Impact of forest governance and enforcement on deforestation and forest degradation at the district level:A study in West Bengal State,India

According to the United Nations Environmental Programme(UNEP),the world loses 1.0×106hm2forest land through deforestation annually.About 1.6×106people who depend on forests for livelihood are negatively affected by deforestation and forest degradation.The paper attempts to study the impact of forest governance,enforcement and socio-economic factors on deforestation and forest degradation at the local level in West Bengal State,India.The study was based on questionnaire survey data during 2020–2021 collected from three western districts(Purulia,Bankura,and Paschim Medinipur)where deforestation and poverty rates are higher than other districts in West Bengal State.The total number of selected villages was 29,and the total sample households were 693.A stratified random sampling technique was used to collect data,and a questionnaire was followed.Forest governance and enforcement indices were constructed using United Nation Development Programme(UNDP)methodology and a step-wise logistic regression model was used to identify the factors affecting deforestation and forest degradation.The result of this study showed that four factors(illegal logging,weak forest administration,encroachment,and poverty)are identified for the causes of deforestation and forest degradation.It is observed that six indices of forest governance(rule of law,transparency,accountability,participation,inclusiveness and equitability,and efficiency and effectiveness)are relatively high in Purulia District.Moreover,this study shows that Purulia and Bankura districts follow medium forest governance,while Paschim Medinipur District has poor forest governance.The enforcement index is found to be highest in Purulia District(0.717)and lowest for Paschim Medinipur District(0.257).Finally,weak forest governance,poor socio-economic conditions of the households,and weak enforcement lead to the deforestation and forest degradation in the study area.Therefore,governments should strengthen law enforcement and encourage sustainable forest certification schemes to combat illegal logging.

Estimating Tree Canopy Cover and Identifying Deforestation Patterns in Meghalaya (1990-2021) through ML Classifiers

This study utilizes ML classifiers to estimate canopy density based on three decades of data (1990-2021). The Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier outperformed other classifiers, such as Random Tree and Maximum Likelihood. Satellite data from Landsat and Sentinel 2 was classified using a developed python model, providing an economical and time-saving approach. The accuracy of the classification was evaluated through a confusion matrix and area computation. The findings indicate a negative trend in the overall decadal change, with significant tree loss attributed to jhum cultivation, mining, and quarry activities. However, positive changes were observed in recent years due to the ban on illegal mining. The study highlights the dynamic nature of tree cover and emphasizes the need for biennial assessments using at least five time-series data. Micro-level analysis in Shallang, West Khasi hills, revealed a concerning trend of shortening jhum cycles. Automation in canopy change analysis is crucial for effective forest monitoring, providing timely information for law enforcement proposals and involving forest managers, stakeholders, and watchdog organizations.

Effects of Different Types of Pecan(Carya illinoensis) Seedlings on Forestation Survival Rate in Yunnan

In order to explore the forestation technique of pecan in Yunan, different types of pecan seedlings, bare-rooted seedlings and container seedlings were plant- ed in Yunnan, and their survival rates were investigated. This study will provide im- portant guidance for development of pecan industry in Yunnan Province.

The dry-hot valleys and forestation in southwest china

The dry-hot valleys (DHV) are located mainly in the deeply incised v alleys along the upper streams of several international and domestically rivers, like Yangtz, Zhu, Lanchang, Hong, and Nu rivers. This paper briefly described t he reasons of formation of DHV from view of climate and geographical conditions, and by referring to great deal of documents, analyzed the historical case and p resent status of the vegetations in DHV. The environment in DHV is facing the se rious vulnerable period in the history due to its nature situation of half-year dry period, fragile geological structure and shallow soil, and its social situat ion of over dense population and over farming. The primary vegetation is broad l eaf forest and it was denuded in the history. The current local vegetation is th e degraded secondary vegetation: savanna and succulent thorny shrub. Since the e nvironmental situation in valley influenced directly the water body of river, th e soil erosion control and re-vegetation in DHV is the most urgent task in the p rocess of environmental harness along the rivers. Quite a few pilot research pro jects have been carried out.on demonstrating new silviculture techniques for re- vegetation in DHV, but there still exist great difficulties in carrying out larg e-scale afforestation engineering.

