Evaluating presentation formats of local climate change in community planning with regard to process and outcomes

This study synthesizes two evaluations of a local climate change planning process in a rural town in British Columbia (Canada), which was supported through landscape visualizations. First, the impact of the visualizations, based on scientific environmental modeling and presented in three different presentation formats, verbal/visual presentation, posters and a virtual globe, was evaluated with regard to immediate impacts during the process. Second, the long-term impacts on decision-making and actual outcomes were evaluated in a retrospective evaluation 22 months after the end of the initial planning process. Two results are highlighted: according to the quantitative pre-/post-questionnaires, the visualizations contributed to increased awareness and understanding. Most importantly, the retrospective evaluation indicated that the process informed policy, operational and built changes in Kimberley, in which the landscape visualizations played a role. The post interviews with key decision-makers showed that they remembered most of the visualizations and some decision-makers were further using them, particularly the posters. The virtual globe seemed to be not a "sustainable" display format suitable for formal decision-making processes such as council meetings though. That may change with the further mainstreaming of visualization technologies or mobile devices. Until then, we recommend using display formats that can be re-used following a specific planning event such as an Open House, to ensure on-going support for effective decision-making over the longer-term

The internet revolution: opportunities for tourism and forestry

This paper highlights the potential of the Internet for forestry and tourism, with special emphasis on ecotourism. The paper discusses some of the issues involved in developing forestry and ecotourism information resources on the Internet. The justification which underpins the paper (especially in its discussion of ecotourism) is that sustainable management of New Zealand’s biological resources, including its forests, entails their use for tourism purposes; but that such tourism must be ecologically sensitive and responsible

Center for Research on Sustainable Forests 2019 Annual Report

The Center for Research on Sustainable Forests (CRSF) continued its evolution as University of Maine research center in FY21 with several new and ongoing initiatives. Despite the continual challenges created by the global pandemic, dedicated CRSF faculty, staff and students have furthered our collaborations and generated numerous outcomes for our stakeholders. Of particular note this past FY, the Northeastern States Research Cooperative (NSRC) awarded 13 new projects across the region, including three involving the University of Maine; the Forest Climate Change Initiative’s Science and Practice monthly webinar series organized with the Forest Stewardship Guild attracted strong participation both internal/external to Maine; and release of th Natural Climate Solutions for Forestry & Agriculture Final Report outlining the potential of alternative management strategies for increasing carbon sequestration. In addition, several external grants were received in FY21 from NASA Carbon Monitoring Systems, a NASA GEDI, several from the USDA, and one from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, which help to continue grow the CRSF research program and build capacity within the center

Recreation, tourism and nature in a changing world : proceedings of the fifth international conference on monitoring and management of visitor flows in recreational and protected areas : Wageningen, the Netherlands, May 30-June 3, 2010

Proceedings of the fifth international conference on monitoring and management of visitor flows in recreational and protected areas : Wageningen, the Netherlands, May 30-June 3, 201

Production of Innovations within Farmer–Researcher Associations Applying Transdisciplinary Research Principles

Small-scale farmers in sub-Saharan West Africa depend heavily on local resources and local knowledge. Science-based knowledge is likely to aid decision-making in complex situations. In this presentation, we highlight a FiBL-coordinated research partnership between three national producer organisations and national agriculture research bodies in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Benin. The partnership seeks to compare conventional, GMObased, and organic cotton systems as regards food security and climate change

PARTICIPATORY WEB GIS DESIGN – A SUSTAINABLE RECREATION DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR MISSOULA COUNTY

Sustainable recreation ensures that local communities benefit from the effects of recreation. A recreation decision support system (RDSS) is a common way for people to gather information about an area they are about to visit. This research explores: 1) how well can local representatives’ knowledge concerning appropriate recreation behaviors be incorporated into a WebGIS that will serve as a RDSS, 2) what layers, activities, and information do participants want to include in a RDSS, and 3) how well does the ArcGIS Online perform in incorporating representatives’ knowledge of areas of significance for a RDSS? Recreationalists in Missoula County, Montana, have diverse recreational landscapes to choose from, and places that are of significance to a diverse set of groups to be respectful of. This research explores the participatory GIS (PGIS) method using a focus group comprised of community interest groups for initial content scoping, WebGIS design, and final evaluation of the RDSS. This is a novel approach to test how to incorporate local representatives’ knowledge into a RDSS tool. This research revealed that local interest groups indicated that identifying allowed recreation activities, leaving no trace, and low impact forms of recreation were the most appropriate to incorporate in the RDSS. The themes of accessibility, community and conservation, wildlife, and wilderness emerged as to why interest groups value recreation areas. Additionally, providing information on regulations, infrastructure, history, recreation activities, and wildlife would help promote sustainable activities. Participants indicated that layers, icons pop-ups, and queries were identified as adequate ways to inform users of the recreation opportunities in the area. Results demonstrate that the PGIS process is a successful method for creating a sustainable recreation map for a community by using participants from a diverse set of interest groups

