| European
Tropical Forest Research Network |
FORESTS, WATER AND PEOPLE IN THE HUMID TROPICS: past, present and future hydrological research for integrated land and water management
M.Bonell and L.A.Bruijnzeel (eds.) 2005
This massive tome (2.8 kg, 275x215x42 mm), resulting from the 2000 UNESCO-IHP and IUFRO workshop in Malaysia, with some added chapters, is an up-to-date, rich compendium of papers: 9 on hydrological processes in undisturbed forests (332 pp); 8 dealing with forest disturbance, conversion and recovery (186 pp); and 8 describing methods for detecting and evaluating effects of land use change (166 pp). In these three technical, central parts of the volume, specialists in a wide range of fields such as hydrology, meteorology, geomorphology, remote sensing, ecology, forestry, land use planning and management, economics and social sciences will find contributions in their own field and in other fields with relevance to theirs – many also providing broader understanding and context for the others.
Current trends and perspectives on people-land use-water issues are discussed in the first 150 pp, and best management practices are discussed and “do not clear” warnings for specific types of natural land cover argued in the last part (69 pp). These first and last parts, about a quarter of the total, are aimed at a wider range of readers and deal with developments, issues, perplexities (such as the economic reasoning–resource conservation conundrum) and solutions in the web of relationships among the land and water, the natural forests and the other, largely human-induced, land cover types, the local people and the people and institutions elsewhere with an interest in the land or decision-making power over it.
A critical note: In part one as well as in the conclusion authors state that the main causes of forest degradation are unplanned: due to the subsistence and energy demands of rural populations, and that the main causes of immediate conversion of forest to other land uses are planned: government-driven programmes to stimulate resettlement, cattle ranching and permanent agriculture and commercial plantations. These statements curiously ignore another major cause of forest degradation or disappearance: the large-scale, often illegal or semi-legal (unauthorized) timber extraction, both selective and clear-felling, that has been taking place in a number of tropical countries with and without government planning or permission.
The extensive (20 pp), thoughtful conclusion largely serves as an executive summary of the whole volume; to do justice to the wealth and variety of information and views a similar length of text would have been needed for a proper review. The core conclusions relevant to local populations and local and national political and economic decision-makers are in the last few pages: outstanding economic and institutional issues and concluding remarks on, inter alia, the prime importance of increasing the involvement of local communities in the entire resource management decision-making process, the proposed establishment of regional (long-term) demonstration forests in which local people would have a major role, the need for in-depth research and long-term monitoring to clarify the widespread and societally important low-flow problem, and the encouraging spread of a people-centred, bottom-up approach to the process from setting a research agenda to joint field testing and evaluation by the land users.
A reader wishing to follow up some of the abundant references (after each paper) will need a good university or national library, as will the prospective reader without a ready US$ 300 in hand. A low-cost reprint would significantly improve access to this book in many countries. A simple brochure on the basis of the 20-page conclusion might also be useful for a much wider, less technically oriented readership, including decision-makers in national and local government and civil society.
Reviewed by Dr. Robert Brinkman
International hydrology series,
Cambridge U.P. xvii + 925 pp. hb,
ISBN 0521829534. £175 or US$300.
More information available on the Cambridge University web site at:
http://www.cambridge.org/uk/0521829534
Besides a description of the book, the website includes the table of contents and an excerpt containing the introduction.
To order:
Cambridge University Press
The Edinburgh Building
Shaftesbury Road
CB2 2RU Cambridge
UK
Phone: + 44 1223 326050
Fax: + 44 1223 326111
E-mail: directcustserve@cambridge.org
FROM THE MOUNTAIN TO THE TAP: how land use and water management can work for the rural poor
Becky Hayward (2005)
“Trees overvalued in water management”
This report is a summary of a series of research projects commissioned by the Tropical Forestry Research Programme (FRP) of the UK Department for International Development (DFID). It presents an overview of research conducted by the Centre for Land Use and Water Resources at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, and the Free University of Amsterdam with partners in Colombia, Costa Rica, Germany, Grenada, India, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, the Netherlands, the UK and the US.
The potential implications of the results from this 4-year multi-country collaboration in Costa Rica , South Africa , Tanzania , Grenada and India are immense as they contradict current tree-planting policies and environmental beliefs. Trees, if planted in water scarce environments, may reduce dry season flows and therefore worsen the living conditions of the poor. The research results point to the need for water managers and policy makers to base decisions on tree planting schemes on scientific evidence appropriate for the site. Unless there is urgent action, the looming water crisis will aggravate, and leave the most vulnerable - the rural and urban poor populations - ever more disadvantaged (Source: FRP website)
The booklet is available as hard copy from FRP through Katelijne Rothschild-van Look (k.rothshild@nrint.co.uk) and a pdf version can be obtained at the FRP website:
http://www.frp.uk.com/assets/Water_book.pdf
For further information on the research, please contact the project lead researchers, Ian Calder (i.r.calder@newcastle.ac.uk), Sampurno Bruijnzeel (sampurno.bruijnzeel@geo.falw.vu.nl) Rob Hope (Robert.hope@newcastle.ac.uk), Ashvin Gosain (gosain@civil.iitd.ernet.in).
More information about the forestry research programme is available at http://www.frp.uk.com
FOREST AND FLOODS: drowning in fiction or thriving on facts?
FAO and CIFOR (2005)
This booklet explores the scientific evidence linking floods and forests. It reveals that much of the public perception on the links between the two cannot be substantiated by science and is often little more than myth or is patently incorrect. Forests and floods distinguishes fact from fiction and recommends alternative approaches for effective watershed and floodplain management. In this way, it constructively contributes to the development of sound watershed and river-basin management and improved flood-mitigation policies.
