Factors influencing participation of tribes in the activities of forest development agencies in Tamil Nadu

In Tamil Nadu, there were 32 Forest Development Agencies were functioning in 12 Forest Circles. Coimbatore forest circle is the one in which three FDAs were established and this formed the study area. The study was carried out in Coimbatore Forest Circle following a Multi Stage Random Sampling technique by selecting three hundred tribal households. FDAs were implementing several activities with the participation of tribes to avert man-animal conflicts and to improve the socio economic status of tribes. This study was focusing on documenting the activities and the participation of tribes in those activities. Among the activities, erection of Elephant trenches, plantation development and the Project Elephant schemes implemented by both Forest and Line Department officials have imparted some impacts in reducing the Man-Animal Conflicts by promoting higher employment generation. Because of higher employment opportunities, the participation of tribes were much influenced in FDA activities which are statistically significant at one per cent level. Besides, impact of FDA implementation, Plantation development activities and wild life protection measures are also discussed.

Temporal Development and Regeneration Dynamics of Restored Urban Forests

<p>Urban forest restoration programmes are a key tool used to initiate, re-create or accelerate the succession of forest species; improving ecosystem services, function, resilience and biodiversity. Succession is a temporal shift in species dominance driven by abiotic and biotic influences, but over decadal timescales the trajectory and success of restoration plantings in degraded urban environments can be hindered. To facilitate the successful reconstruction of forest ecosystems from scratch, an understanding of the temporal patterns in planted forest development, dynamics of seedling regeneration and dominant drivers of seedling diversity is required. Using a chronosequence approach, permanent plots were established at 44 restored urban forests aged 5 to 59 years since initial plantings took place, across five New Zealand cities between Wellington and Invercargill. Vegetation surveys were undertaken and data on micro-climate were collected. This study examined the 1) temporal dynamics of restored urban forest development and seedling regeneration and 2) dominant drivers of seedling regeneration. Data were analysed using linear regression models, breakpoint analysis and mixed-effects modelling. Early forest development (<20 years) exhibited the most changes in canopy composition and structure, forest floor dynamics, seedling community and microclimate. This period saw significant increases in canopy stem abundance, height, basal area and leaf litter cover. Significant declines occurred for light transmittance, herbaceous cover and daily soil and air temperature range within the same timeframe. Dominant traits amongst the seedling community included early successional species, tree species, shade and drought tolerant species, insect-pollinated species and frugivory dispersed species. Seedlings with these traits had higher species richness levels across the whole chronosequence. Collectively, five biotic drivers representing forest composition, structure and landscape factors strongly influenced seedling diversity. Seedling diversity increased with the proportion of surrounding natural landcover, sapling diversity, basal area, canopy diversity and herbaceous cover. The influence of these predictors of seedling diversity, was more significant when modelled as a set, than when viewed independently. Geographic location (city) was indicated as a stronger predictor for similarities in canopy and seedling community composition than the age of the restoration planting. This was shown by stronger clustering of sites according to their city, more so than forest planting age, in a non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis. Our results provide valuable insight to restoration practitioners on the outcomes of urban restoration programmes implemented across much of New Zealand and helps close the gap between the science of restoration ecology and the practice of ecological restoration.</p>

Temporal Development and Regeneration Dynamics of Restored Urban Forests

<p>Urban forest restoration programmes are a key tool used to initiate, re-create or accelerate the succession of forest species; improving ecosystem services, function, resilience and biodiversity. Succession is a temporal shift in species dominance driven by abiotic and biotic influences, but over decadal timescales the trajectory and success of restoration plantings in degraded urban environments can be hindered. To facilitate the successful reconstruction of forest ecosystems from scratch, an understanding of the temporal patterns in planted forest development, dynamics of seedling regeneration and dominant drivers of seedling diversity is required. Using a chronosequence approach, permanent plots were established at 44 restored urban forests aged 5 to 59 years since initial plantings took place, across five New Zealand cities between Wellington and Invercargill. Vegetation surveys were undertaken and data on micro-climate were collected. This study examined the 1) temporal dynamics of restored urban forest development and seedling regeneration and 2) dominant drivers of seedling regeneration. Data were analysed using linear regression models, breakpoint analysis and mixed-effects modelling. Early forest development (<20 years) exhibited the most changes in canopy composition and structure, forest floor dynamics, seedling community and microclimate. This period saw significant increases in canopy stem abundance, height, basal area and leaf litter cover. Significant declines occurred for light transmittance, herbaceous cover and daily soil and air temperature range within the same timeframe. Dominant traits amongst the seedling community included early successional species, tree species, shade and drought tolerant species, insect-pollinated species and frugivory dispersed species. Seedlings with these traits had higher species richness levels across the whole chronosequence. Collectively, five biotic drivers representing forest composition, structure and landscape factors strongly influenced seedling diversity. Seedling diversity increased with the proportion of surrounding natural landcover, sapling diversity, basal area, canopy diversity and herbaceous cover. The influence of these predictors of seedling diversity, was more significant when modelled as a set, than when viewed independently. Geographic location (city) was indicated as a stronger predictor for similarities in canopy and seedling community composition than the age of the restoration planting. This was shown by stronger clustering of sites according to their city, more so than forest planting age, in a non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis. Our results provide valuable insight to restoration practitioners on the outcomes of urban restoration programmes implemented across much of New Zealand and helps close the gap between the science of restoration ecology and the practice of ecological restoration.</p>

Development of Waqf Forest in Indonesia: The SWOT-ANP Analysis of Bogor Waqf Forest Program by Bogor Waqf Forest Foundation

Some communities and governments in Indonesia have taken the initiative to develop waqf forests to solve forest conservation problems. However, research on waqf forest development is still rarely studied. This study aims to improve the strategy of waqf forest development in Indonesia. SWOT method is used to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats and the possible development strategies of the Bogor Waqf Forest as a manager of Waqf Forest. The ANP method prioritizes these four aspects and the best strategy in developing the waqf forest. An aggressive strategy needs to be carried out by optimizing the existing legal organization and the well-educated human resources to inform the public about the waqf concept in Islam and its application in the waqf forest. Thus, the vast potential of cash waqf and waqif can be obtained. This paper is one of the pioneering articles that discuss waqf forest development strategies, especially in Indonesia. From this research, we recommend the Bogor Waqf Forest to resolve the legal aspects as an official waqf manager, and the government and Indonesian Ulema Council to issue regulation and fatwa regarding waqf forest.