Over recent years, since reform and liberalisation, there has been rapid development of the bamboo industry in China that has brought about a series of economic policies and regulations favourable to economic development. Between 1981 and 1993, the area covered by bamboo forests expanded at a rate higher than the growth rate in forest-covered areas of the country. By 1996, the annual production value of primary products from bamboo resources reached 0.9 billion USD. The export value of manufactured bamboo products was US$ 35 million in 1995. Because 93% of bamboo forests in rural areas is collectively-owned and directly managed by farmers, the increase in yields and profits from bamboo forest products significantly improves incomes and living standards of rural people. Thus the bamboo industry has become an important means to reduce poverty among the rural population. The purpose of this study is to promote sustainable development of the bamboo sector by reviewing the development of bamboo industries in Anji County, Zhejian Province. The review analyses industry fundamentals, approaches and potential weaknesses and explores the direction and methods for its further development.
Tag: socioeconomics
Decision Analysis to Support Agriculture for Nutrition
Application of consensus theory to formalize expert evaluations of plant species distribution models
AimApplication of environmental envelope modelling (EEM) for conservation planning requires careful validation. Opinions of experts who have worked with species of interest in the field can be a valuable and independent information source to validate EEM because of their firsthand experience with species occurrence and absence. However, their use in model validation is limited because of the subjectivity of their feedback. In this study, we present a method on the basis of cultural consensus theory to formalize expert model evaluations.MethodsWe developed, for five tree species, distribution models with nine different variable combinations and Maxent EEM software. Species specialists validated the generated distribution maps through an online Google Earth interface with the scores from Invalid to Excellent. Experts were also asked about the commission and omission errors of the distribution models they evaluated. We weighted expert scores according to consensus theory. These values were used to obtain a final average expert score for each of the produced distribution models. The consensusweighted expert scores were compared with unweighted scores and correlated to four conventional model performance parameters after crossvalidation with test data: Area Under Curve (AUC), maximum Kappa, commission error and omission error.ResultsThe median consensusweighted expert score of all species–variable combinations was close to Fair. In general, experts that reached more consensus with peers were more positive about the EEM outcomes, compared to those that had more opposite judgements. Both consensusweighted and unweighted scores were significantly correlated to corresponding AUC, maximum Kappa and commission error values, but not to omission errors. More than half of the experts indicated that the distribution model they considered best included areas where the species is known to be absent. One third also indicated areas of species presence that were omitted by the model.ConclusionsOur results indicate that experts are fairly positive about EEM outcomes. This is encouraging, but EEM application for conservation actions remains limited according to them. Methods to formalize expert knowledge allow a wider use of this information in model validation and improvement, and they complement conventional validation methods of presenceonly modelling. Online GIS and survey applications facilitate the consultation of experts.
Resilience and Livelihood Benefits of Climate Smart Agroforestry Practices in Semi-arid Tanzania
The agricultural sector in Tanzania is an important driver for economic growth, poverty alleviation, food security and rural development. However, high dependence on rainfall makes the sector vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Economic losses due to climate change are estimated at US$200 million per year. The scaling up of climate-smart agriculture practices such as agroforestry can reduce such losses, build resilience in the sector, improve productivity and farmer incomes while restoring ecosystem functions that contribute to climate change mitigation. Agroforestry technologies build a healthy agro-ecosystem and foster greater climate resilience of farm households through restoration of land productivity and diversification of production and income options. However, evidenced-based information on the resilience and livelihood benefits of semi-arid agroforestry systems as a climate smart practice is limited.
Household Fuel Consumption Based on Multiple Fuel Use Strategies: A Case Study in Kibera Slums
Recently, it has been argued that, contrary to earlier energy ladder thinking, households in developing countries do not switch to modern energy sources but instead tend to consume a combination of fuels. This article aimed to gather a better understanding of the relative importance of fuel substitution and fuel complementation, especially among charcoal, fuel briquettes and kerosene, and the factors associated with these choices. In this paper we present results of a household survey conducted during October 2010 in Kibera slums in Nairobi, Kenya. The results revealed that widely various household characteristics influence demand for charcoal and briquettes for cooking. In addition to these factors, the household income level affects the use of kerosene for cooking. At the same time, we found the fact households tend to switch to multiple fuels strategy as their increasing in income instead of completely switching from the consumption of traditional fuels to modern energy sources
Assessing and mapping barangay-level social vulnerability of Tacloban City and Ormoc City to climate-related hazards
The destruction left by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines highlighted not only the exposure of the country but also the underlying vulnerability of barangays (villages) to climate-related hazards. This study used geographic information system (GIS) tools to characterize social vulnerability to climate-related hazards of barangays of Tacloban City and Ormoc City using a modified social vulnerability index (SoVI). The SoVI used socioeconomic data mainly drawn from census and was computed from 11 indicators influencing sensitivity, adaptive capacity, and exposure. Social vulnerability varies spatially across the study areas, where Barangay 88, said to be the worst-hit barangay in Tacloban, and Barangay Naungan in Ormoc, recorded the highest vulnerability scores. Demographic and socioeconomic shifts are likely in both cities, given the population growth and increasing density of settlements already concentrated in hazard-prone barangays. Measures to reduce vulnerability should be a local priority and would require political will for community-based climate action, disaster risk reduction and management, and risk-sensitive land use development. This study provides an approach for assessing social vulnerability using available census and climate-related hazard data to determine areas for intervention at the barangay level.