The article by Thomas Enters and Patrick Durst on page 11 refers to this paper.
RAP Publication 2005/3 and Forest Perspectives 2
ISBN 979-3361-64-6
Full text available at:
http://www.cifor.cgiar.org/publications/pdf_files/Books/BCIFOR0501.pdf
or at the FAO website:
http://www.fao.org/world/regional/rap/publication_browse_detail.asp?divisionID=64
To order a paper copy, please contact:
Patrick Durst:
Senior Forestry Officer
FAO Regional Office for Asia & the Pacific
39 Phra Atit Rd , Bangkok 10200
Thailand
E-mail: Patrick.Durst@fao.org
BLUE REVOLUTION: integrated land and water resources management
I.R. Calder (Second edition September 2005)
In the first edition of The Blue Revolution, published in 1999, Ian Calder dispelled much of the mythology that has hindered rational land use and water resource decision-making in the past. The Blue Revolution is an essential guide to recent breakthroughs in water resource management.
The revolution essentially concerns the ongoing major shift in the approaches and objectives in the way land and water are managed. This book discusses new findings on how land use impacts on water resources; new approaches, methods, tools and concepts such as integrated water resources management along with a new policy agenda informing water resource management strategies. This is illustrated with several case studies, highlighting the complexity of the processes. Therefore, it remains difficult to generalise about the relative impacts of different vegetation types upon the catchment water balance. The book focuses on the role of forests in water management: myths and mother statements about the relation between forests and water are discussed.
This update to the Blue Revolution provides further evidence of the need to integrate land management decision-making into the process of integrated water resources management. It presents the key issues involved in finding the balance between the competing demands for land and water: for food and other forms of economic production, for sustaining livelihoods, and for conservation, amenity, recreation and the requirements of the environment. It also presents means and methodologies to address these issues.
A new chapter, Policies, Power and Perversity, describes the perverse outcomes that can result from present, often myth-based, land and water policies which do not consider these land and water interactions. New research and case studies involving Integrated Land and Water Resources Management concepts are presented for the Panama Canal catchments and in relation to afforestation proposals for the UK Midlands.
Order details:
PB 22.95 ISBN: 1844072398
HB 80.00 ISBN: 1844072401
Ordering online at:
http://shop.earthscan.co.uk/ : the book is listed under category of water and resources.
Earthscan / James & James
8-12 Camden High Street
London NW1 0JH
UK
Phone: +44 20 7387 8558
Fax: + 44 20 7387 8998
E-mail: orders@earthscan.co.uk
For more information you may also contact the author Ian Calder at:
I.R.Calder@newcastle.ac.uk
THE ASIA FOREST NETWORK - Recent publications
The Asia Forest Network (AFN) is dedicated to supporting the role of communities in protection and sustainable use of Asia ’s forests. AFN is comprised of a coalition of planners, policy makers, government foresters, scientists, researchers, and NGOs. One of AFN’s main activities is facilitating exchange of information through publications.
The Research Network Reports include a series called: Community Forest Management Trends in Southeast Asia. This is a regional case study series covering five countries: Philippines, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Thailand.
Below several recent AFN publications dealing with forests and water issues are presented.
Communities for Watershed Protection- Mae Khan , Thailand
by Chaleo Kanjan & Jessada Kaewchote (2004)
This paper summarizes recent experiences in formally establishing community-based forest management in the Mea Kahan Watershed, Chiangmai. It examines the practices among highland, upland and lowland communities in the Mae Wang sub-watershed. The publication explores how different traditions of resource management could be integrated into emerging local government natural resource management planning strategies. A variety of tools and techniques utilized to facilitate community decisions are described.
Flood Forests , Fish, and Fishing Villages- Tonle Sap , Cambodia
by Kiran Paudyal and Patrick Evans
This study describes the experiences of the Kompong Phluk, a community that has been attempting to protect its flood forests and fishing grounds for the past fifty years. It examines how the community has formalized indigenous resource management systems.
The experiences are summarized by Patrick Evans on page 71.
Communities and Watershed Governance – Visayas , Philippines
by Sylvia Miclat, Rowena Soriaga and Peter Walpole.
A case study of two watersheds in the Visayas provides insights in how upland and coastal communities are interacting with local and national governments to develop their own unique approach to resource use and conservation.
Rowena Soriaga presents a summary of this paper on page 53.
Working paper series
Approaches to Controlling Illegal Forest Activities: Considerations from South East Asia
by Akiko Inoguchi, Rowena Soriaga and Peter Walpole (2005)
This paper reflects ten years experience working with local people and bureaucraties in South-East Asia . The first section describes illegal forest activities in South-East Asia : the different levels of illegal forest activities; the relation between poverty and illegal forest activities; and conditions invoking illegal forest activities. The second part discusses community forest management as a critical approach to control illegal forest activities. Further tasks that should be addressed to enhance the effectiveness of CFM are identified. The third section criticises illegal logging being blamed for natural disasters such as floods. Although illegal logging should be stopped, this does not prevent such disasters, unless they also address more critical problems what actually causes human disasters.
The paper concludes with discussing the European Union’s approaches to address illegal forest issues. The EU policy package includes the “FLEGT Action Plan” and funding guidelines for the “Programme on Tropical Forests and other Forest in Developing Countries. The AFN offers recommendations to close the gaps seen in the current approaches of EU policies towards illegal forest activities and the realities of forests, forest communities and the forest sectors of South-East Asia .
Illegal logging and disasters (part 3) is also discussed by Peter Walpole on page 14.
Ordering Information:
Publications from the Asia Forest Network can be downloaded at: http://www.asiaforestnetwork.org
For those interested in paper copies, please contact Ms Liezl Samonte-Bunda at the Asia Forest Network.
