways to adapt to and mitigate effect of forest draining on climate change toward securing multi-functional forest landscapes. The cost benefit analysis showed that in a potential natural state, Lithuania's peatland forests would deliver an economic benefit of ∼€176.1 million annually. In contrast, compared to natural peatland forests, the drainage of peatland forests for wood production has caused a loss of ∼€309 million annually. In comparison, peatland forest rewetting is estimated to increase the economic value by ∼€170 million annually. This study shows that satisfying different ecosystem services is a balancing act, and that a focus on wood production has resulted in net losses when foregone values of water storage and carbon sequestration are considered. Valuation of different sets of ecosystems service benefits and disservices must be assessed, and can be used as a tool towards creating, implementing and monitoring consequences of policies on both sustainability and biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evaldas Makrickas
- Vytautas Magnus University, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Ecology, Studentu Str. 11, Akademija, Kauno r., 53361, Lithuania.
| | - Michael Manton
- Vytautas Magnus University, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Ecology, Studentu Str. 11, Akademija, Kauno r., 53361, Lithuania.
| | - Per Angelstam
- Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology, 2480, Evenstad, Norway; Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Faculty of Forest Sciences, School for Forest Management, PO Box 43, 73921, Skinnskatteberg, Sweden.
| | - Mateusz Grygoruk
- Institute of Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, ul. Nowoursynowska 166, 02-787, Warsaw, Poland.
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Andrianambinina FOD, Schuurman D, Rakotoarijaona MA, Razanajovy CN, Ramparany HM, Rafanoharana SC, Rasamuel HA, Faragher KD, Waeber PO, Wilmé L. Boost the resilience of protected areas to shocks by reducing their dependency on tourism. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0278591. [PMID: 37053230 PMCID: PMC10101445 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0278591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Ecotourism is widely considered a strong mechanism for the sustainable funding of protected areas (PAs). Implemented during the 1990s in Madagascar, nature-based tourism experienced positive growth over the last 30 years with increasing numbers of visits to the parks and reserves. Revenue earned from entrance fees to the network of PAs managed by Madagascar National Parks has never been sufficient to finance their management. Political crises and the COVID-19 pandemic in particular, have highlighted for park managers, the risk of relying on such earnings when they covered just 1% of the required funding in 2021. Alternative mechanisms of funding are analysed for all of Madagascar's PAs with a view to facilitating sustainable conservation of the localities and protection of the island's biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - H Andry Rasamuel
- Madagascar Program, World Resources Institute Africa, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Kevin D Faragher
- World Resources Institute, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Patrick O Waeber
- International Forest Management, Bern University of Applied Sciences, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Forest Management and Development, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Lucienne Wilmé
- Madagascar Program, World Resources Institute Africa, Antananarivo, Madagascar
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The Winding Road towards Sustainable Forest Management in Romania, 1989–2022: A Case Study of Post-Communist Social–Ecological Transition. LAND 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/land11081198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Forest ecosystems are a prime example of the heated debates that have arisen around how forests should be managed, and what services and benefits they should deliver. The European transitions in governance to and from communist regimes have had significant impacts on forests and their management. Unstable legislative and institutional changes prior to, during, and after a communist regime, combined with unique remnant areas of high-conservation-value forests, make Romania an ideal case study to explore the social–ecological transitions of forest landscapes. The aim of this paper is two-fold. First, we present the origins of, the evolution of, and the current state of forest management and ownership in Romania during transitions between the pre-communist (-1945), communist (1945–1989), and EU periods (2007-). Second, we focus on the enablers and barriers in Romania towards sustainable forest management as defined by pan-European forest policies. We used a semi-systematic, five-step scientific literature review on forest ownership, governance, and management in Romania. The analysis shows that both enablers (e.g., forest certification) and barriers (e.g., redundancy and the questionable effectiveness of the network of protected areas; illegal, unsustainable, and unreported logging; loopholes in the legislative framework) have contributed to the current approaches to interpreting forests, forestry, and forest management. The installation of the communist regime translated into sustained wood yield forest management under singular forest ownership, which opposed the previous system and forest ownership pluralism. In the post-communist period, forestland restitution led to significant legislative changes, but forest management must still confront remnant elements of the communist approach. Both communist and post-communist policies related to forests have shaped the evolution of forest landscape management in Romania, thus stressing the need to learn from the past towards securing sustainable forest management into the future. These lessons provide insights on both positive and negative drivers of forest management, which can contribute to smooth future transition towards more sustainable forest management practices.
