Deforestation of the tropical moist forests is taking place at an alarming pace; some experts believe that the entire ecobiome will be virtually destroyed within the next ten years. Although the ultimate ecological effects of tropical deforestation remain controversial, our present scientific understanding is adequate to justify efforts to slow the deforestation trend. The impacts that this trend will probably have on global climate remain unclear, while the effects that it will have on biodiversity will clearly be disastrous. This suggests that the research community should place a high priority on applying data on refugia (documented sites of high endemism and species-richness) to conservation planning, and on investigating the probable combined effects of climatic change and habitat fragmentation on world biodiversity.

The formation of quasi-tubular voids in the subsoil, known as ‘piping’, is an important form of subsoil erosion that arises when substantial volumes of subsurface lateral throughflow pass through dispersible subsoils. Amongst the environmental factors that favour the development of piping are high contents of expansible clay minerals, a severe dry season, and convexities in the slope profile. The first two of these are characteristic of considerable areas in Central Tunisia.

In addition to natural slope-convexities, further topographic loci for pipe initiation and development are provided by the artificial convexities introduced into the slope profile by the construction of conservation banks. The earthworks are designed as protection against surface erosion processes, which prevail for most of the year in this part of Tunisia. However, it appears that the banking is particularly vulnerable to piping, which is causing considerable disruption. Australian experience indicates that banking should be used very sparingly on soils which are at all prone to piping, and that care is needed in both the alignment and construction of such banks as are deemed unavoidable.

Environmental scientists and managers increasingly recognize that socio-cultural evaluations expand the understanding of human–nature relationships. Here, user groups’ perceptions of the benefits from and threats to nature were analysed in Tierra del Fuego National Park, Argentina. We hypothesized that the different relationships of users to this place would lead to significantly different valuations among local Ushuaia residents (n = 122), Argentine nationals (n = 147) and international tourists (n = 294). All users perceived a broad spectrum of benefits. The three groups assessed intrinsic and relational values more highly than instrumental benefits, and significant differences included a higher mean valuation of benefits by Argentine visitors. Overall, threats were less perceived than benefits, and significant differences included a higher mean threat assessment by Ushuaia residents. To explain these relationships, we found that mean valuations of benefits and threats were weakly related to increased biodiversity knowledge for residents and international tourists, but not for Argentine visitors. These findings can orient environmental management in Patagonia and elsewhere by identifying areas where information can improve user experiences and by contributing a more pluralistic understanding of nature from multiple stakeholders.

The world's arid and semi-arid regions are severely affected by desertification. In China, wind erosion, water erosion, soil salinization and the freezing and melting processes have contributed to 2.64 million km2 of desertified land, covering 27.5% of the country's land surface (State Forestry Administration, Peoples' Republic of China 2005). Although climate change could be a reason for desertification, anthropogenic factors such as overgrazing and overcultivation also contribute to degradation in grassland areas (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005; Zheng et al. 2006). The Chinese government has adopted afforestation as the main measure to control desertification. Major projects, including the ‘Three North Shelterbelt Programme’ (also known as the ‘Green Great Wall’) and the ‘Sandstorm Source Control Project around Beijing and Tianjin’, are necessary to shield northern and eastern agricultural ecosystems against sand and dust (Zhou 2002). However, these countermeasures require substantial effort and investment, and, in the semi-arid and arid regions of Inner Mongolia, newly planted trees have often died of drought, while tree planting could also be responsible for exhausting the precious groundwater resources of these regions (Jackson et al. 2005). Alternative and more practical ways of combating desertification by using multi-disciplinary approaches observing both social and ecological principles are required. The Hunshandake Sandy Land restoration demonstration project conducted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences was an attempt to restore desertified grassland mainly through natural processes, and requiring limited investment.