Asia Forest Network
Attn. Ms Liezl Samonte-Bunda
2/F Gallares Main Bldg., Gallares Square
Graham Avenue / Maria Callas Street
Tagbilaran City 6300, Bohol,
Philippines
Tel: +63 38 501 8947
Fax: +63 38 235 5800
E-mail: afn@asiaforestnetwork.org
Website: http://www.asiaforestnetwork.org
WATER: FORESTRY AND LAND USE PERSPECTIVES
N. Abdul Rahim (ed) (2004)
This document contains selected papers from the seminar organised by the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), the Regional Humid Tropics Hydrology and Water Resources Centre for Southeast Asia and the Pacific (HTC-Malaysia), and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) – Malaysia . The seminar was held in Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia in March-April 1999.
The first papers present an overview of current and future water needs (Johari & Rusnah); the impact of climatic phenomena on water resources (Lim & Ooi), such as severe drought (Shaaban et al); and outline various issues of mountain hydrology (Bonell). The next four papers discuss the role of trees and forests in more detail: rainfall interception by rainforests (Saberi & Rosnani); sub-canopy rainfall and wet canopy evaporation (Bidin & Chappell); impacts of forestry and land use (Abdul Rahim & Zulkifli); and the runoff of peat swamps forest (Zulkifli et al).
Technical Documents in Hydrology series no 70, published by the International Hydrological Programme (IHP), UNESCO, Paris (115 pages)
The publication is available online:
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001379/137954e.pdf
Due to the limited number of print copies available, we highly recommend online consultation and/or downloading of the publication.
For those with limited internet access, orders for UNESCO/IHP publication titles (non-commercial series only) may be placed through the IHP Documentation Center:
Vincent Leogardo
IHP Documentation Center
UNESCO/Division of Water Sciences (SC/HYD)
1 rue Miollis, 75732 Paris Cedex 15
France
Phone: +33 (0)1 45 68 40 04
Fax: +33 (0)1 45 68 58 11
E-mail: v.leogardo@unesco.org
Website: http://www.unesco.org/water
RIVER RESTORATION IN EAST ASIA
F. Parish, M.B. Mokhtar, A.R Abdullah and O.M.Chew (eds.) 2004
Proceedings of the East Asia Regional Seminar on River Restoration ( Kuala Lumpur , 2003) Global Environment Centre & Department of Irrigation and Drainage, Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia . (242 pages)
Poor management of land and water resources in many river basins has led to major floods, water shortages, pollution and loss of biodiversity. Restoration of rivers and associated wetlands and biodiversity in Asia is a relatively new practice and is still in an experimental stage. The Malaysian Government and its partners organised the East Asia Regional Seminar on River Restoration in January 2003 to share experiences and lessons learned on issues and challenges in river management and restoration.
The seminar brought together more than 165 representatives from government agencies, research institutions and NGOs. An important output of this seminar was the ‘Kuala Lumpur Statement on River Restoration in East Asia ’, which was presented at the 3rd World Water Forum in Kyoto , Japan in March 2003.
The proceedings of the seminar include 40 papers covering four main topics: Planning and Management; Restoration Techniques and Experiences; Research and Development and Community Participation. The publication presents experiences with the rehabilitation of river catchments to reduce floods and maintain dry season flows, including reforestation of upper watersheds. It discusses the restoration of reclaimed tropical peat basin as well as restoration of mangrove forests. Prevention of water pollution and methods to improve the water quality are also reviewed. The last eight papers examine the involvement of local communities in river restoration. As Faizal Parish points out in a keynote paper, local people, especially fishing communities are very supportive of rehabilitation projects as they can see direct benefits from improved fish habitat, coastal protection as well as a source of wood products.
The publication can be downloaded from:
http://www.riverbasin.org/
ISBN983-3377-00-9
The proceedings (hard copy and CD-ROM) are available from the Global Environment Centre for US$10.00 (excluding postage). To order please contact:
Global Environment Centre,
2nd Floor, Wisma Hing,
78, Jalan SS2/72,
47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor D.E.
Malaysia
Phone: +60 3 7957 2007
Fax: +60 3 7957 7003
E-mail: gecnet@genet.po.my
Website: http://www.gecnet.info
MANUAL ON PEAT SWAMP FOREST REHABILITATION AND PLANTING IN THAILAND
David Lee and Tanit Nuyim (2005)
The original version of the manual was written by Mr. Tanit Nuyim from the National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department (NPWPC). With the collaboration between Global Environment Centre, Wetlands International Thailand, and the NPWPC Department under the joint support from the UNEP-GEF’s Integrated Management of Peatlands for Biodiversity and Climate Change project and CIDA funded Climate Change, Forests and Peatlands in Indonesia project, this manual was translated into English and published in May 2005.
The manual starts by giving an overview and scenario of the peat swamp forest in Thailand , including some basic characteristics and features of the peat swamp in the country. Chapter 3 provides a list of plant species that was tested for suitability in peat swamp replanting. This programme was a product of a long research conducted from 1988 to 2002. The manual also describes in detail the steps and methodology for seedling preparation, nursery set up, as well as information on plant growth studies. This book is a useful reference in any future attempts to replant peat swamp forest species.
Web address Peat Portal:
http://www.peat-portal.net/ev_en.php?ID=3640_201&ID2=DO_TOPIC
To request a copy, you should sign up to the peat-portal, and then you can request a copy for free.
For more information, contact David Lee at the Global Environmental Centre.
