Tropical timber trade policies : what impact will eco-labeling have?

About 20 percent of the total production of tropical timber is traded internationally. But for Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and some countries in West-Central Africa, tropical timber trade accounts for more than 50 percent of production. Although the tropical timber trade has often been blamed for deforestation, the authors find that it contributes much less to deforestation than do poor policies for the production of tropical timber. Lack of tenure rights, short and uncertain logging concessions, low stumpage values, and inadequate monitoring of logging activities are among the major policy failures that help deplete the tropical forests. Trade policies, often identified as an instrument for enforcing environmental objectives internationally, are inefficient instruments for correcting domestic distortions, and in the case of tropical timber trade, may affect the environment perversely. Export and import restrictions ultimately depress the value of an already underpriced resource - the forest. Restrictions on log exports, for example, encourage wasteful processing of logs. Unless sound forest management policies are enforced domestically, the net effect could even be an increase in the rate of deforestation. Import restrictions may have a marginal impact, since trade accounts for less than 20 percent of production and most of the tropical timber is imported in Asia, where such restrictions currently do not exist. Even if import restrictions had a significant impact, it would be in a reduction in value of tropical logs that would make alternative uses of the forest lands more profitable - so the rate of deforestation might not be reduced. Eco-labeling's main strength is its capacity to discriminate (through market signals) in favor of timber produced under sound environmental practices. By contrast, bans and boycotts have an indiscriminate, perverse impact. But if eco-labeling is imposed unilaterally by a subset of countries, its effectiveness will be doubtful. It will lead to trade diversion and potentially perverse environmental results, not to mention an increase in GATT trade disputes. Even if eco-labeling is adopted by all importing countries, there could still be trade diversion in tropical timber products because some consumers may not prefer certified timber, given its higher price. Eco-labeling programs should be designed so that producers see them not as a nontariff barrier but as an instrument for capturing the rents associated with prevailing environmental concerns in the developed world. Consumer education is important to the success of such programs, and eco-labeling programs should be designed accordingly.Environmental Economics&Policies,Forestry,Silviculture,Forests and Forestry,Economic Theory&Research

Is there a commercial case for tropical timber certification?

The authors estimate the potential commercial benefits that tropical timber producing countries could enjoy by adopting timber certification schemes. Such benefits are crucial for encouraging the supply of certified timber. Timber certification is a reality: various countries and organizations have launched initiatives for it. The initial response among producing countries was less than positive, but some have come to realize its potential benefits and have begun to adopt timber certification schemes. Tropical timber trade accounts for only a small fraction of tropical timber production, and most of that trade is concentrated among developing countries in Asia and Japan - markets where demand for certified timber is currently weak. Only a small part of the trade reaches the eco-sensitive markets of Europe and the United States, where there is demand for certified timber. Developing countries can benefit commercially from timber certification in two ways: through the"green premium"(consumers'willingness to pay a premium for certified timber"and by averting losses of market share in the tropical timber market from not having timber certified. Based on surveys, on discussions with nongovernmental organizations, on market participants and analysts, and on estimates of price elasticity, the authors develop a scenario for estimating the potential commercial benefits from adopting timber certification. Under this scenario, benefits would not exceed US$500 million a year (roughly 4 percent of all tropical-timber-related revenues earned by developing countries). Timber certification is not expected to provide significant commercial benefits to developing countries in the near future. But timber certification could provide significant rents to individual firms that develop market niche strategies. And producing countries that pursue certification may enjoy longer-term social, economic, and environmental benefits by adopting the better forest management practices required for timber certification.Environmental Economics&Policies,Silviculture,Agribusiness&Markets,Roads&Highways,Forests and Forestry,Environmental Economics&Policies,Forestry,Silviculture,Agribusiness&Markets,Roads&Highways

Triplectic Quantization of W2 gravity

The role of one loop order corrections in the triplectic quantization is discussed in the case of W2 theory. This model illustrates the presence of anomalies and Wess Zumino terms in this quantization scheme where extended BRST invariance is represented in a completely anticanonical form.Comment: 10 pages, no figure