In the Mediterranean, fishing is an ancient tradition and signs of its presence can be found everywhere along its coasts. In early times, most fishing was carried out from land with small nets and traps and only a portion of the fishing operations was carried out from boats away from the coast. Over time, growth of human populations along the Mediterranean coasts led to the expansion of sea fishing and gradual depletion of many near-shore stocks. Until recently, fishing in the Mediterranean retained its artisanal character. The type of small vessels, the fishing gears and labour-intensive character of the operations had changed little from generation to generation. However, some fishing practices benefited greatly from the advent of new technologies, such as those that replaced sails by powered engines, or the incorporation of fish-finding devices and efficient gear-handling techniques. These developments added to a growing market demand from the booming Mediterranean population, and led to overfishing of the most vulnerable target populations.

The implementation of an international programme for reducing carbon emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) can help to mitigate climate change and bring numerous benefits to environmental conservation. Information on land change modelling and carbon mapping can contribute to quantify future carbon emissions from deforestation. However limitations in data availability and technical capabilities may constitute an obstacle for countries interested in participating in the REDD programme. This paper evaluates the influence of quantity and allocation of mapped carbon stocks and expected deforestation on the prediction of carbon emissions from deforestation. The paper introduces the conceptual space where quantity and allocation are involved in predicting carbon emissions, and then uses the concepts to predict carbon emissions in the Brazilian Amazon, using previously published information about carbon mapping and deforestation modelling. Results showed that variation in quantity of carbon among carbon maps was the most influential component of uncertainty, followed by quantity of predicted deforestation. Spatial allocation of carbon within carbon maps was less influential than quantity of carbon in the maps. For most of the carbon maps, spatial allocation of deforestation had a minor but variable effect on the prediction of carbon emissions relative to the other components. The influence of spatial carbon allocation reaches its maximum when 50% of the initial forest area is deforested. The method can be applied to other case studies to evaluate the interacting effects of quantity and allocation of carbon with future deforestation on the prediction of carbon emissions from deforestation.

Historically, remote islands and marine resources have been free for those willing to venture into their areas. Until recent years, many such islands have been effectively managed by their remote locations and any native humans. But nowadays, under-use is turning into destructive over-fishing and plundering, because there is no surveillance. Many marine parks in South-east Asia are facing the same problems as Tubbataha (White, 1989; Arquiza, 1990). Sustainable management in these areas is a challenge, especially where there are no local authorities or communities to take immediate control.

Field surveys at Tubbataha Reef in 1984 and 1989 have revealed a dramatic decline in the coral-reef quality from the incidence of dynamite fishing, the use of sodium cyanide for the aquarium and live-food fish trades, and the dropping of large anchors. Sea-turtles and seabirds are also endangered.

Solutions in areas such as Tubbataha will require organization beyond the grasp of local residents in the islands, who have traditionally had little formal government. Although they are aware of the problem, they are faced with outsiders and intruders who do not respect their conservatism. National government and/or nongovernment organizations can play a role in management, while being careful not to alienate the positive force and management control of the local communities (White, 1988a). Such issues require sensitive planning and community-based approaches that are directed at education, organization, and the involvement and building of local responsibility.

The management plan for Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park should have three thrusts and concomitant strategies: (1) to curtail immediate resource-destruction through the deployment of a team of educators, community organizers, and law-enforcement officers; (2) to articulate and implement a Park zonation plan which includes traditional fishing areas, sanctuaries, and buoys for anchoring; and (3) to implement a community development programme which will systematically integrate the adjacent fishing community into the Park management efforts and give the fishermen due responsibility in this process.

