The fingerprinting-based approach using the wireless local area network(WLAN)is widely used for indoor localization.However,the construction of the fingerprint database is quite time-consuming.Especially when the posi...The fingerprinting-based approach using the wireless local area network(WLAN)is widely used for indoor localization.However,the construction of the fingerprint database is quite time-consuming.Especially when the position of the access point(AP)or wall changes,updating the fingerprint database in real-time is difficult.An appropriate indoor localization approach,which has a low implementation cost,excellent real-time performance,and high localization accuracy and fully considers complex indoor environment factors,is preferred in location-based services(LBSs)applications.In this paper,we proposed a fine-grained grid computing(FGGC)model to achieve decimeter-level localization accuracy.Reference points(RPs)are generated in the grid by the FGGC model.Then,the received signal strength(RSS)values at each RP are calculated with the attenuation factors,such as the frequency band,three-dimensional propagation distance,and walls in complex environments.As a result,the fingerprint database can be established automatically without manual measurement,and the efficiency and cost that the FGGC model takes for the fingerprint database are superior to previous methods.The proposed indoor localization approach,which estimates the position step by step from the approximate grid location to the fine-grained location,can achieve higher real-time performance and localization accuracy simultaneously.The mean error of the proposed model is 0.36 m,far lower than that of previous approaches.Thus,the proposed model is feasible to improve the efficiency and accuracy of Wi-Fi indoor localization.It also shows high-accuracy performance with a fast running speed even under a large-size grid.The results indicate that the proposed method can also be suitable for precise marketing,indoor navigation,and emergency rescue.展开更多
Numerous land-use policies have been implemented in China in recent decades for ecological restoration and conservation to reduce environmental disasters and promote environmental sustainability.Many of these policies...Numerous land-use policies have been implemented in China in recent decades for ecological restoration and conservation to reduce environmental disasters and promote environmental sustainability.Many of these policies follow a top-down approach to implementation and as such,emphasize the hierarchical control within government structures.An understanding of local perceptions of land-use policies is important if the disconnect between policy makers and the target population is to be reduced and if program support is to improve.This study aimed to help improve local implementation,attitude toward,and engagement by examining the influence of socio-economic characteristics on the target population’s(local farmers)perception of the conversion of cropland to forestland program(CFPP)land use policy in Jiangxi,Sichuan,and Shaanxi provinces.It uses logistical regression models,with robust aspects of perception including confidence,support,transparency,prospects,fairness,and willingness to participate.Results indicate that social aspects as well as economic aspects are most important in influencing farmers’perceptions towards the CFPP.The farmers who have received technical support,rural male habitants,educated,and non-middle-aged farmers exhibit more positive perceptions of the program and are much more likely to support it,whereas farmers without any technical support or formal education,and female and middle-aged farmers are less likely to support the program.Importantly,this study also reveals the differences in responses,experiences and perceptions of the farmers living across different provinces.These empirical results provide insight into the influence of socio-economic characteristics on the perception of farmers towards land-use policies,which has important implications for designing targeted policy instruments and increasing farmer support for these policies.This knowledge can be harnessed and further evaluated in future research to improve citizen engagement,support,and understanding in order to help ecological restoration and conservation objectives be more effectively achieved.展开更多
Feature selection has been widely used in data mining and machine learning.Its objective is to select a minimal subset of features according to some reasonable criteria so as to solve the original task more quickly.In...Feature selection has been widely used in data mining and machine learning.Its objective is to select a minimal subset of features according to some reasonable criteria so as to solve the original task more quickly.In this article,a feature selection algorithm with local search strategy based on the forest optimization algorithm,namely FSLSFOA,is proposed.The novel local search strategy in local seeding process guarantees the quality of the feature subset in the forest.Next,the fitness function is improved,which not only considers the classification accuracy,but also considers the size of the feature subset.To avoid falling into local optimum,a novel global seeding method is attempted,which selects trees on the bottom of candidate set and gives the algorithm more diversities.Finally,FSLSFOA is compared with four feature selection methods to verify its effectiveness.Most of the results are superior to these comparative methods.展开更多