Reforestation Programs in Southwest China:Reported Success,Observed Failure, and the Reasons Why

Ever since the disastrous floods of 1998, the Chinese government has used the Natural Forest Protection and Sloping Land Conversion Programs to promote afforestation and reforestation as means to reduce runoff, control erosion, and stabilize local livelihoods. These two ambitious programs have been reported as large-scale successes, contributing to an overall increase in China’s forest cover and to the stated goals of environmental stabilization. A small-scale field study at the project level of the implementation of these two programs in Baiwu Township, Yanyuan County, Sichuan, casts doubt upon the accuracy and reliability of these claims of success; ground observations revealed utter failure in some sites and only marginal success in others. Reasons for this discrepancy are posited as involving ecological, economic, and bureaucratic factors. Further research is suggested to determine whether these discrepancies are merely local aberrations or represent larger-scale failures in reforestation programs.

A system dynamics model for billion trees tsunami afforestation project of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan:Model application to afforestation activities

As part of the global effort to plant billion trees,an afforestation project is launched in Pakistan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa(KP)province to conserve existing forests and to increase area under forest cover.The present study is designed to build a Systems'model by incorporating major activities of the Billion Tree Tsunami Afforestation Project(BTTAP)with special focus on afforestation activities to estimate the growth in forest area of KP.Availability of complete dataset was a challenge.To fix the model,the raw data taken from the project office has been utilized.Planning Commission Form 1-Phase I&II helped us with additional information.We relied on the data available for one and half period of the project as rest of the data is subject to the completion of the project.Our results show that the project target to enhance area under forest differs from the target to afforest area under the project.The system dynamics'model projection shows that the forest area of KP would be 23.59 million hectares at the end of the BTTA project,thus having an increase of 3.29%instead of 2%that has been initially proposed.However,the results show that the progress to meet the target in some afforestation classes is slow as compared to other categories.Farm forestry,plantation on communal lands and owners'plantation need special focus of the authority.Deforestation would affect 0.02 million hectares area of the project.The model under study may be used as a reference model that can be replicated to other areas where billion tree campaigns are going on.

SITE CLASSIFICATION FOR PROTECTIVE FOREST AFFORESTATION ON THE COAST OF CHINA

Land for protective forest on the coast has special site conditions, and site classification is the scientific basis for seaboard afforestation. The site classification system on the coast zone and islands of China may be classified into five levels-site region (sub - region), district, class, group, and type. The land division for afforestation is carried out by the principle of enviornmental heterogeneity among regions, sub-region and district on large scale, according to the difference of air temperature, moisture and type of coast geomorphy. It may be classified into 7 regions, 12 sub-regions and 55 districts. The medium and small scaled division for site class, group and type, subdivided in a site district, are based on medium topography, topographic climate, micro - relief and soil conditions.

Biomass Carbon Storage and Its Sequestration Potential of Afforestation under Natural Forest Protection Program in China

Based on the data from China′s Seventh Forest Inventory for the period of 2004–2008, area and stand volume of different types and age-classes of plantation were used to establish the relationship between biomass density and age of planted forests in different regions of the country. Combined with the plantation area in the first-stage of the Natural Forest Protection(NFP) program(1998–2010), this study calculated the biomass carbon storage of the afforestation in the first-stage of the program. On this basis, the carbon sequestration potential of these forests was estimated for the second stage of the program(2011–2020). Biomass carbon storage of plantation established in the first stage of the program was 33.67 Tg C, which was majority accounted by protection forests(30.26 Tg C). There was a significant difference among carbon storage in different regions, which depended on the relationship of biomass carbon density, forest age and plantation area. Under the natural growth, the carbon storage was forecasted to increase annually from 2011 to 2020, reaching 96.03 Tg C at the end of the second-stage of the program in 2020. The annual growth of the carbon storage was forecasted to be 6.24 Tg C/yr, which suggested that NFP program has a significant potential for enhancing carbon sequestration in plantation forests under its domain.