Protected areas (PAs) have long been the foundation of conservation strategies to halt biodiversity losses and ecosystem degradation. In the South Caucasus (SC), coverage of PAs increased after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, yet how well biodiversity is represented in them is unknown. We utilized the PA downgrading, downsizing and degazettement (PADDD) conceptual framework and the gap analysis approach to assess how changes in the PAs of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia between 1991 and 2014 have affected the representation of biodiversity. Throughout this period, vegetation formations associated with high mountain ecosystems changed (≥17% representation). Colchic lowland vegetation formations which are only present in Georgia, also changed from unrepresented (0%) to under-represented (from 0% to <17%). The effect of PADDD events on biodiversity representation varied among countries depending on the amount of area gazetted after 1991. There is an inherent bias in the expansion of PAs in the SC. Our findings could be a first step towards changing the status quo by helping conservationists to strategically allocate resources towards ecosystems that are below 17% representation. Yet this will require governments in the SC to shift their views about PAs from being only national efforts to being key pieces of a larger-scale conservation strategy.

Lakes Visthonis, Kerkini, and Mikri Prespa, in Greece – Mikri Prespa being designated also a national park – although wetlands of international importance, suffer severe conservation problems with a continuous deterioration of their resources. A major cause of this problem is unsustainable utilization of the wetlands by their main users, local fishermen. The aim of this paper is to present several demographic and fishing-activity characteristics of the fishermen, and to analyse the conflict by associating these attributes with the conservation attitudes towards elements of the wetland ecosystems, the pelicans, and other birds.

‘Three-inch [7.5 cm] crusher-run’ limestone proved entirely suitable as a substratum for the rapid establishment of pioneer vegetation on a quarry floor, but only with the addition of fertilizers. A manure derived from sewage and an NPK fertilizer mixture proved suitable additives. A grass variety (Festuca rubra var. fallax Hack.) was sown, and became established on the substratum treated with either additive. Immigrant mosses soon became dominant in a grass/moss community on the manured substratum, whilst F. rubra retained its ascendancy on the NPK-treated material. The moss-dominated community was not attractive to Rabbits, whereas the grass-dominated community proved attractive to these animals which are accepted as beneficial for conservation in this particular context.

Further observations are required to assess (a) whether the by-passing of a cryptogamic stage in the prisere encouraged by the NPK mixture is a worthwhile objective, (b) whether the observed dominance of mosses encouraged by manure will be broken by F. rubra, and (c) whether the establishment of desirable immigrant species occurs differentially between the treatments. Meanwhile a perceptible degree of rehabilitation within three years may be claimed as a result of treatments producing a total plant cover of between 40% and 70%.

World models are still in the early phases of development, and the majority of the ones built so far do not deal with the resources and environment sectors adequately. Of the models available, only the Leontief input-output model considers these two sectors in some detail. Even then the results should be taken as ordersof-magnitude guesses rather than as figures that can be used in an operational sense. Furthermore, the Leontief model suffers from a basic defect: it is a pollution abatement model. From the resources and environmental standpoint, it would be much more preferable to consider this as a sector within an overall management framework in which pollution control could play an important part.

Modelling of world problematique is still in an early stage of development, and much work remains to be done to improve its basic structures, underlying assumptions, and data availability. Because of the difficulties—both conceptual and practical—many important areas are not considered in the resources and environment fields, or, if considered, are dealt with only superficially. An example is the consideration of the extent of recycling, conservation, and materials substitution, as prices of individual resources increase—owing either to economic market forces or man-made factors. While the general direction of the main thrusts are known, it is still difficult to define limits and determine interlinkages with any high degree of confidence. Much further work will be necessary to establish these interrelationships, the components of which will also need to have an adequate data-base.

An account is given of the island of Surtsey, which rose out of the sea near the Westman Islands off the south coast of Iceland as the result of a submarine volcanic eruption in November 1963. In the nearly twenty-six years since it emerged, the surface of Surtsey has undergone rapid–on the geological time-scale–transformation especially by the actions of wind and water. Indeed the changes have been far more rapid and considerable than had been expected.