The deforestation in Indonesia is already alarming.One of the strategies used by the government to overcome forest deforestation is social forestry.This program is called PHBM(Pengelolaan Hutan Bersama Masyarakat/Join...The deforestation in Indonesia is already alarming.One of the strategies used by the government to overcome forest deforestation is social forestry.This program is called PHBM(Pengelolaan Hutan Bersama Masyarakat/Joint Forest Management) which is basically a partnership program.This study aims at describing the partnership program between a local organization(i.e.LMDH) and a government unit(i.e.RPH of Perhutani) within the PHBM program.The objectives of this study are to(a) describe the model of partnerships between LMDH and RPH Besowo for sustainable forest management and local community empowerment;(b) determine the contribution of the forest to the national economy and rural household income;and(c) determine the obstacles commonly found in Besowo forest that have to be faced during the implementation of the partnerships.The study shows that with good partnership between these two units,the prosperity of the local community can be enhanced and the forest preservation can be maintained.The model of the partnerships in this particular area in Indonesia is expected to be applicable as well in other rural areas in Indonesia,as well as in other developing countries.展开更多
This paper examines the role and effectiveness of local institutions in the management of forest biodiversity in New Dabaga-Ulongambi Forest Reserve,Tanzania.Data were obtained through questionnaires,interviews,focus ...This paper examines the role and effectiveness of local institutions in the management of forest biodiversity in New Dabaga-Ulongambi Forest Reserve,Tanzania.Data were obtained through questionnaires,interviews,focus group discussions,participatory rural appraisal and field observations.The study revealed that the most remarkable local institutions connected to forest biodiversity management include:Village Natural Resources Management Committee(92%),tree nursery group(79.4%),beekeeping groups(61.1%),fish farming(43.3%),livestock rearing group(33.9%).Main activities carried out by local institutions which directly contribute to the sustainability of forest reserve include:forest patrols,fire extinguish,preparation of fire breaks,planting of trees along the forest boundaries,creation of awareness,arresting of forest defaulters,participation in income generation activities.For the purpose of realization that local communities are capable of managing forest biodiversity through their traditional institutions,the policy should provide tangible opportunity for local communities to meet their needs as they manage the forests.展开更多
Objective-To investigate forest cover change in Masese Local Forest Reserve and its effects on the livelihoods of the dependent communities;to establish the occurrence of forest cover change in Masese Local Forest Res...Objective-To investigate forest cover change in Masese Local Forest Reserve and its effects on the livelihoods of the dependent communities;to establish the occurrence of forest cover change in Masese Local Forest Reserve;to determine the extent of forest cover change in Masese from 1990to 2005;to determine the tree species that have been affected by forest cover change in Masese; and to assess the effects of forest cover change on the livelihoods of the dependent communities. Methods-Interviews and questionnaire were conducted with a proportion of 36households from Maondo and 84households from Mulimambango settlements.Scenes of landsat images of 1990,2000, 2005and Earth Google image for Masese were used for map analysis.Also remote sensing was used to analyze landsat images and Google image to detect forest and non-forest classes.Results and Conclusion-Forest cover change has adverse implication on the provision of wood forest products and nonwood forest products to the dependent local communities.The declining status of dominant Baikiaea Forest that has exploitable species for building materials and fuel wood has affected the livelihoods of the dependent local communities.There is also increased cost and shortage of fire wood and building materials due to deforestation in Masese Forest Reserve.展开更多
The objective of this paper is to institute farmers’ own perceptions of the on-and off-farm benefits of agroforestry systems (AFS). Using use value approach, this paper presents empirical evidence on the use values o...The objective of this paper is to institute farmers’ own perceptions of the on-and off-farm benefits of agroforestry systems (AFS). Using use value approach, this paper presents empirical evidence on the use values of three types of AFS practiced by the refugees and their hosting communities in Eastern Sudan. The total economic value (TEV) was applied as a framework to estimate the ecosystem values of AFS under study. Goods values were estimated using specific market values, while the services values were qualitatively described according to local perceived values of the local communities. Perceived TEV of AFS includes marketable and non-marketable goods and services. The main direct marketable and sustainable high value products include: food, cash crops, firewood, gum, fodder, NTFPs medicine, fodder, and honey. The valuation results reveal that AFS in the project sites have significantly contributed to the livelihoods of the local communities. Overall, the average net direct-use value of marketable products across all sites was estimated at 7,346,000.0 SDG (1,335,636.36 US$) HH/annum. Gum Arabic alone accounted for 38%, followed by sorghum grain and fodder 35%, and cash crops (sesame) 18%. This value would be many time higher if other indirect values (non-marketable) services such as shade, aesthetic and recreation, environmental protection, biodiversity and carbon sequestration are quantified. The goods and services mentioned above provide sustainable income to the farmer directly and viable benefits to the region indirectly. Hence, AFS in the study sites shows the way to reconcile two conflicting goals: short-term food and livelihood needs with long-term environmental conservation and improvement. The study provides evidence that the high local perceived values of AFS in the study sites constitute a central means of livelihood, whereas its contribution to the local economy. The study stresses the need to quantify the monetary values of non-marketed products to consistently account for resource availability and usage to further sound policy decisions. Tenure security, farmer support services and human capital development were major areas identified for policy development.展开更多