Lessons from two long-term hydrological studies in Kenya and Sri Lanka
The rate and characteristics of land use change in tropical watersheds due to changing demographic, economic and policy factors have important consequences for catchment health and environmental services. Few tropical watershed studies have lasted long enough to facilitate a credible analysis of the long-term effects of land use change on the environmental services provided by watersheds. This paper examines the driving forces and patterns of historical land use change in two long-term watershed studies in Kenya and Sri Lanka and their hydrological impacts. The upper Ewaso Ng’iro north basin is located to the north and west of Mt. Kenya, and has experienced dramatic changes in both land ownership and land use due to rapid population growth of 7–8% per annum. The upper Nilwala basin is located in the south of Sri Lanka and the area has undergone serious deforestation over the last 50 years, for agricultural land uses mainly for tea and home gardens. The loss of watershed functions associated with the impacts of land use change and their socio-economic dimensions are discussed, along with lessons that can be drawn from these studies. These case studies confirm the importance of long-term monitoring of the interaction between land use changes and catchment health. Moreover, the involvement of all stakeholders is crucial for problem identification through to the research and the search for any viable ecological, social and economical solutions. A holistic approach involving relevant disciplines in watershed studies is vital. The paper concludes that use of models that integrate both biophysical and socio-economic data should be encouraged to derive decision support tools for farmers and managers alike who are faced with resolving conflicts and other issues related to limited land and water resources.
Interacting regional-scale regime shifts for biodiversity and ecosystem services
Current trajectories of global change may lead to regime shifts at regional scales, driving coupled human-environment systems to highly degraded states in terms of biodiversity, ecosystem services, and human well-being. For business-as-usual socioeconomic development pathways, regime shifts are projected to occur within the next several decades, to be difficult to reverse, and to have regional- to global-scale impacts on human society. We provide an overview of ecosystem, socioeconomic, and biophysical mechanisms mediating regime shifts and illustrate how these interact at regional scales by aggregation, synergy, and spreading processes. We give detailed examples of interactions for terrestrial ecosystems of central South America and for marine and coastal ecosystems of Southeast Asia. This analysis suggests that degradation of biodiversity and ecosystem services over the twenty-first century could be far greater than was previously predicted. We identify key policy and management opportunities at regional to global scales to avoid these shifts.
An Assessment of the Socio-Economic and Ecological Impacts of Environmental Changes on Rural Livelihood: A Study Across Addado, Buhodle and Northern Galkaayo of Central and Northern Somalia
The international community has long recognized desertification as a significant global social, economic and environmental problem of concern with detrimental effects on the livelihoods of people in many countries world-wide. To explore this critique, this study examined local people’s views on the causes, effect and socio-economic impact of desertification and degradation to the community. The study involved a cross-sectional survey conducted with four community categories, namely nomadic pastoralist, agro-pastoralists, villagers and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), from Addado, Buhodle and northern Galkaayo of central and northern part of Somalia; through questionnaire-based interviews. Descriptive statistics attribute environmental changes to negative implications of human activities on the environment: the menace of which led to a decline in forage, current loss of biodiversity and the related changes in the environment, permanent migration, increased poverty and health problems. The startling results of this study conclusively demonstrate that the challenges involve proper interventions for tree planting against desertification as well as for community empowerment through public education and formation of community based environmental associations to coordinate the overall environmental management activities and to raise public awareness.
Replicable tools and frameworks for bio-carbon developments in West Africa
This working paper is intended to help countries in West Africa, and local communities and farmers to adopt climate-smart land management practices that enhance carbon sequestration. Abating greenhouse gas emission from land use should not, in the African context, limit a community’s development. Hence, promoting a High Value Biocarbon community of practice should first address the livelihoods of inhabitants through increased socioeconomic development opportunities. The document highlights the importance of interventions like agroforestry in attaining good quality and quantity of products by highlighting the significance of growing fruit and vegetable trees, nitrogen-fixing trees against heavy fertilizer usage, protection of standing biomass, utilization of improved wood energy stoves and land restoration. The substantial amount of information and data required to execute each of the projects are given in detail in this working paper, together with the socioeconomic and environmental benefits, costs incurred, monitoring requirements, proposed management schemes and capacity building. The rates of success of the projects can be measured by conducting carbon inventories, estimating the amount of carbon dioxide emissions released, and carrying out surveys among locals to ascertain the quality and quantity of produce and market values. The challenges and barriers experienced in implementing biocarbon development projects can be addressed by increasing the number of training workshops offered on conducting carbon inventories, bridging the gaps in research and development, increasing access to capital and improving infrastructure development. It is fundamental to ensure progress in these statures to encourage further sustainable farming techniques for the benefit of the environment, society and the economy.