David Lee
Global Environment Centre,
2nd Floor, Wisma Hing, Jalan SS2/72,
Petaling Jaya , 47300 Selangor
Malaysia
E-mail: david@genet.po.my
HYDROLOGICAL IMPACTS OF FOREST , AGROFORESTRY AND UPLAND CROPPING AS A BASIS FOR REWARDING ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICE PROVIDERS IN INDONESIA
Fahmuddin Agus, Farida and Meine van Noordwijk (eds) 2004
This publication presents the proceedings of a workshop held in Padang/Singkarak, West Sumatra, Indonesia, during 25-28 February 2004: a workshop involving researchers and policy makers from district, provincial, national and international levels. The chapters are preceded with a reader-friendly executive summary. It revamps some ‘myth understanding’ of land use changes and hydrological relationships. The chapters include: forest and watershed function relationship; the role of agroforestry in maintenance of hydrological functions; criteria and indicators for evaluating the success of watershed management; farmers’ practices worth rewarding; recognizing and rewarding of watershed services; institutional arrangements for watershed management; and reward mechanisms of environmental services. Results of group discussions are included. The final parts show the picturesque photos of Singkarak and Maninjau lakes and their catchments illustrating an example of the challenges and opportunities to Implement the RUPES Program.
This Proceedings may be downloaded from
http://www.worldagroforestrycentre.org/sea
ISBN 979-3198-18-4
World Agroforestry Centre,
ICRAF-SEA, Bogor
Indonesia
PAYMENTS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES: SOME NUTS AND BOLTS
Sven Wunder (2005)
Payments for environmental services (PES) are part of a new and more direct conservation paradigm, explicitly recognizing the need to bridge the interests of landowners and outsiders. Theoretical assessments have praised the advantages of PES over traditional conservation approaches. Some pilot PES exist in the tropics, but many field practitioners and prospective service buyers and sellers remain skeptical about the concept. This paper aims to help demystify PES for non-economists, starting with a simple and coherent definition of the term. It then provides practical ‘how-to’ hints for PES design. It considers the likely niche for PES in the portfolio of conservation approaches. This assessment is based on a literature review, combined with field observations from research in Latin America and Asia . It concludes that service users will continue to drive PES, but their willingness to pay will only rise if schemes can demonstrate clear additionality vis-à-vis carefully established baselines, if trust-building processes with service providers are sustained, and PES recipients’ livelihood dynamics are better understood. PES best suits intermediate and/or projected threat scenarios, often in marginal lands with moderate conservation opportunity costs. People facing credible but medium-sized environmental degradation are more likely to become PES recipients than those living in relative harmony with Nature. The choice between PES cash and in-kind payments is highly context-dependent. Poor PES recipients are likely to gain from participation, though their access might be constrained and non-participating landless poor could lose out. PES is a promising conservation approach that can benefit buyers, sellers and improve the resource base, but it is unlikely to completely outstrip other conservation instruments.
CIFOR Occasional paper (24 pages)
http://www.cifor.cgiar.org/scripts/newscripts/publications/detail.asp?pid=1760
Download PDF file at: (0.7MB)
http://www.cifor.cgiar.org/publications/pdf_files/OccPapers/OP-42.pdf
PAYMENTS SCHEMES FOR ENVIRONMENTALSERVICES IN WATERSHEDS
FAO (2004)
This document presents the results of the Regional Forum on Payment Schemes for Environmental Services in Watersheds held during the Third Latin American Congress on Watershed Management ( Arequipa , Peru 9 - 12 June 2003 )
Payment schemes for environmental services (PES) are innovative instruments for natural resources management which are increasingly being applied in Latin America . In a watershed context, PES schemes generally involve the implementation of market mechanisms to compensate upstream landowners in order to maintain or modify a particular land use that is affecting the availability and/or quality of the water resources for downstream users. The Regional Forum on Payment Schemes for Environmental Services in Watersheds was held to exchange experiences with these schemes in Latin America and to formulate recommendations for the economic valuation of water-related services, as well as the design and execution of PES schemes in watersheds. This report summarizes the lessons and recommendations of the forum. The complete documentation, including 19 papers, 22 presentations and case studies, is included on the CD-ROM that accompanies this publication.
Regional Forum, 9-12 June 2003
Land and Water discussion paper 3, FAO, Rome 2004
View in HTML: http://www.fao.org/documents/show_cdr.asp?url_file=/docrep/006/y5305b/y5305b01.htm
To be downloaded as PDF file at:
ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/006/y5305b/y5305b00.pdf
Readers from developing countries with limited access to the internet may request a copy of the report free of charge. Please write to land-and-water@fao.org indicating the title of the report and your mailing address.
ELECTRONIC FORUM ON PAYMENT SCHEMES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES IN WATERSHEDS
FAO and REDLACH, August 2004
This report is a summary of the discussion at the Electronic Forum on Payment Schemes for Environmental Services in Watersheds, held from 12 April to 21 May 2004 . The forum was organised by FAO and the Latin American Network for Technical Cooperation in Watershed Management (REDLACH).
Over the last years, the concept of Payment Schemes for Environmental Services (PES) has received much attention in various Latin American countries as an innovative tool for the financing of sustainable management of land and water resources. FAO and REDLACH have promoted discussion and exchange of experiences on this issue by organizing the Regional Forum on PES at the Third Latin American Congress on Watershed Management, held in Arequipa , Peru , 2003.
The E-Forum was a follow-up to the Arequipa conference with a view to validate conclusions and recommendations, as well as to compile experiences with design, implementation, and assessment of PES schemes in watersheds in Latin American and the Caribbean . During the 6 week discussion, 215 presentations of 118 professionals from 26 countries were made addressing the following issues: (a) definition and scope of PES in watersheds; (b) design of PES schemes; (c) execution of PES schemes; (d) impacts of PES schemes; (e) PES, sensitization and awareness raising, and (f) PES and legislation.
Besides summarizing the contributions of participants on these issues, this report highlights recommendations to different groups of PES-related actors. Additionally, it presents a list of concrete experiences with PES including contact details and links of pdf reports on these experiences.