Background:The local pivotal method(LPM)utilizing auxiliary data in sample selection has recently been proposed as a sampling method for national forest inventories(NFIs).Its performance compared to simple random samp...Background:The local pivotal method(LPM)utilizing auxiliary data in sample selection has recently been proposed as a sampling method for national forest inventories(NFIs).Its performance compared to simple random sampling(SRS)and LPM with geographical coordinates has produced promising results in simulation studies.In this simulation study we compared all these sampling methods to systematic sampling.The LPM samples were selected solely using the coordinates(LPMxy)or,in addition to that,auxiliary remote sensing-based forest variables(RS variables).We utilized field measurement data(NFI-field)and Multi-Source NFI(MS-NFI)maps as target data,and independent MS-NFI maps as auxiliary data.The designs were compared using relative efficiency(RE);a ratio of mean squared errors of the reference sampling design against the studied design.Applying a method in NFI also requires a proven estimator for the variance.Therefore,three different variance estimators were evaluated against the empirical variance of replications:1)an estimator corresponding to SRS;2)a Grafström-Schelin estimator repurposed for LPM;and 3)a Matérn estimator applied in the Finnish NFI for systematic sampling design.Results:The LPMxy was nearly comparable with the systematic design for the most target variables.The REs of the LPM designs utilizing auxiliary data compared to the systematic design varied between 0.74–1.18,according to the studied target variable.The SRS estimator for variance was expectedly the most biased and conservative estimator.Similarly,the Grafström-Schelin estimator gave overestimates in the case of LPMxy.When the RS variables were utilized as auxiliary data,the Grafström-Schelin estimates tended to underestimate the empirical variance.In systematic sampling the Matérn and Grafström-Schelin estimators performed for practical purposes equally.Conclusions:LPM optimized for a specific variable tended to be more efficient than systematic sampling,but all of the considered LPM designs were less efficient than the systematic sampling design for some target variables.The Grafström-Schelin estimator could be used as such with LPMxy or instead of the Matérn estimator in systematic sampling.Further studies of the variance estimators are needed if other auxiliary variables are to be used in LPM.展开更多
The role of HPH(Forest Logging Concession)in developing rural communities is very significant.SLJ(Sumalindo Lestari Jaya)as HPH company has an important contribution in empowering local communities,especially in openi...The role of HPH(Forest Logging Concession)in developing rural communities is very significant.SLJ(Sumalindo Lestari Jaya)as HPH company has an important contribution in empowering local communities,especially in opening land transportation in the interior and helping to build agriculture and gardens.The existence of Sumalindo company participates in developing forest resource management with local communities,among others,increasing livelihoods,maintaining and developing biodiversity conservation and maintaining climate change.These efforts are in accordance with the regulations of the KLHK(Ministry of Environment and Forestry),that every HPH holder is required(mandatory)to obtain a certificate of“PHAPL”(Sustainable Production Natural Forest Management)and an“eco label”from the Indonesian Eco Label Institute.Besides,it is recommended that the holders of HPH concessions and HTI(Industrial Timber Plantations)have an FSC(Forest Stewardship Council)certificate from the EU(European Union),and must meet three indicator elements,namely economic,social and ecological in SFM(Sustainable Forest Management).This article examines three critical questions that show the role of Sumalindo Company in economic,ecological and social development and managing forest resources with the community as follows:(1)The role of Sumalindo company contributes to the development of road infrastructure in the interior;(2)The role of Sumalindo in improving livelihoods and economic and social empowerment of local communities;(3)The role of Sumalindo with local communities in managing forest resources,including maintaining and developing biodiversity conservation and maintaining climate change.展开更多
As hydropower development expands across lowland tropical forests,flooding and concomitant insular fragmentation have become important threats to biodiversity.Newly created insular landscapes serve as natural laborato...As hydropower development expands across lowland tropical forests,flooding and concomitant insular fragmentation have become important threats to biodiversity.Newly created insular landscapes serve as natural laboratories to investigate biodiversity responses to fragmentation.One of these most iconic landscapes is the Balbina Hydroelectric Reservoir in Brazilian Amazonia,occupying>400000 ha and comprising>3500 forest islands.Here,we synthesise the current knowledge on responses of a wide range of biological groups to insular fragmentation at Balbina.Sampling has largely concentrated on a set of 22 islands and three mainland sites.In total,39 studies were conducted over nearly two decades,covering 17 vertebrate,invertebrate,and plant taxa.Although species responses varied according to taxonomic group,island area was consistently included and played a pivotal role in 66.7%of all studies examining patterns of species diversity.Species persistence was further affected by species traits,mostly related to species capacity to use/traverse the aquatic matrix or tolerate habitat degradation,as noted for species of vertebrates and orchid bees.Further research is needed to improve our understanding of such effects on wider ecosystem functioning.Environmental Impact Assessments must account for changes in both the remaining habitat amount and configuration,and subsequent long-term species losses.展开更多