Multi-temporal forest cover dynamics in Kashmir Himalayan region for assessing deforestation and forest degradation in the context of REDD+ policy

The role of forests is being actively considered under the agenda of REDD＋ （Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation plus） aimed at reducing emissions related to changes in forest cover and forest quality. Forests in general have undergone negative changes in the past in the form of deforestation and degradation, while in some countries positive changes are reported in the form of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of carbon stock. The present study in the Kashmir Himalayan forests is an effort to assess historical forest cover changes that took place from 1980 to 2009 and to predict the same for 2030 on the basis of past trend using geospatial modeling approach. Landsat data （Multispectral Scanner （MSS）, Thematic Mapper （TM） and Enhanced Thematic Mapper （ETM＋）） was used for the years 1980, 199o and （2001, 2009） respectively and change detection analysis between the dates was performed. The maps generated were validated through ground truthing. The study area （3375.62 km^2） from 1980-2009 has uffered deforestation and forest degradation of about 126 km^2 and 239.02 km^2 respectively which can be claimed under negative options of REDD＋, while as the area that experienced no change （1514 km^2） can be claimed under conservation. A small area （23.31 km^2） observed as positive change can be claimed under positive options. The projected estimates of forest cover for 2030 showed increased deforestation and forest degradation on the basis of trend analysis using Cellular Automata （CA） Markov modeling. Despite the fact that country as a whole has registered a net positive change in the past few decades, but there are regions like Kashmir region of western Himalaya which have constantly undergoing deforestation as well as degradation in the past few decades.

Assessment of causes and future deforestation in the mountainous tropical forest of Timor Island, Indonesia

The Mutis-Timau Forest Complex,one of the remaining mountainous tropical forest areas in Timor Island,eastern Indonesia that covers an area of 31,984 ha,tends to decrease gradually.Efforts to secure mountain forest functions and counteract the negative impact of declining forest areas are often constrained by data uncertainty on factors contributing to deforestation.For this reason,this study attempts to develop models of deforestation and predict future deforestation in the Mutis-Timau Forest Complex.We constructed models of deforestation that describe the relationship between deforestation and factors contributing to deforestation using spatial statistical models.In this model,we used the deforestation data for the 1987-2017 period obtained from a previous study as dependent variables and the potential causes of deforestation generated from Geographic Information System spatial analysis as independent variables.Using the probability of deforestation derived from the model,we predicted future deforestation under two different scenarios,namely,business-as-usual(as the reference scenario)and reducing emission fromdeforestation and forest degradation.Our findings showed that a positive relationship exists between probability of deforestation,distance to the settlement,and population density variables,whereas a negative relationship exists between likelihood of deforestation,elevation,slope,distance to the road,distance to the savanna,and forest management unit variables.During the 2017-2030 period,under the business-as-usual scenario,the Mutis-Timau Forest Complex will lose 1327.65 ha in forest area with an annual deforestation rate of 0.54%.Meanwhile,under the reducing emission from deforestation and forest degradation scenario,the overall forest loss was estimated to be 1237.11 ha with an annual deforestation rate of 0.50%.The predicted area of avoided deforestation in 2017-2030 under the reducing emission from deforestation and forest degradation scenario was 90.54 ha.Such data and information are important for the Mutis-Timau Forest Complex authority in prioritizing actions for combating deforestation and designing appropriate forest-related policies and supporting data for reducing emission from deforestation and forest degradation programme or other incentive schemes in reducing deforestation.

Assessment of Drivers of Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Phnom Tbeng Forest Based on Socio-Economic Surveys

Carbon emission reductions through reducing deforestation and forest degradation or REDD+ scheme of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change could not be achieved without understanding the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation. Until recently, only a handful of study has focused on such drivers. Cambodia experienced rapid deforestation and forest degradation despite growing international interests in protecting forests for carbon revenue generation. This paper was designed to assess livelihood of forest-dependent community and drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in Cambodia. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to collect socio-economic data from 42 households living in Phnom Tbeng forest, where annual deforestation rate was about 2.4% between 2004 and 2009. Our results suggest that local people depend on forests for income generation, subsistence use and social identity. About 90% of the respondents believed that deforestation was resulted from illegal logging, slush and burn agricultural practices, land clearing for large plantation, land encroachment, firewood extraction, charcoal production and forest fire. As the population has increased rapidly and almost 100% of local people depend on fuelwood for cooking, fuelwood collection will continue to cause deforestation and forest degradation unless alternative sources of affordable energy are provided. Appropriate policy interventions should be proposed to reduce the drivers obtained in this study because if drivers cannot be reduced, it is not possible to reduce deforestation and forest degradation, and related carbon emissions.