For more information visit the website:
Land-Water Linkages in Rural Watersheds: FAO’s programme on hydrological services in watershed management
http://www.fao.org/ag/agl/watershed/watershed/en/mainen/index.stm
The report can be downloaded at:
http://www.rlc.fao.org/foro/psa/pdf/report.pdf
Readers from developing countries with limited access to the internet could request a copy of the report free of charge. Please write to land-and-water@fao.org indicating the title of the report and your mailing address.
A KNOWLEDGE AND ASSESSMENT GUIDE TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF PAYMENT ARRANGEMENTS FOR WATERSHED ECOSYSTEM SERVICES (PWES)
Sylvia S. Tognetti, Guillermo F. Mendoza, Bruce Aylward, Douglas Southgate and Luis Garcia (2004)
This Assessment Guide focuses on identification and quantification of watershed services found in a specific context, highlighting Rules-of-Thumb that emerge from a review of research and case studies. Following an overview of existing initiatives, the Guide identifies the kinds of information needed from a site-specific assessment and provides a framework for organizing it in a way that is relevant and useful for decision-making. Special attention is given to estimation of the water-balance, as a basic framework for investigating ecosystem processes that underpin specific services, and for estimating their magnitude and direction. A subsequent section discusses the use of this information to estimate economic significance of these processes, without which they cannot properly be considered “services”, and for evaluating trade-offs. This is then placed in the context of institutional challenges, although these are not a key focus of the report. The Rules-of-Thumb are only meant to provide a working hypothesis, and thereby serve as a point of departure for the assessment of payment initiatives. Given the broad range of relevant knowledge and perspectives needed to consider the contribution of watershed processes to human well-being, in a specific social and economic context, and large spatial and temporal scales making it often difficult to link multiple causes and effects of watershed degradation and thereby identify threats to watershed services, this guide should be regarded as preliminary, to be further developed and improved as lessons are learned from implementation. The Flows Bulletin will supplement the guide by covering special topics in assessment as new information emerges, identifying lessons learned from their implementation, and considering their implications for practice.
Document prepared for the World Bank Environment Department with support from the Bank-Netherlands Watershed Partnership Program, Washington, DC.
To be downloaded from:
http://www.flowsonline.net/data/pes_assmt_guide_en.pdf
LIQUID RELATIONS: CONTESTED WATER RIGHTS AND LEGAL COMPLEXITY
D. Roth, R. Boelens, M. Zwarteveen (eds.)(2005)
Water management plays an increasingly critical role in national and international policy agendas. Growing scarcity, overuse, and pollution, combined with burgeoning demand, have made socio-political and economic conflicts almost unavoidable. Proposals to address water shortages are usually based on two key assumptions: (1) water is a commodity that can be bought and sold and (2) “states,” or other centralized entities, should control access to water.
Liquid Relations criticizes these assumptions from a socio-legal perspective. Eleven case studies examine laws, distribution, and irrigation in regions around the world, including the United States , Nepal , Indonesia , Chile , Ecuador , India , and South Africa . In each case, problems are shown to be both ecological and human-made; the locally specific outcomes of social, political, and environmental histories. The essays also consider how gender, ethnicity, and class differences influence water rights and control.
In the concluding chapter, the editors draw on the essays’ findings to offer an alternative approach to water rights and water governance issues. By showing how issues like water scarcity and competition are embedded in specific resource use and management histories, this volume highlights the need for analyses and solutions that are context-specific rather than universal.
Paper ISBN 0-8135-3675-8
Cloth ISBN 0-8135-3674-X
Pages: 352 pp.
Price: $29.95 (Excluding: Sales tax)
For more information:
http://rutgerspress.rutgers.edu/acatalog/__Liquid_Relations_2254.html
You can order online or by fax, telephone and mail. To order, contact:
Rutgers University Press
100 Joyce Kilmer Avenue
Piscataway , NJ 08854
USA
Phone: +1 800 446-9323
Fax: +1 888 471-9014
E-mail: bksales@rci.rutgers.edu
FLOWS: News on payments for watershed functions
This E-bulletin provides a monthly review of issues around the effectiveness of payments for watershed services. Gathering information from different sources, FLOWS gives voice to a range of perspectives and highlights the gaps between theory and practice.
Each issue features: a review of special topics, a resource guide, reader commentary, and announcements of relevant new reports, papers, and upcoming events. Flows is produced by Sylvia S. Tognetti, in collaboration with the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), and the World Bank through the Bank-Netherlands Watershed Partnership Program (BNWPP).
To subscribe, please email join-flows@list.flowsonline.net
For more information visit http://www.flowsonline.net/
Newsletter of the Integrated Management of Peatlands for Biodiversity & Climate Change Project undertaken by Wetlands International and Global Environment Centre
PeatMatters is distributed free to peatland and climate change-related forums, networks, researchers, experts, scientists and interested individuals. To subscribe or receive a free issue, please email to david@genet.po.my or visit
http://www.peat-portal.net
Compiled by David Lee & Murni Adnan; Editor: Faizal Parish
PeatMatters is distributed by:
The Global Environment Centre,
2nd Floor, Wisma Hing, No 78, Jalan ss2/72, 47300 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor
Malaysia
Website: http://www.gecnet.info/
PeatMatters
First Issue Volume 1. August 2004
Download a copy at: http://www.riverbasin.org/TEMPLATE/c_21/docs/com_mat/PeatMatters_Vol1.pdf
Second Issue Vol. 2 July 2005 (12 pages)
Download at: http://www.riverbasin.org/TEMPLATE/c_21/docs/com_mat/PeatMatters_Vol2.pdf
ASB POLICYBRIEFS NO 07:EMPOWERMENT THROUGH MEASUREMENT
ASB Policy Brief no 7 is a special issue on tropical forests and water.