In Central African Republic, edible caterpillars of Imbrasia gender are income of rural populations, present an opportunity to improve food security and belonging to the category of Non-wood forest products. The goal ...In Central African Republic, edible caterpillars of Imbrasia gender are income of rural populations, present an opportunity to improve food security and belonging to the category of Non-wood forest products. The goal of this study is to document the ecology of caterpillars of genre Imbrasia in relation to its host plants in Boukoko. The questionnaire was addressed to the actors of the collection and consumption of caterpillars in this Commune, to their local knowledge concerning this food resource as well as the plants of their locality on which caterpillars are collected. The survey took place in September to October 2022 and as a general rule, the 120 respondents were elderly people whose age range varied from 35 to 70 years old. Plant samples are collected in their natural environment. Based on local names;herbaria are mounted, plants photographed and samples collected. The types of edible caterpillars have been inventoried in the field in collaboration with the local populations who consume them. Based on local names, the caterpillars are captured manually from morphological traits and then stored in bottles containing 70% ethanol. The specimens were identified. The data was entered into the Excel spreadsheet which also made it possible to produce histograms with the frequencies of the plant species most valued by the different caterpillars. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was then performed using R software to highlight the correlation between caterpillars and host plants. The main economic importance trees hosting edible caterpillars of Imbrasia gender in Boukoko region are: Entandrophragma cylindricum, Pentaclethra macrophylla, Maesopsis eminii, Albizia ferruginea, Macaranga spinosa, Amphimas ferrugineus, Pentaclethra macrophylla, Racosperma auriculiforme, Eribroma oblonga. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) carried out to assess the variability between the different species of caterpillars according to their host plants shows that the first two axes F1 and F2 explain 27.34% of the overall variability. The different variables along the two factorial axes are weakly correlated. The caterpillar species Imbrasia truncata, Imbrasia epimethea, Imbrasia obscura, Imbrasia petiveri, Imbrasia forda and Imbrasia alopia have more host plant diversity than the caterpillar species: Imbrasia melanops, Imbrasia eblis, Imbrasia anthina, Imbrasia wahlbergii and Imbrasia oyemensis.展开更多
The critically endangered tree Schizolaena tampoketsana is confined to a few diminished and degraded forest fragments on the Malagasy highlands. This habitat is vulnerable to loss due to frequent fires in the surround...The critically endangered tree Schizolaena tampoketsana is confined to a few diminished and degraded forest fragments on the Malagasy highlands. This habitat is vulnerable to loss due to frequent fires in the surrounding grassland that threaten to spread into the forest. One of these fragments is the focus a conservation project and here the managers aim to conserve S. tampoketsana by restoring its forest habitat to its former extent as evidenced by remnant woody plants. To inform this activity the survival and early-stage growth of seedlings of four locally native tree species were compared under contrasting conditions of proximity to the remaining forest and shade. After 12 months, seedlings of three species(Baronia taratana, Eugenia pluricymosa, Uapaca densifolia) survived better and experienced improved growth in height in grassland close to the existing forest rather than distant from it, and two survived better with shade rather than unshaded. A number of mechanisms could explain these results including reduced exposure to desiccating sunlight and winds and better soil and greater water availability close to the forest. The seedlings of one species(Nuxia capitata) survived well under all conditions. This study suggests that reforestation in these dry highlands is most feasible adjacent to remnant forest fragments and in microhabitats that minimize water loss, though young plants of some tree species may be capable of surviving in harsher conditions.展开更多
Shot boundary detection is the fundamental part in many real applications as video retrieval and so on. This paper tackles the problem of video segment obtaining in complex movie videos. Firstly, intermediate descript...Shot boundary detection is the fundamental part in many real applications as video retrieval and so on. This paper tackles the problem of video segment obtaining in complex movie videos. Firstly, intermediate descriptor is proposed to depict the variation of both abrupt and gradual change in shot boundaries, which is formed by distance vector on Local Binary Pattern(LBP), GIST(GIST) or their fusion. Instead of just using the adjacent frames distance, intermediate descriptor keeps the distances between current frame and consecutive frames. It comprehensively characterizes local temporal structure, which is especially important for gradual change. For the excellent ability for feature fusion in random forests, it is adopted here to verify the fusion effect of intermediate descriptor on LBP and GIST. The whole experiments are designed on the subset of TRECVid 2013 INS(INstance Search) task to verify the effectiveness of proposed intermediate descriptor and the fusion ability for random forest. Compared with static and adaptive thresholds approaches, the best performance can be achieved by post-fusion of intermediate descriptor on LBP and GIST.展开更多
基金the Open Project of Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory of Philosophy and Social Science for Language Intelligence in Special Education under Grant No.YYZN-2023-4the Ph.D.Fund of Chengdu Technological University under Grant No.2020RC002.