The Extent and Drivers of Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Masito-Ugalla Ecosystem, Kigoma Region, Tanzania

Deforestation and forest degradation has been observed to be rampant in Masito-Ugalla ecosystem, Kigoma Region, western part of Tanzania. This paper therefore, intended to assess the extent of deforestation and forest degradation in the area, and to determine their causes. A total of 101 respondents were considered as the sample size for this study. The methods used for data collection were household questionnaire interviews, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, analysis of satellite images and direct observation. The findings indicated that deforestation was occurring in the study area. Satellite data revealed diminished closed woodland, bushed grassland, forest and thickets between 1990 and 2014. On the contrary, settlement area, cultivated land and open woodland had increased during the same time frame. Proximate factors causing deforestation and forest degradation included agricultural expansion, wood extraction and expansion of settlement area. Underlying factors included population growth, poverty, poor levels of education, lack of employment, corruption and embezzlement of public funds by politicians and senior government officials;and high demand for fuel-wood. Biophysical drivers like incidences of unplanned wildfires and socio trigger events notably civil strife were also important. In order to minimize the problem and based on the factors augmenting deforestation and forest degradation in the Masito-Ugalla ecosystem and their coupled negative consequences, effective environmental conservation education, increased patrols, effective law enforcement and provision of alternative energy sources are necessary.

Livelihood Economic Activities Causing Deforestation in Northern Ghana: Evidence of Sissala West District

Policymakers and international organizations are making the conscious effort to address climate change through afforestation and sustainable ecosystem management. Economic activities including agriculture, mining, and infra-structure improvement to meet basic human needs continuously degrade the natural and forest resources. The rate of deforestation in Ghana is alarming due to over-reliance on forest resources by forest-dependent communities. Perceived causes of deforestation differ from individuals and groups perspec-tive. This depends on factors including environmental knowledge, education level, market demand and socio-economic activities. Simple random sampling and key informant interview with the aid of semi-structured questionnaire was used to elicit information from the indigenes of Sissala West District to determine their perceptions of causes of deforestation. The study indicated that poverty, high illiteracy, population growth and lack of alternative source of livelihood were the indirect causes which trigger livelihood economic activities such as farming, charcoal burning, wood logging and hunting leading to degradation of the ecosystem. It was also realized that majority of the indigenes are uneducated and this contributes to their unawareness of rate of de-forestation. Recommendations suggested to address challenges were enforce-ment of bye-laws and stringent government environmental policies to deter people from degrading the forest. Education, agroforestry, afforestation, and provision of alternative livelihood were also good interventions suggested.

Effects of deforestation on microbial diversity in a Siberian larch(Larix sibirica) stand in Mongolia

For evaluating microbial community changes in a Siberian larch stand disturbed by forest fire or clearcutting,357 clones were randomly selected and sequenced using a culture-independent approach and 16S rRNA sequencing to characterize the bacterial composition and diversity from the different disturbed Siberian larch stands.Interestingly,the burned larch stand had an increase in the relative amounts of b-proteobacteria and Firmicutes and a decrease in Acidobacteria,while Gemmatimonadetes increased Verrucomicrobia decreased in the harvested larch stand.Microbial diversity and richness were higher in the undisturbed larch stand than the disturbed(burned or clear-cut)larch stands,and the influence of clear-cutting was more negative than that of the forest fire.This study indicates that evaluating the microbial diversity of undisturbed,burned,and clear-cutting Siberian larch stands provides information about the impact of forest disturbances on soil microbial communities,which may be helpful for understanding and evaluating soil health and devising reafforestation strategies for larch.

Impacts of forestation on the annual and seasonal water balance of a tropical catchment under climate change

Background:This study aims to assess the effects of a forestation program and climate change on the annual and seasonal water balance of the Bogowonto catchment(597 km^(2))in Java,Indonesia.The catchment study is rare example in Indonesia where forestation has been applied at the catchment level.However,since the forestation program has been initiated,evaluations of the program only focus on the planting area targets,while the environmental success e.g.,impacts on the hydrological processes have never been assessed.This study used a calibrated Soil and Water Assessment Tool(SWAT)model to diagnose the isolated and combined effects of forestation and climate change on five water balance components,namely streamflow(Q),evapotranspiration(ET),surface runoff(Q_(s)),lateral flow(Q_(l))and base flow(Q_(b)).Results:The results show that from 2006 to 2019,forest cover has increased from 2.7% to 12.8% of the total area,while in the same period there was an increase in the mean annual and seasonal temperature,rainfall,and streamflow.Results of SWAT simulations show that changes in the mean annual and seasonal water balance under the forestation only scenario were relatively minor,while changes were more pronounced under the climate change only scenario.Based on the combined impacts scenario,it was observed that the effects of a larger forest area on the water balance were smaller than the effects of climate change.Conclusions:Although we found that forestation program has minor impacts compared to that of climate change on the hydrological processes in the Bogowonto catchment,seasonally,forestation activity has decreased the streamflow and surface runoff during the wet season which may reduce the risk of moderate floods.However,much attention should be paid to the way how forestation may result in severe drought events during the dry season.Finally,we urge the importance of accounting for the positive and negative effects in future forestation programs.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS OF FOREST LAND AND THE TECHNIQUES OF REFORESTATION IN FIRED LAND IN DAXING'AN MOUNTAINS

