Improving Indonesia's Forest and Land Governance: Using a Delphi Approach to Identify Efficacious Interventions

It is now recognized that addressing deforestation and forest and peatlands degradation and destruction in Indonesia requires improvements to land and forest governance. It is also accepted that further research is required into this large field of study and practice. In particular needs have been identified for better links between theory and practice, and between academic analysis and work in the field. To respond to this gap, this study investigates the underlying drivers of deforestation, and forest and peatlands degradation and destruction (herein called deforestation and peatlands degradation) with the intention of identifying interventions that will improve land and forest governance in Indonesia. Through a Delphi process, a panel of experts on forest and land governance identified three main drivers of deforestation and peatlands degradation. These were: (1) unclear land tenure and uncertain land classification (agreed by 88% of respondents); (2) business and political interests that influence policy-making and regulations (70% agreement) and (3) ineffective land use planning (53% agreement). In response, the panel recommended three priority governance interventions relating to the following issues: (1) increasing the capacity of local communities to manage and monitor forests and natural resources (65% agreement); (2) gazetting forests to clarify land boundaries and determine which areas should be village, community and state forest zone (58% agreement); (3) integrating participatory maps into spatial plans to protect local communities and indigenous peoples' development needs (53% agreement). A research theme with the highest agreement was the following: action research involving the government, private sector and community (64% agreement). This study finds that there is strong support for community level approaches to forest management. Securing community forest tenure through clarifying land claims and integrating local land tenure into spatial planning is a key step to achieving sustainable forest management. The concluding recommendations suggest that the most efficacious interventions to be taken by researchers, government, donors and civil society to improve Indonesia's forest and land governance processes include: Support community institutions; Accelerate forest gazettement using local community institutions to clarify community forest claims; Integrate participatory maps into spatial plans; Support local communities' ability to monitor forests; Conduct action research involving all stakeholders; Address financing of the forest and land sector; Engage political economy analysis

Interim evaluation of lifelong learning networks

The Open University's Centre for Higher Education Research and Information was commissioned in June 2007 to undertake a formative evaluation of Lifelong Learning Networks (LLNs). Research to inform the interim evaluation has been two-fold: desk research of LLN documentation and visits to and interviews with personnel involved in eight LLNs. The report's main conclusion was that LLNs are making progress in terms of encouraging institutions to offer curricula and put in place procedures that, in the fullness of time, could make a significant difference to the coherence, clarity and certainty of progression opportunities for vocational learners. However, it went on to say that it is too soon to be able to make substantive and well-evidenced statements about LLNs' overall progress on meeting this overarching objective of the LLN initiative

Expert-based development of a standard in CO2 sequestration monitoring technology

Bureau of Economic Geolog

From transnational voluntary standards to local practices. A case study of forest certification in Russia

In this paper, I discuss how local actors translate transnational voluntary standards of responsible natural resource management into on-the-ground practices in domestic settings. Building on an extensive study of forest certification in Russia, I argue that implementation is not a straightforward execution of transnational rules imposed by powerful transnational actors - e.g., international NGOs, multinationals, governments or consumers. Rather, local actors negotiate the ways in which transnational standards are implemented locally in both formal and informal settings, and thereby settle political conflicts over natural resource management and construct new knowledge related to standard implementation and good natural resource management. They use both global ideas reflected in transnational standards and locally available concepts and practices as building blocks, and combine them in various ways in order to construct new knowledge. I therefore emphasize stakeholder interest negotiation and collective learning as core social processes which enable the translation of transnational standards into on-the-ground practices. -- Das Papier beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, wie lokale Akteure freiwillige transnationale Standards für verantwortliches Ressourcenmanagement unter lokalen Rahmenbedingungen umsetzen. Auf der Grundlage einer umfangreichen Untersuchung der Waldzertifizierungspraxis in Russland wird argumentiert, dass die Einführung der Standards nicht über die direkte Implementierung transnationaler und durch einflussreiche transnationale Akteure (internationale Nichtregierungsorganisationen, multinationale Konzerne, Regierungen oder Konsumenten) erfolgt. Wie transnationale Standards vor Ort implementiert werden, verhandeln lokale Akteure in formalen und informellen Foren. Sie lösen politische Konflikte im Bereich des Managements natürlicher Ressourcen und bauen neues Wissen über die Implementierung der Standards und ein gutes Ressourcenmanagement auf. Als Bausteine nutzen sie dabei die in transnationalen Standards reflektierten globalen Grundgedanken sowie vor Ort verfügbare Konzepte und Praktiken und kombinieren diese auf verschiedene Weise. Die Verhandlung von Stakeholder-Interessen und kollektives Lernen sind somit zentrale soziale Prozesse bei der Übertragung transnationaler Standards in die Praxis vor Ort.

Are You Ready? A Proposed Framework For The Assessment Of Digital Forensic Readiness

This dissertation develops a framework to assess Digital Forensic Readiness (DFR) in organizations. DFR is the state of preparedness to obtain, understand, and present digital evidence when needed. This research collects indicators of digital forensic readiness from a systematic literature review. More than one thousand indicators were found and semantically analyzed to identify the dimensions to where they belong. These dimensions were subjected to a q-sort test and validated using association rules, producing a preliminary framework of DFR for practitioners. By classifying these indicators into dimensions, it was possible to distill them into 71 variables further classified into either extant or perceptual variables. Factor analysis was used to identify latent factors within the two groups of variables. A statistically-based framework to assess DFR is presented, wherein the extant indicators are used as a proxy of the real DFR status and the perceptual factors as the perception of this status

Seeing the trees as well as the forest: the importance of managing forest genetic resources

Reliable data on the status and trends of forest genetic resources are essential for their sustainable management. The reviews presented in this special edition of Forest Ecology and Management on forest genetic resources complement the first ever synthesis of the State of the World’s Forest Genetic Resources (SOW-FGR) that has just been published by the Food and Agriculture Organization. In this editorial, we present some of the key findings of the SOW-FGR and introduce the seven reviews presented in this special edition on: (1) tree genetic resources and livelihoods; (2) the benefits and dangers of international germplasm transfers; (3) genetic indicators for monitoring threats to populations and the effectiveness of ameliorative actions; (4) the genetic impacts of timber management practices; (5) genetic considerations in forest ecosystem restoration projects using native trees; (6) genetic-level responses to climate change; and (7) ex situ conservation approaches and their integration with in situ methods. Recommendations for action arising from the SOW-FGR, which are captured in the first Global Plan of Action for the Conservation, Sustainable Use and Development of Forest Genetic Resources, and the above articles are discussed. These include: increasing the awareness of the importance of and threats to forest genetic resources and the mainstreaming of genetic considerations into forest management and restoration; establishing common garden provenance trials to support restoration and climate change initiatives that extend to currently little-researched tree species; streamlining processes for germplasm exchange internationally for research and development; and the intelligent use of modern molecular marker methods as genetic indicators in management and for improvement purposes

Could the Outsourcing of Incident Response Management provide a Blueprint for Managing Other Cloud Security Requirements?

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