ASB Policybriefs is published by the Alternatives to Slash-and-Burn Programme. The series aims to deliver relevant, concise reading to key people whose decisions will make a difference to poverty reduction and environmental protection in the humid tropics.
This issue can de downloaded from: http://www.asb.cgiar.org/PDFwebdocs/PolicyBrief7.pdf
Contact:
ASB Programme, ICRAF
PO Box 30677
Nairobi
Kenya
Phone: +254 20 525114/524000
Fax: 254 20 524001
Website: http://www.asb.cgiar.org
E-mail: asb@cgiar.org
RUPES is a Program for developing mechanisms for Rewarding the Upland Poor in Asia for the Environmental Services they provide.
The Goal of the RUPES program is to enhance the livelihoods and reduce poverty of the upland poor while supporting environmental conservation on biodiversity protection, watershed management, carbon sequestration and landscape beauty at local and global levels.
The Rupes Program will build working models of best practices for successful environmental transfer agreements adapted to the Asian context. By conducting action research at a number of sites across the region, it will try to get answers to:
The Rupes Project will undertake action research on testing rewards or potential rewards and reward mechanism at a number of sites throughout Asia. RUPES action research sites have been established in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Nepal and will expand to other countries such as southern China, Vietnam, Laos, India, and Sri Lanka.
The RUPES project team also publishes a newsletter to highlight current activities of the project as well as to report on interesting information on aspects of rewards for environmental services. Besides new achievemnets of the RUPES research sites, the newsletter contains announcements of conferences and workshop in the Asian region that are particularly relevant to RUPES.
For more information on RUPES or if you would like to be involved in the RUPES program please contact:
RUPES program
c/o The World Agroforestry Centre, Southeast Asia Regional Offica
PO Box 161
Bogor, 16001
Indonesia
E-mail: rupes@cgiar.org
http://www.worldagroforestrycentre.org/sea/Networks/RUPES/Index.htm
The Overstory edition # 157: Soil Erosion and Water Infiltration
by Rolf Derpsch
In this article Rolf Derpsch discusses the how cultivation methods effects the processes of soil erosion and water infiltration. On sloping land, he points out, inappropriate farming practices cause erosion, not slope of rainfall intensity. He explains how erosion starts with the impact of raindrops on bare soil. Falling raindrops breaks the soil into very fine particles, which clogs soil pores and create a surface seal that impedes water infiltration. Due to surface sealing, only a small portion on rainwater can infiltrate the soil, most of it runs off the soil surface. But when the soil is covered with living plants or plant residues, the plant biomass absorbs the energy of falling raindrops.
Rolf Derpsch is a strong advocate for conservation agriculture, using no-tillage methods, being the most effective strategy to control erosion.
To get a copy of this article, send an email to ov157@agroforestry.net, and you will receive an immediate reply with the Overstory #157.
To download other back issues (1-100) and for subscription information, please visit the Overstory web site at: http://www.overstory.org
The Overstory is an ejournal, distributed by the Agroforestry Net, Inc., a non profit organisation based in Hawaii.
Address: PO Box 428
Holualoa
Hawaii 96725
USA
E-mail: Overstory@agroforestry.net
Website: http://www.overstory.org
Publications on forests and water
“Prunings” from the UK ’s DFID Forest research programme are a compilation of one-sheet human interest stories or little prunings taken from the project outputs. You may download the 2003 and 2004 versions, each containing 10 prunings from the ETFRN website. Several examples are summarised below.
A brick cannot die!
Researchers from the University of Newcastle , the South African Centre for Science, Industry and Research (CSIR-Environmentek) and the University of Durham have contributed significantly to water allocation reform in South Africa . Through rigorous field studies in South Africa , Grenada and Tanzania , they have come up with reliable, and rather surprising, data. The researchers point out that more water alone does not improve welfare for the poor, although it does improve people’s livelihoods in general. Upgrading rural water supplies from groundwater pumps to a communal street tap results in no livelihood improvement. Instead, householders prefer the convenience of a private house tap.
Close collaboration of the research team with officials at the South African Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) has helped promote a new perspective on water resource management.
R7937: Catchment management and poverty alleviation: the role of economic instruments and compensation mechanisms in water resource and forest management, DFID/FRP Prunings 2004
For more information about this project contact FRP Senior Administrator, e-mail: k.rothschild@nrint.co.uk, or the Project Leader: Dr Ian Calder, e-mail: i.r.calder@nlc.ac.uk, or Mr. Robert Hope, e-mail: r.hope@ncl.ac.uk
The head in the clouds?
Central America is not a region usually associated with droughts. Yet, in many countries in the region, water supplies are in danger of being depleted, leading to an unreliable supply of electricity through the countries’ national grids. This change has come about as cloud forest areas are increasingly converted into agricultural lands for more “economical” enterprises, in particular coffee plantations or pasture for cattle.
A research team led by Amsterdam ’s Free University in close collaboration with King’s College London and various institutions in Costa Rica is using advance technology to measure differences in the levels of water flowing from forested and deforested areas and develop a prediction model. “Cloud catchers” are installed in high up canopy towers, together with rain and stream water level gauges and computer equipment on the ground.
R7991: Hydrological impacts of converting tropical montane cloud, DFID/FRP Prunings 2004
For more information about this project contact FRP Senior Administrator, e-mail: k.rothschild@nrint.co.uk, or the Project Leader: Dr Sampurno Bruijnzeel, e-mail: sampurno.bruijnzeel@geo.falw.vu.nl
Vote for water!
Researchers from Newcastle University and the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi are studying the effects of trees on water in Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The researchers have found that too many trees on the hill slopes –and elsewhere in the catchment- actually reduce the water output of the well. And too many deep wells have been drilled already. What is needed more than anything else is good governance of the area, keeping the water barons at bay and allowing the poor access to water at affordable prices.