文摘The fingerprinting-based approach using the wireless local area network(WLAN)is widely used for indoor localization.However,the construction of the fingerprint database is quite time-consuming.Especially when the position of the access point(AP)or wall changes,updating the fingerprint database in real-time is difficult.An appropriate indoor localization approach,which has a low implementation cost,excellent real-time performance,and high localization accuracy and fully considers complex indoor environment factors,is preferred in location-based services(LBSs)applications.In this paper,we proposed a fine-grained grid computing(FGGC)model to achieve decimeter-level localization accuracy.Reference points(RPs)are generated in the grid by the FGGC model.Then,the received signal strength(RSS)values at each RP are calculated with the attenuation factors,such as the frequency band,three-dimensional propagation distance,and walls in complex environments.As a result,the fingerprint database can be established automatically without manual measurement,and the efficiency and cost that the FGGC model takes for the fingerprint database are superior to previous methods.The proposed indoor localization approach,which estimates the position step by step from the approximate grid location to the fine-grained location,can achieve higher real-time performance and localization accuracy simultaneously.The mean error of the proposed model is 0.36 m,far lower than that of previous approaches.Thus,the proposed model is feasible to improve the efficiency and accuracy of Wi-Fi indoor localization.It also shows high-accuracy performance with a fast running speed even under a large-size grid.The results indicate that the proposed method can also be suitable for precise marketing,indoor navigation,and emergency rescue.
基金supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology of Chinathe Canadian International Council
文摘Numerous land-use policies have been implemented in China in recent decades for ecological restoration and conservation to reduce environmental disasters and promote environmental sustainability.Many of these policies follow a top-down approach to implementation and as such,emphasize the hierarchical control within government structures.An understanding of local perceptions of land-use policies is important if the disconnect between policy makers and the target population is to be reduced and if program support is to improve.This study aimed to help improve local implementation,attitude toward,and engagement by examining the influence of socio-economic characteristics on the target population’s(local farmers)perception of the conversion of cropland to forestland program(CFPP)land use policy in Jiangxi,Sichuan,and Shaanxi provinces.It uses logistical regression models,with robust aspects of perception including confidence,support,transparency,prospects,fairness,and willingness to participate.Results indicate that social aspects as well as economic aspects are most important in influencing farmers’perceptions towards the CFPP.The farmers who have received technical support,rural male habitants,educated,and non-middle-aged farmers exhibit more positive perceptions of the program and are much more likely to support it,whereas farmers without any technical support or formal education,and female and middle-aged farmers are less likely to support the program.Importantly,this study also reveals the differences in responses,experiences and perceptions of the farmers living across different provinces.These empirical results provide insight into the influence of socio-economic characteristics on the perception of farmers towards land-use policies,which has important implications for designing targeted policy instruments and increasing farmer support for these policies.This knowledge can be harnessed and further evaluated in future research to improve citizen engagement,support,and understanding in order to help ecological restoration and conservation objectives be more effectively achieved.
基金National Science Foundation of China(Nos.U1736105,61572259,41942017)The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University for funding this work through research group no.RGP-VPP-264.
文摘Feature selection has been widely used in data mining and machine learning.Its objective is to select a minimal subset of features according to some reasonable criteria so as to solve the original task more quickly.In this article,a feature selection algorithm with local search strategy based on the forest optimization algorithm,namely FSLSFOA,is proposed.The novel local search strategy in local seeding process guarantees the quality of the feature subset in the forest.Next,the fitness function is improved,which not only considers the classification accuracy,but also considers the size of the feature subset.To avoid falling into local optimum,a novel global seeding method is attempted,which selects trees on the bottom of candidate set and gives the algorithm more diversities.Finally,FSLSFOA is compared with four feature selection methods to verify its effectiveness.Most of the results are superior to these comparative methods.