Despite the harsh conditions for colonization by biota, a fair amount of vascular-plant-dominated vegetation now covers an estimated 1–2% of the surface of the island, aided particularly by winds and birds bringing in disseminules. These and other features are being studied so far as possible without disturbance. Despite a general shortage of water, as rain seeps rapidly into the surface lava, sand, or tuff, a total of 25 species of vascular plants (including one fern) have been identified as having attained ecesis on the island, but not all have persisted. Five species of birds have so far colonized Surtsey, and now nest there, in addition to which there are numerous migrants coming and going, and the overall conclusion is that, despite the generally difficult environmental conditions, ‘a flourishing growth of vegetation can be expected to develop’ eventually.

These studies and their implications could be useful indicators for the possibilities of rehabilitation of land areas that have been devastated by human conflict or other abuse.

The Doon Valley, in the foothills of the Himalayas in the State of Uttar Pradesh in India, has become the centre of major public-interest litigation in the Supreme Court of India. The conflict is centred around the utilization of the rich limestone deposits located in the Mussoorie Hills in the northern part of the Valley. The Mussoorie Hills receive an annual rainfall of some 2,000 mm, which is the second highest in North India. There is a very good water resource in the Mussoorie Hills, which is obviously connected with the water-holding capacity of the limestone belt.

For the operators of the limestone quarries, the best use of the high-grade limestone deposit lies in its physical extraction for commercial and industrial use. For the residents of the Valley, however, the best use of the limestone belt lies in its in situ functioning for the stabilization of soil and water resources. Damage to the stability of the hydrological balance of the Valley means damage to all other economic activities which, directly or indirectly, are dependent on the water resources in the Valley. These include agriculture, horticulture, tourism, animal husbandry, and knowledge-based industries etc. that together provide livelihood to the vast majority of the residents of the Valley.

The paper analyses the ecological background of the conflict. It evaluates the negative externalities of limestone quarrying in Doon Valley that damages perennial economic activities such as agriculture and tourism. The official steps taken by the State Government to control the ecological damage from quarrying having proved inadequate, the residents of the Valley looked for justice and the right to survival from the Supreme Court of India.

We estimate that roughly one-third of Gaoligongshan's total area is now devoted exclusively to agriculture and other uses that preclude maintenance of biodiversity. In most cases, primary forests existing at the establishment of the three Nature Reserves have been conserved effectively. However, small-scale (but largely unmonitored and uncontrolled) tree-felling and other vegetation disturbance continues in many areas. Despite these lapses, forests are in better condition within, than outside of, established Nature Reserves. As well, the future for these forests looks brighter than for those surviving outside Reserves: at the very least, county governments are not free to convert them into pine plantations.

In contrast, hunting has been reduced only slightly — much less effectively than forest cutting has been. Although it is possible to find evidence of persistence of some rare animal species, and some Nature Reserve personnel believe there are indications that sensitive and rare species are showing an upward trend, poaching of animals is still common, particularly of smaller-bodied or lesser-known species. Although it seems well established that wellknown species (e.g. Takin) must be strictly protected, many species at equal or greater risk of extirpation and equally protected legally (e.g. some species of pheasants), do not enjoy such effective protection.

The need to conserve representative samples of natural vegetation was recognized in Nigeria over thirty years ago. Before 1950 only two conservation areas had been laid down but at present there are seven in operation. Most of them are between 60 ha (ca 1/4 sq. mile) and 350 ha (ca 12/5 sq. miles) in area, and together they include at least one example of each major ecological type occurring in the country.

There are difficulties in constituting and safeguarding conservation areas, particularly outside State Forest Reserves. While it is to be hoped that legislation will soon be introduced to facilitate protection, a comprehensive survey has recently been carried out with a view to substantially increasing the number of conservation areas in Nigeria, and to make them more fully representative of the different vegetation zones of Nigeria.

Work is also proceeding towards determining the optimum size for each area within the different vegetation types. It is hoped to be able to establish up to 40 conservation areas within the next 2 years, and ultimately as many as 110 may be designated.