This project is contributing to the national debate on trees and water. It is supplying geo-referenced information and a simple modeling tool that show how water tables have changed over past years in relation to deforestation and afforestation measures, groundwater mining for dry-season irrigation and other watershed interventions.
R8171: Low base-flows and livelihoods in India, DFID/FRP Prunings 2004
For more information about this project contact FRP Senior Administrator, e-mail: k.rothschild@nrint.co.uk, or the Project Leader: Dr Ian Calder, e-mail: i.r.calder@nlc.ac.uk, or Dr Ashvin Gosain, e-mail: gosain@civil.iitd.ernet.in
HYDROLOGY IN THE GUIANA SHIELD AND POSSIBILITIES FOR PAYMENT SCHEMES
Rosales, J. (2003)
This report is the third in a series of documents to be published by the Guiana Shield Initiative (GSI) of the Netherlands Committee for IUCN (NC-IUCN). The Guiana Shield provides hydrological services not only to its own population and nature, but also to the global community. It is estimated that the Guiana eco-region contains 10-15% of the world’s fresh water reserves and the Shield is, of course, part of the larger Amazon Basin – the largest fresh water reserve on earth.
NC-IUCN/GSI Series 3
For more information contact:
Netherlands Committee for IUCN
Plantage Middenlaan 2K
Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Websites: http://www.iucn.nl; http://www.guianashield.org
SLASH-AND-BURN AGRICULTURE: the search for alternatives
Cheryl A.Palm, Stephen A. Vosti, Pedro A. Sanchez, and Polly J. Ericksen (eds.) 2005
Striking an equitable balance between the legitimate interests of rural tropical households and the equally legitimate global concerns over the environmental consequences of tropical deforestation is one of the major challenges of the next decades. The Alternatives to Slash-and-Burn (ASB) consortium - now comprising over 40 organizations spread across the humid tropical belt - was established in 1992 by a group of concerned national and international research institutions and non-governmental organizations to address this challenge.
This book synthesizes the first decade of ASB’s work, with contributions from agronomists, foresters, economists, ecologists, and anthropologists. It assesses the environmental, economic, and social impact of deforestation and identifies the costs and benefits of alternative uses of forests and cleared land. Throughout the volume, the contributors present new conceptual tools and a rich compendium of empirical analyses needed to formulate viable alternatives to slash-and-burn agriculture.
The first paper provides the introduction to slash and burn activities and the overall framework used by ASB, including its tradeoff matrix. The second section focuses on the different environmental, agronomic and socioeconomic dimensions, including chapters on carbon dynamics, greenhouse gas emissions, above-ground and below-ground biodiversity, agronomic sustainability and macroeconomics. The third section focuses on specific best-bet alternatives to slash and burn at a sub national scale, including community forest management, jungle rubber, shade coffee and reclamation of degraded grasslands. The fourth section provides the perspective of the main countries involved, Brazil , Indonesia , Cameroon , Peru and Thailand . The final section compares the different sites, and assesses the tradeoffs among the environmental, agronomic, and economic functions of the forest and alternatives to slash and burn systems.
“This remarkable volume addresses the sustainable management of tropical forests with unstinting sophistication, moving the analysis beyond clichés to the true complexities of the challenge. . . . [It] is a landmark on the path to sustainable development.” (Jeffrey Sachs, from the foreword)
For more information about this book, please contact asb@cgiar.org
480 pages; 58 illus.
Cloth $79.50: ISBN: 0-231-13450-9
Paperback $39.50 ISBN: 0-231-13451-7
Columbia University Press, New York
Ordering information: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cup/sales/ind.html
From North America, South America, Asia and Australia
Contact:
Columbia University Press
Order Department
136 S. Broadway
Irvington , NY 10533
USA
Phone: +1-800-944-8648 or 914-591-9111
Fax: +1-800-944-1844 or 914-591-9201
From Europe , South Africa and Middle East Contact:
Columbia University Press
c/o John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.
1 Oldlands Way , Bognor Regis
West Sussex , PO22 9SA
UK
Phone: +44 1243 779-777
Fax: +44 1243 820-250
IN SEARCH OF EXCELLENCE: Exemplary Forest Management in Asia and the Pacific
Patrick B. Durst, Chris Brown, Henrylito D. Tacio and Miyuki Ishikawa (eds) 2005
This book presents – in an easy-to-read and entertaining style- the results of a new study highlighting the positive side of forestry in the Asia-Pacific region. While usual media coverage of forests are filled with doom and gloom stories, this book gives plenty of examples that not all is hopeless: there are lots of people and organizations out there, largely unheralded, that are successfully battling against deforestation, environmental degradation and poverty among forest dwellers.
In search of excellence: exemplary forest management in Asia and the Pacific highlights the brighter side of forestry in a much-maligned region. A widespread call for nominations identified 172 forests in 21 countries that were perceived to be “well-managed.” After careful vetting, 28 forests were selected for detailed case study analysis.
The result is a kaleidoscope of ideas, approaches, inspiration and perspiration that tell the stories of people dedicated to building sustainable livelihoods through careful management of their forests. This publication describes stories of people overcoming some of the very basic challenges in sustainable forest management: how they improved situations which others took for granted. The stories encompass a broad spectrum of management challenges. From the “miracle” of the Kalibo mangrove reforestation project, which describes the conversion of a bare mudflat into a mangrove ecotourism site, to the “minimal impact” helicopter logging operations of Forever Beech in New Zealand, these case studies lend hope for the future of forests.