Herramientas de simulación para el apoyo de toma de decisiones en la gestión forestal adaptativa en Europa

In forest management there is a tendency towards measuring less and simulating more. In this context the development of reliable, user friendly forest simulators has become economically relevant. The objective of this perspective paper is to highlight the recent trends in forest simulation and to identify the remaining challenges to make forest simulation a reliable tool for forest policy and management. Experiences with forest simulators for various purposes in different geographical contexts illustrate how the important challenges of forest decision support can be addressed through flexible customization for different end-user categories, offering spatially explicit approaches at the landscape scale, and integrating empirical and mechanistic models in hybrid and bayesian simulation approaches. Recent development trends in forest simulation for decision support are mainly related to the ever increasing calculation speed and capacity of computers, facilitating the development of robust tools with comfortable user interface and realistic functions and options. Another trend is the combination of simulation tools with optimization and choice algorithms fading away the difference between simulators and decision support systems. The remaining challenges are basically in the high expectations of stakeholders concerning the ability of simulators to predict a range of outcomes in terms of ecosystem services and sustainability indicators, as well as the quality of their outcome in terms of output credibility to stakeholders. Need for accepted and realistic model validation and verification methods preferably using empirical data is crucial in this matter.En la planificación de la gestión forestal existe la tendencia a medir menos y similar más. En este contexto, el desarrollo de simuladores forestales es económicamente relevante para el gestor. El objetivo de este artículo es el de discutir y enfatizar tendencias en el ámbito de la simulación forestal e identificar retos importantes para que la simulación forestal sea una herramienta fiable en el proceso decisorio de la planificación forestal y en el de desarrollo de políticas. Varios ejemplos de simuladores forestales existentes y que responden a objetivos y escalas geográficas distintas, ilustran como la capacidad analítica de los gestores puede mejorar sustancialmente para responder a los grandes retos en el proceso decisorio de la gestión forestal. El artículo presenta simuladores que responden a necesidades de diferentes usuarios y hacen frente a distintas cuestiones, utilizando distintos enfoques y herramientas; desde simuladores espacialmente explícitos basados en modelos empíricos que son integrados con herramientas de optimización, hasta simuladores mecanísticos o basados en enfoques híbridos y bayesianos. El desarrollo más reciente en simulación forestal esta sobretodo relacionado con el incremento de capacidad de cálculo de los computadores, lo que ha facilitado el desarrollo de herramienta robustas y visuales, fáciles de utilizar por los usuarios finales. Otra tendencia, importante es la combinación de herramientas de simulación con técnicas de optimización númerica, lo cual posibilita el desarrollo de los mas modernos sistemas de soporte a la decisión. Uno de los retos más importantes es el de colmar las altas expectativas de los principales agentes y centros decisores forestales en relación a la capacidad de los simuladores y sistemas de apoyo a la decisión para proporcionar información relevante en relación a los servicios ecosistémicos e indicadores de sostenibilidad. En este contexto, es necesaria la validación de los diferentes modelos que configuran los simuladores haciendo uso de información empírica disponible

Use of visual representation in natural resource management

The increasing use of visual representation in natural resource management is signed as a promising tool for enhancing the communication with bidirectional flow of information among stakeholders. Some targets are the transfer o f scientific knowledge to non-scientific groups and the study o f perception that local communities have about their environment. Both of them have critical importance in developing countries. The objective of this thesis was to get further knowledge on some topics and concerns related to the use o f photographic material as surrogates of natural grassland areas among shepherds and extension advisers. The thesis developed studies in two main grassland areas of Peru. The first study was carried out in Azangaro, Puno, in the Peruvian High Plateau. This study explored the reliability and validity o f the use of visual material in performing assessments about common concepts used in grassland management by extension advisers, whose role in the chain o f technology transfer is important in this area. The second area o f study was the SAIS Pachacutec, which involves a significant grassland area in Junin, located in the central mountain region of Peru. Two main research topics were investigated in this area. First, there were comparisons in the use o f different techniques (random and participatory approaches) for visual sampling in rangelands. And second, the use o f photographic material combined with Q methodology was explored for the elicitation of environmental perceptions among shepherds and local administrations. Implications o f results for future use of visual representation in natural resource management are discussed

Using a Geospatial Analysis Tool to Visualize Water Impairments and Engage Stakeholders in the San Bernardino National Forest

High quality water is an important resource that is integral to supporting environmental and human health. It is essential for economic, social and environmental purposes. Impairments to water resources can be attributed to anthropogenic sources that are associated with terrestrial activities including urban development and agricultural activities. Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) is an approach that can be used to include community input to improve water management strategies. In the San Bernardino National Forest (SBNF) area in southern California, there are disadvantaged communities that can benefit from a CBPR study to increase water quality in the area. A geovisualization tool will be used to identify community stakeholders in the area’s water, identify issues and create a more inclusive and informed community that can make well informed decisions on the area’s water management