Peru has the second-highest diversity of birds in the world, but little is known about the interactions between birds and plastic waste. To fill this knowledge gap, we searched the scientific literature, collected information from social networks such as Facebook and databases such as Macaulay Library and iNaturalist and solicited records through messaging with researchers and bird enthusiasts. We found 119 bird interactions with plastic debris involving 39 species from 20 families, with the red-legged cormorant Phalacrocorax gaimardi and the neotropical cormorant Phalacrocorax brasilianus being the most affected species. By type of interaction category, plastic waste in nests was the most abundant, followed by entanglement, capture and handling and ingestion. Ropes, nets and soft plastics such as bags were the most frequently reported types of waste. As our methodology has limitations, it is probable that other species that also interact with plastic waste have not been reported, so we recommend further study.

Worldwide, coastal and floodplain wetlands are rapidly urbanizing, making them highly vulnerable to biodiversity loss, biological invasion and climate change. Yet urban wetlands management is an understudied area of global environmental research. Different policy approaches and institutional arrangements in place for urban wetlands governance have to be studied comparatively to obtain a better understanding of the current issues. This paper investigates four urban wetland policy regimes and the application of ecological reference points across four countries. The regimes are discussed within the context of global policy trends, urbanization patterns and environmental change. The analysis illustrates that the four cases deviate substantially in certain characteristics and converge in others. Global trends such as environmental treaties and restructuring of city spaces are common policy drivers for all cases. Conversely, the localized specific problems have yielded specialized policy responses in each case. Declaration of fixed biological reference points for wetlands were not used at any stage of the policy development process. However, the wetland managers formally or informally set up ecosystem-services oriented benchmarks for urban wetland management. Globally-applicable normative policy directives or universal ecological reference points seem bound to fail in urban wetlands governance. However, in designing effective urban wetland policy and institutions at the regional scale, both context-specific and generalized lessons from empirical policy evaluation of multiple case studies need to be jointly considered. Based on the characteristics of the policy regimes analysed in this study, a hypothetical framework for urban wetland policy evaluation is proposed; this has yet to be validated by empirical application to actual cases.

Concern about increasing rates of deforestation of tropical forests has resulted in investigations into the viability of local land-use practices and communal forms of governance. The majority of people in Guatemala live in regions where primary forests are absent. Several secondary forests in the highly populated highlands of Guatemala are communally managed forests, and people depend on forest products from these secondary forests for their livelihood. This study examines changes in forest structure and coverage of a native Pinus oocarpa Schiede communally managed forest in San Jose La Arada, Chiquimula in eastern Guatemala from 1954–1996. The pine forest is a municipal-communal property. The municipality has title to the land, however the forests are communal property. Neither forest committees in the villages nor municipal government regulations establish communal management of the pine forest; instead there are customary rules in the villages that guide forest extraction. People from the surrounding villages extract fuelwood, ocote (resin-rich wood harvested from the tree trunk and used for kindling) and timber from the pine forest. The P. oocarpa forest is situated in a seasonally dry region with nutrient-poor and highly eroded soils. Aerial photographs from 1954 and 1987 were compared to estimated changes in forest cover. Changes in forest structure are based on data collected from stand inventories conducted in 1987 and 1996. The pine forest was reduced in area by 14.4%, from 12.39 km2 in 1954 to 10.61 km2 in 1987. Additionally, stand density and basal area were reduced by 12% and 41%, respectively, from 1987–1996. Fuelwood and timber for domestic use were not extracted at a sustainable rate between 1954 and 1996 from the communally managed pine forest in this study. A sustainable-use management plan, in which all villages surrounding the forest participate, is recommended to provide future forest products for the villages.

The attempt is made here to provide an approximation of the number of people that the world can support in the light of three constraints: (a) provision for a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of everyone, (b) consideration for wildlife and Nature, and (c) reliance on existing levels of technology and politics. In fact, two alternative standards of living are suggested, ‘affluent’ (based on the standard of the 27 richest nations in the world) and ‘austere’ (based on the standard of the 43 next most wealthy nations in the world).