Published by the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (FAO/ RAP) and the Regional Community Forestry Training Center (RECOFTC). © FAO 2005, ISBN 974- 7946 -68-8
For more information and to obtain copies, contact:
Patrick Durst
Senior Forestry Officer
FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
39 Phra Atit Road
Bangkok , 10200
Thailand
Phone: +66 2 697 4139
Fax: + 66 2 697 4445
E-mail: Patrick.Durst@fao.org
Ms. Lay Cheng Tan
Manager, Information Management and Communication
RECOFTC
PO Box 1111
Kasetsart University
Bangkok 10903 , Thailand
Phone +66 2 940 5700 Ext. 1213
E-mail: info@recoftc.org; otan@ku.ac.th
LIFE AFTER LOGGING: Reconciling wildlife conservation and production forestry in Indonesian Borneo
E. Meijaard, D. Sheil, R. Nasi, D. Augeri, B. Rosenbaum, D. Iskandar, T. Setyawati, A. Lammertink, I. Rachmatika, A. Wong, T. Soehartono, S. Stanley, T. O’Brien (2005)
The book Life after Logging is the output of a research programme carried out in Borneo , Indonesia . It assesses and reviews both ecological and life history information on a range of Bornean wildlife species, addresses the impact of timber logging activities on the survival of these species and offers recommendations for forest managers and government on sustainable forest management and planning related issues.
The book describes approaches to determine the sensitivity of species to logging and fragmentation of the rainforest. It also indicates how forest management can be improved to allow timber extraction and wildlife conservation to be more compatible. The publication concludes with identifying knowledge gaps which should be addressed in future research work.
An Indonesian language edition of the book is currently being developed and should be available soon.
Publisher: CIFOR, Indonesia, ISBN: 979-3361-56-5; 345pp
To order copies please contact:
Nia Sabarniati (CIFOR)
n.sabarniati@cgiar.org
The book is also available online as a 2.6Mb PDF file at
http://www.cifor.cgiar.org/scripts/newscripts/publications/detail.asp?pid=1663
INSTRUMENTS FOR SUSTAINABLE PRIVATE SECTOR FORESTRY
IIED Publication series CD-ROM (2005)
The role of the private sector is increasingly important in the production and distribution of many forest goods. However, the price of this involvement includes degradation of the environment and an increase in social inequalities. Therefore understanding private sector motivations, identifying effective market and regulatory instruments and providing practical guidance on sustainable management of forest resources by the private sector has become very relevant.
The CD-ROM contains publications reviewing mechanisms and instruments of certification and audit, partnerships between companies and communities and markets for forest environmental services. It contains detailed analyses of private sector involvement in forestry in countries such as South Africa , Brazil , China , India , Malaysia and Papua New Guinea .
Some of the publications are also available in Spanish and Portugese. Product Code: 13501IIED
The publications contained in the CD-ROM can be downloaded from http://www.iied.org.
For free copy e-mail: forestry@iied.org
To order hard copies of the publications, contact:
Earthprint
P.O. Box 119, Stevenage
Herts, SG1 4TP, UK
Email: iied@earthprint.com
Phone: +44 1438 748 111
Fax: +44 1438 748 844
Website: http://www.earthprint.com
TROPICAL FOREST ECOLOGY: The Basis for Conservation and Management
Florencia Montagnini and Carl F. Jordan (2005)
Tropical Forest Ecology discusses the importance of tropical forests and the development of management strategies that would help decrease the pressure on the world’s remaining tropical forests.
In the first four chapters, the book examines structures, ecological characteristics, classifications and functions of tropical forests, which are vital for sustainable forest management. Key issues highlighted include species diversity, energy flow, nutrient cycling and implications for forestry. The effects of deforestation on various spheres of development are also discussed.
The other chapters discuss socio-economic factors that have become major driving forces in tropical deforestation; cultural norms affecting local management decisions; and different approaches for implementing sustainable management techniques. One of the approaches discussed is the Reduced Impact Logging (RIL), a management tool that reduces logging damage as compared to conventional logging techniques; RIL may also lead to economic savings through increased efficiency, minimal skidding costs and reduced wastage.
The publication emphasizes the need to focus on the potential of plantation forestry as areas under tropical forests are decreasing globally. Efforts should be directed towards planning and managing plantations in the bid to optimize their productivity for environmental and socio-economic benefits.
IIED/DANIDA; ISSN 1614-9785; ISBN 3-540-23797-6; 295pp
Price: EUR 129.95; USD 169.00
For copies, please contact:
Springer-Verlag GmbH
Tiergartenstrabe 17
69121 Heidelberg, Germany
Tel: +49 (0) 6221 487-0
Fax: +49 (0) 6221 487- 830 66
http://www.springeronline.com
Publications on Payments for Environmental Services
Arifin, B. (2005). Institutional constraints and oppotounities in developign environmental service markets: Lessons from Institutional Studies on RUPES in Indonesia (pdf). Bogor, Indonesia, World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), Program for Developing Mechanisms for Rewarding the Upland Poor in Asia for Environmental Services they Provide (RUPES).
http://www.worldagroforestry.org/sea/Networks/RUPES/download/Working%20Paper/b_arifin.pdf
Robertson, N. and Wunder.S. 2005. Fresh Track in the Forest: Assessing Incipient Payments for Environmental Services Initiatives in Bolivia. CIFOR. Bogor Barat Indonesia.
http://www.cifor.cgiar.org/publications/pdf_files/Books/BRobertson0501.pdf
Swallow B., Meinzen-Dick R., and van Noordwijk M. 2005. Localizing demand and supply of environmental services: interactions with property rights, collective action and the welfare of the poor. CAPRI Working Paper #42, International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, DC.
Abstract:
http://www.capri.cgiar.org/wp/capriwp42.asp
Full paper:
http://www.capri.cgiar.org/pdf/capriwp42.pdf