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Diversifying Forest Landscape Management—A Case Study of a Shift from Native Forest Logging to Plantations in Australian Wet Forests. LAND 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/land11030407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Natural forests have many ecological, economic and other values, and sustaining them is a challenge for policy makers and forest managers. Conventional approaches to forest management such as those based on maximum sustained yield principles disregard fundamental tenets of ecological sustainability and often fail. Here we describe the failure of a highly regulated approach to forest management focused on intensive wood production in the mountain ash forests of Victoria, Australia. Poor past management led to overcutting with timber yields too high to be sustainable and failing to account for uncertainties. Ongoing logging will have negative impacts on biodiversity and water production, alter fire regimes, and generate economic losses. This means there are few options to diversify forest management. The only ecologically and economically viable option is to cease logging mountain ash forests altogether and transition wood production to plantations located elsewhere in the state of Victoria. We outline general lessons for diversifying land management from our case study.
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Sobhani P, Esmaeilzadeh H, Sadeghi SMM, Marcu MV. Estimation of Ecotourism Carrying Capacity for Sustainable Development of Protected Areas in Iran. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19031059. [PMID: 35162082 PMCID: PMC8834276 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19031059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Estimating the ecotourism carrying capacity (ETCC) in protected areas (PAs) is essential for minimizing the negative impacts of ecotourism and sustainable environmental management. PAs are one of the prominent ecotourism locations and many of these areas have been created to protect biodiversity and improve human wellbeing. This study has identified and prioritized negative impacts of ecotourism in Lar national park, the Jajrud protected area with the sustainable use of natural resources, and Tangeh Vashi national natural monument. For this purpose, physical carrying capacity (PCC), real carrying capacity (RCC), and effective carrying capacity (ECC) were estimated using the ETCC model. The results indicated that due to these areas' ecological sensitivity, the most negative impacts of ecotourism are related to the environmental-physical dimensions. In contrast, the lowest impacts have been observed in the economic-institutional dimensions. Moreover, the results revealed that the highest PCC is related to Lar national park, and the lowest PCC is associated with Tangeh Vashi natural monument. There are more tourists in the Jajrud protected area with the sustainable use of natural resources than other areas in RCC and ECC due to low levels of restrictions and legal instructions. In contrast, in Lar national park and Tangeh Vashi natural monument, due to the short duration of ecotourism in these areas (from June to October), high level of restrictions, and ecological sensitivity, the number of tourists is less than the RCC and ECC. As these areas have a limited ability to attract visitors and ecotourism, the protection of these areas requires the implementation of sustainable management to control the negative impacts of ecotourism and estimate the number of visitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parvaneh Sobhani
- Environmental Sciences Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Evin, Tehran 1983969411, Iran;
| | - Hassan Esmaeilzadeh
- Environmental Sciences Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Evin, Tehran 1983969411, Iran;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +98-912-537-9322
| | - Seyed Mohammad Moein Sadeghi
- Department of Forest Engineering, Forest Management Planning and Terrestrial Measurements, Faculty of Silviculture and Forest Engineering, Transilvania University of Brasov, Şirul Beethoven 1, 500123 Brasov, Romania; (S.M.M.S.); (M.V.M.)
| | - Marina Viorela Marcu
- Department of Forest Engineering, Forest Management Planning and Terrestrial Measurements, Faculty of Silviculture and Forest Engineering, Transilvania University of Brasov, Şirul Beethoven 1, 500123 Brasov, Romania; (S.M.M.S.); (M.V.M.)
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Winkel G, Sotirov M, Moseley C. Forest environmental frontiers around the globe: Old patterns and new trends in forest governance. AMBIO 2021; 50:2129-2137. [PMID: 34661857 PMCID: PMC8563911 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-021-01647-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Forests are subject to a huge variety of often competing socio-economic demands and environmental change. This paper assesses the related conflicts that occur along what we label to be a "Global Forest Environmental Frontier". Assessing 11 contributions to a special issue on the same topic, it summarizes the main contents of these papers and concludes with an assessment of major trends. The contributions to the special issue take both a regional and topic-related approach, assessing forest environmental conflicts on all five forested continents and investigating issues such as forest biodiversity conservation, climate change adaptation and mitigation, environmental justice and equity, development, and forest management and conservation discourses. Taken together, they provide an overview on the multiple facets of the Global Forest Environmental Frontier, but also identify some shared patterns and trajectories, which are outlined at the end of this paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georg Winkel
- European Forest Institute, Governance Programme, Platz der Vereinten Nationen 7, 53113 Bonn, Germany
| | - Metodi Sotirov
- Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, Institute of Environmental Social Sciences, Chair of Forest and Environmental Policy, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacher Str. 4, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
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