文摘The deforestation in Indonesia is already alarming.One of the strategies used by the government to overcome forest deforestation is social forestry.This program is called PHBM(Pengelolaan Hutan Bersama Masyarakat/Joint Forest Management) which is basically a partnership program.This study aims at describing the partnership program between a local organization(i.e.LMDH) and a government unit(i.e.RPH of Perhutani) within the PHBM program.The objectives of this study are to(a) describe the model of partnerships between LMDH and RPH Besowo for sustainable forest management and local community empowerment;(b) determine the contribution of the forest to the national economy and rural household income;and(c) determine the obstacles commonly found in Besowo forest that have to be faced during the implementation of the partnerships.The study shows that with good partnership between these two units,the prosperity of the local community can be enhanced and the forest preservation can be maintained.The model of the partnerships in this particular area in Indonesia is expected to be applicable as well in other rural areas in Indonesia,as well as in other developing countries.
基金TAFORI and Forestry and Beekeeping Division through Participatory Forest Management (PFM)grant for funding this study
文摘This paper examines the role and effectiveness of local institutions in the management of forest biodiversity in New Dabaga-Ulongambi Forest Reserve,Tanzania.Data were obtained through questionnaires,interviews,focus group discussions,participatory rural appraisal and field observations.The study revealed that the most remarkable local institutions connected to forest biodiversity management include:Village Natural Resources Management Committee(92%),tree nursery group(79.4%),beekeeping groups(61.1%),fish farming(43.3%),livestock rearing group(33.9%).Main activities carried out by local institutions which directly contribute to the sustainability of forest reserve include:forest patrols,fire extinguish,preparation of fire breaks,planting of trees along the forest boundaries,creation of awareness,arresting of forest defaulters,participation in income generation activities.For the purpose of realization that local communities are capable of managing forest biodiversity through their traditional institutions,the policy should provide tangible opportunity for local communities to meet their needs as they manage the forests.
文摘Objective-To investigate forest cover change in Masese Local Forest Reserve and its effects on the livelihoods of the dependent communities;to establish the occurrence of forest cover change in Masese Local Forest Reserve;to determine the extent of forest cover change in Masese from 1990to 2005;to determine the tree species that have been affected by forest cover change in Masese; and to assess the effects of forest cover change on the livelihoods of the dependent communities. Methods-Interviews and questionnaire were conducted with a proportion of 36households from Maondo and 84households from Mulimambango settlements.Scenes of landsat images of 1990,2000, 2005and Earth Google image for Masese were used for map analysis.Also remote sensing was used to analyze landsat images and Google image to detect forest and non-forest classes.Results and Conclusion-Forest cover change has adverse implication on the provision of wood forest products and nonwood forest products to the dependent local communities.The declining status of dominant Baikiaea Forest that has exploitable species for building materials and fuel wood has affected the livelihoods of the dependent local communities.There is also increased cost and shortage of fire wood and building materials due to deforestation in Masese Forest Reserve.
文摘The objective of this paper is to institute farmers’ own perceptions of the on-and off-farm benefits of agroforestry systems (AFS). Using use value approach, this paper presents empirical evidence on the use values of three types of AFS practiced by the refugees and their hosting communities in Eastern Sudan. The total economic value (TEV) was applied as a framework to estimate the ecosystem values of AFS under study. Goods values were estimated using specific market values, while the services values were qualitatively described according to local perceived values of the local communities. Perceived TEV of AFS includes marketable and non-marketable goods and services. The main direct marketable and sustainable high value products include: food, cash crops, firewood, gum, fodder, NTFPs medicine, fodder, and honey. The valuation results reveal that AFS in the project sites have significantly contributed to the livelihoods of the local communities. Overall, the average net direct-use value of marketable products across all sites was estimated at 7,346,000.0 SDG (1,335,636.36 US$) HH/annum. Gum Arabic alone accounted for 38%, followed by sorghum grain and fodder 35%, and cash crops (sesame) 18%. This value would be many time higher if other indirect values (non-marketable) services such as shade, aesthetic and recreation, environmental protection, biodiversity and carbon sequestration are quantified. The goods and services mentioned above provide sustainable income to the farmer directly and viable benefits to the region indirectly. Hence, AFS in the study sites shows the way to reconcile two conflicting goals: short-term food and livelihood needs with long-term environmental conservation and improvement. The study provides evidence that the high local perceived values of AFS in the study sites constitute a central means of livelihood, whereas its contribution to the local economy. The study stresses the need to quantify the monetary values of non-marketed products to consistently account for resource availability and usage to further sound policy decisions. Tenure security, farmer support services and human capital development were major areas identified for policy development.
基金the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry key project“Puuta liikkeelle ja uusia tuotteita metsästä”(“Wood on the move and new products from forest”)Academy of Finland(project numbers 295100 , 306875).