Analysis of nature environmental condition and evalwtion of selection and integration ofteclmiques have been carried out in Daxing’an mountains from 1987. The character of soil generaion in this area is influenced by the frigid, coniferous forest vegetation, weather, glacier and late soil formation process. Syntliesis teclmiques for high yield plantation include high seedling quality,suitable site preparation and eftbctive protectioll measures for yoimg trees.

Effect of Closing Hillsides Afforestation on Population Diversity

A logaritmic series distribution model was used to evaluate the index of population diversity (α value) inQuercus mongolica forest in Zhanguangcai Mountains, Heilongjiang, Northeastern China. The α value went up from 1.07 to 4.46–6.98, after closing hillsides for 20 years. The spatial distribution of the α value was calculated among the hill slopes. The results were as follows: middle of hill>bottom of hill>top of hill.

Impact of site management on changes in soil carbon after afforestation:A review

Afforestation and forest management can increase carbon stocks and account for emission reduction according to the Kyoto Protocol. Site management has important effects on the accumulation of soil carbon after afforestation. This review examines the effects of site management, including soil disturbance, fertilization, thinning, weed control, harvesting and controlled burning, on soil carbon dynamics in plantations, based on recent published results. Soil disturbance can enhance soil carbon losses, with whole ploughing causing the most and disking the least loss of soil carbon. The effects of fertilization and thinning on soil carbon are in- conclusive. Weed control can prevent the carbon input from above-grotmd residue and root turnover and increase soil temperature and soil erosion, which in turn reduces the amount of carbon on the soil surface. Soil carbon decreases with the increase of harvest- ing intensity and the retention of harvest residue can significantly enhance the accumulation of carbon in the soil. Controlled burning before afforestation has a short-term benefit for soil carbon, but it is not beneficial to the sequestration of soil carbon over the long term. Future studies should focus on investigating the long-term impact of site management practices, especially soil fertilization and thinning, on carbon, identifying the response of major functional pools of soil carbon to management practices, understanding the dy- namics of soil nitrogen pools and their role in long-term soil carbon sequestration, as well as quantifying soil carbon processes under different climate conditions and site management scenarios using models.

Dynamics of Deforestation and Degradation of Forests in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 1990 to 2018

Improving conditions to maintain soil fertility levels by avoiding deforestation would require an assessment of the contribution of forests to soil regeneration in complex and unpredictable farming systems involving alternating slash-and-burn farming. Results on forest cover over the period 1990-2018 indicate a net annual deforestation rate of 2.12% ± 0.07% and 0.12% annual degradation. The rate of deforestation is estimated mainly in relation to dense forests. Deforestation is the degradation that seems relatively important for DR Congo with relative population densities or the demand for agricultural land is greater which will lead to several consequences such as climate change, soil erosion, biodiversity loss, CO2 emissions, and natural disasters.

Colonial Forest Policies and Tropical Deforestation: The Case of Cross River State, Nigeria

Nigeria has lost over 90% of her forest resources due to the hydra-headed and enduring problem of deforestation, hinging on timber logging, establishment of agricultural plantations in hitherto intact forest reserves, construction of highways, mining of solid minerals, approval of taungya farming activities in forest reserves, extraction of non-timber forest products (NTFPs), and dereservation of large areas of certain forest reserves for other economic and development activities. Though colonialism was dismantled in the first half of the twentieth century, its policies on forest nationalization remain unchanged across many independent states in the tropics including Nigeria. The paper assesses the colonial forest policy underpinnings of tropical deforestation in Cross River State of Nigeria. It highlights the weaknesses of forest reservation laws and its impacts on tropical deforestation. The paper concludes by advocating a shift in forest policies in favour of property rights recognition and devolution of forest management responsibilities to forest communities.