文摘Background:The local pivotal method(LPM)utilizing auxiliary data in sample selection has recently been proposed as a sampling method for national forest inventories(NFIs).Its performance compared to simple random sampling(SRS)and LPM with geographical coordinates has produced promising results in simulation studies.In this simulation study we compared all these sampling methods to systematic sampling.The LPM samples were selected solely using the coordinates(LPMxy)or,in addition to that,auxiliary remote sensing-based forest variables(RS variables).We utilized field measurement data(NFI-field)and Multi-Source NFI(MS-NFI)maps as target data,and independent MS-NFI maps as auxiliary data.The designs were compared using relative efficiency(RE);a ratio of mean squared errors of the reference sampling design against the studied design.Applying a method in NFI also requires a proven estimator for the variance.Therefore,three different variance estimators were evaluated against the empirical variance of replications:1)an estimator corresponding to SRS;2)a Grafström-Schelin estimator repurposed for LPM;and 3)a Matérn estimator applied in the Finnish NFI for systematic sampling design.Results:The LPMxy was nearly comparable with the systematic design for the most target variables.The REs of the LPM designs utilizing auxiliary data compared to the systematic design varied between 0.74–1.18,according to the studied target variable.The SRS estimator for variance was expectedly the most biased and conservative estimator.Similarly,the Grafström-Schelin estimator gave overestimates in the case of LPMxy.When the RS variables were utilized as auxiliary data,the Grafström-Schelin estimates tended to underestimate the empirical variance.In systematic sampling the Matérn and Grafström-Schelin estimators performed for practical purposes equally.Conclusions:LPM optimized for a specific variable tended to be more efficient than systematic sampling,but all of the considered LPM designs were less efficient than the systematic sampling design for some target variables.The Grafström-Schelin estimator could be used as such with LPMxy or instead of the Matérn estimator in systematic sampling.Further studies of the variance estimators are needed if other auxiliary variables are to be used in LPM.
文摘The role of HPH(Forest Logging Concession)in developing rural communities is very significant.SLJ(Sumalindo Lestari Jaya)as HPH company has an important contribution in empowering local communities,especially in opening land transportation in the interior and helping to build agriculture and gardens.The existence of Sumalindo company participates in developing forest resource management with local communities,among others,increasing livelihoods,maintaining and developing biodiversity conservation and maintaining climate change.These efforts are in accordance with the regulations of the KLHK(Ministry of Environment and Forestry),that every HPH holder is required(mandatory)to obtain a certificate of“PHAPL”(Sustainable Production Natural Forest Management)and an“eco label”from the Indonesian Eco Label Institute.Besides,it is recommended that the holders of HPH concessions and HTI(Industrial Timber Plantations)have an FSC(Forest Stewardship Council)certificate from the EU(European Union),and must meet three indicator elements,namely economic,social and ecological in SFM(Sustainable Forest Management).This article examines three critical questions that show the role of Sumalindo Company in economic,ecological and social development and managing forest resources with the community as follows:(1)The role of Sumalindo company contributes to the development of road infrastructure in the interior;(2)The role of Sumalindo in improving livelihoods and economic and social empowerment of local communities;(3)The role of Sumalindo with local communities in managing forest resources,including maintaining and developing biodiversity conservation and maintaining climate change.
基金supported byÁreas Protegidas da Amazônia(ARPA)Amazonas Distribuidora de Energia S.A.,and Associação Comunidade Waimiri Atroari+4 种基金Rufford Foundation(grant number 13675-1)the Conservation Food and Health Foundation,and Idea WildNational Geographic Society grant(NGS-93497C-22)awarded to CAP.I.J is funded through a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship(MR/T019018/1)M.B received a productivity grant from CNPq(304189/2022-7)European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the grant agreement No.854248(TROPIBIO)。
文摘As hydropower development expands across lowland tropical forests,flooding and concomitant insular fragmentation have become important threats to biodiversity.Newly created insular landscapes serve as natural laboratories to investigate biodiversity responses to fragmentation.One of these most iconic landscapes is the Balbina Hydroelectric Reservoir in Brazilian Amazonia,occupying>400000 ha and comprising>3500 forest islands.Here,we synthesise the current knowledge on responses of a wide range of biological groups to insular fragmentation at Balbina.Sampling has largely concentrated on a set of 22 islands and three mainland sites.In total,39 studies were conducted over nearly two decades,covering 17 vertebrate,invertebrate,and plant taxa.Although species responses varied according to taxonomic group,island area was consistently included and played a pivotal role in 66.7%of all studies examining patterns of species diversity.Species persistence was further affected by species traits,mostly related to species capacity to use/traverse the aquatic matrix or tolerate habitat degradation,as noted for species of vertebrates and orchid bees.Further research is needed to improve our understanding of such effects on wider ecosystem functioning.Environmental Impact Assessments must account for changes in both the remaining habitat amount and configuration,and subsequent long-term species losses.
文摘In Central African Republic, edible caterpillars of Imbrasia gender are income of rural populations, present an opportunity to improve food security and belonging to the category of Non-wood forest products. The goal of this study is to document the ecology of caterpillars of genre Imbrasia in relation to its host plants in Boukoko. The questionnaire was addressed to the actors of the collection and consumption of caterpillars in this Commune, to their local knowledge concerning this food resource as well as the plants of their locality on which caterpillars are collected. The survey took place in September to October 2022 and as a general rule, the 120 respondents were elderly people whose age range varied from 35 to 70 years old. Plant samples are collected in their natural environment. Based on local names;herbaria are mounted, plants photographed and samples collected. The types of edible caterpillars have been inventoried in the field in collaboration with the local populations who consume them. Based on local names, the caterpillars are captured manually from morphological traits and then stored in bottles containing 70% ethanol. The specimens were identified. The data was entered into the Excel spreadsheet which also made it possible to produce histograms with the frequencies of the plant species most valued by the different caterpillars. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was then performed using R software to highlight the correlation between caterpillars and host plants. The main economic importance trees hosting edible caterpillars of Imbrasia gender in Boukoko region are: Entandrophragma cylindricum, Pentaclethra macrophylla, Maesopsis eminii, Albizia ferruginea, Macaranga spinosa, Amphimas ferrugineus, Pentaclethra macrophylla, Racosperma auriculiforme, Eribroma oblonga. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) carried out to assess the variability between the different species of caterpillars according to their host plants shows that the first two axes F1 and F2 explain 27.34% of the overall variability. The different variables along the two factorial axes are weakly correlated. The caterpillar species Imbrasia truncata, Imbrasia epimethea, Imbrasia obscura, Imbrasia petiveri, Imbrasia forda and Imbrasia alopia have more host plant diversity than the caterpillar species: Imbrasia melanops, Imbrasia eblis, Imbrasia anthina, Imbrasia wahlbergii and Imbrasia oyemensis.
文摘The critically endangered tree Schizolaena tampoketsana is confined to a few diminished and degraded forest fragments on the Malagasy highlands. This habitat is vulnerable to loss due to frequent fires in the surrounding grassland that threaten to spread into the forest. One of these fragments is the focus a conservation project and here the managers aim to conserve S. tampoketsana by restoring its forest habitat to its former extent as evidenced by remnant woody plants. To inform this activity the survival and early-stage growth of seedlings of four locally native tree species were compared under contrasting conditions of proximity to the remaining forest and shade. After 12 months, seedlings of three species(Baronia taratana, Eugenia pluricymosa, Uapaca densifolia) survived better and experienced improved growth in height in grassland close to the existing forest rather than distant from it, and two survived better with shade rather than unshaded. A number of mechanisms could explain these results including reduced exposure to desiccating sunlight and winds and better soil and greater water availability close to the forest. The seedlings of one species(Nuxia capitata) survived well under all conditions. This study suggests that reforestation in these dry highlands is most feasible adjacent to remnant forest fragments and in microhabitats that minimize water loss, though young plants of some tree species may be capable of surviving in harsher conditions.
基金Supported by the Young Teacher Support Plan by Heilongjiang Province and Harbin Engineering University in China(No.1155G17)partially by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities Grant to X.Xiang
文摘Shot boundary detection is the fundamental part in many real applications as video retrieval and so on. This paper tackles the problem of video segment obtaining in complex movie videos. Firstly, intermediate descriptor is proposed to depict the variation of both abrupt and gradual change in shot boundaries, which is formed by distance vector on Local Binary Pattern(LBP), GIST(GIST) or their fusion. Instead of just using the adjacent frames distance, intermediate descriptor keeps the distances between current frame and consecutive frames. It comprehensively characterizes local temporal structure, which is especially important for gradual change. For the excellent ability for feature fusion in random forests, it is adopted here to verify the fusion effect of intermediate descriptor on LBP and GIST. The whole experiments are designed on the subset of TRECVid 2013 INS(INstance Search) task to verify the effectiveness of proposed intermediate descriptor and the fusion ability for random forest. Compared with static and adaptive thresholds approaches, the best performance can be achieved by post-fusion of intermediate descriptor on LBP and GIST.