DRYING STUDY OF EUCALYTPTUS STAIGERIANA LEAVES BY MONITORING THE HUMIDITY OF THE DRYER DISCHARGE

The drying phenomenon can be treated as simultaneous heat and mass transfer in both the light and heavy phases. In the present case, the phenomenons evolution is normally observed through the heating of and moisture removal from the heavy phase. On the other hand, while the material is heating, the light phase is cooling and humidifying. The goal of the present work is to present discharge air humidification curves as a function of the drying time for Eucalyptus staigeriana leaves drying experiments. For the air humidification measurements, a dry bulb thermocouple and relative humidity transducer were installed at both the dryer inlet and outlet. The dryer was linked to a data acquisition system, which recorded the dry bulb temperature and the relative humidity with time. These data were later used to calculate the air moisture content at the dryer inlet and outlet. The data obtained by this methodology are compared with the ones from drying kinetic (moisture content removing of the heavy phase along time), acquired by the evolution of wet material weight through the use of an analytical scale

Looking for a Map?

Bibliography and photographs of a display of government documents from Minnesota State University, Mankato.https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/lib-services-govdoc-display-maps/1000/thumbnail.jp

Utilização do sistema fonte pontual na aplicação de cinco lâminas de irrigação e da fertirrigação em trigo.

Um sistema de irrigacao por aspersao denominado fonte pontual foi utilizado para estudar o efeito da lamina de irrigacao sobre a produtividade de trigo, apresentando bons resultados. O efeito de uma, duas e tres aplicacoes de nitrogenio apos o plantio, via fertirrigacao, e de cinco laminas de irrigacao sobre a produtividade e os fatores de producao do trigo foi testado. O numero de aplicacoes de nitrogenio proporcionou melhoras significativas no peso hectolitrico, no peso de mil graos e na facilidade de colheita, nao apresentando, entretanto, diferenca significativas na produtividade de graos

Efeito da frequência de coleta de adultos da broca-do-rizoma-da-bananeira, em isca tipo 'queijo' , sobre o número de insetos coletados.

Verificar o efeito da frequencia de coleta (diária e semanal) de adultos da broca-do-rizoma-da-bananeira, em isca de pseudocaule tipo 'queijo' sobre o número de insetos coletados.bitstream/CNPAT-2010/9616/1/Ct-111.pd

Mtss1 promotes cell-cell junction assembly and stability through the small GTPase Rac1

Cell-cell junctions are an integral part of epithelia and are often disrupted in cancer cells during epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which is a main driver of metastatic spread. We show here that Metastasis suppressor-1 (Mtss1; Missing in Metastasis, MIM), a member of the IMD-family of proteins, inhibits cell-cell junction disassembly in wound healing or HGF-induced scatter assays by enhancing cell-cell junction strength. Mtss1 not only makes cells more resistant to cell-cell junction disassembly, but also accelerates the kinetics of adherens junction assembly. Mtss1 drives enhanced junction formation specifically by elevating Rac-GTP. Lastly, we show that Mtss1 depletion reduces recruitment of F-actin at cell-cell junctions. We thus propose that Mtss1 promotes Rac1 activation and actin recruitment driving junction maintenance. We suggest that the observed loss of Mtss1 in cancers may compromise junction stability and thus promote EMT and metastasis

Parâmetros genéticos estimados sob um modelo multicaracterística para características reprodutivas de ovelhas da raça Morada Nova.

Resumo: O objetivo do presente estudo foi estimar parâmetros genéticos para características reprodutivas de ovelhas da raça Morada Nova. Utilizou-se, neste estudo, dados pertencentes ao núcleo de conservação da Embrapa Caprinos e Ovinos localizada na cidade de Sobral-CE e gerenciados pelo Programa de Melhoramento Genético de Caprinos e Ovinos de Corte (GENECOC). As características avaliadas foram intervalo de partos (IEP), dias para o parto (DP), período de gestação (PG) e número de serviços por concepção (NSC). As estimativas dos parâmetros genéticos e fenotípicos foram obtidas pelo método da Máxima Verossimilhança Restrita Livre de Derivadas (REML), sob modelo animal multicaracterística, usando o aplicativo MTDFREML. As estimativas de herdabilidades foram próximas de zero para IEP e DP, baixa para PG e moderada para NSC. As estimativas indicam que as características estudadas estão sobre maior influência ambiental do que genética. [Estimated genetic parameters for reproductive traits in Morada Nova breed sheep under a multi-trait model]. Abstract: The aim of the present study was to estimate genetic parameters for reproductive traits of ewes of Morada Nova breed sheep. Data from the conservation flock of Embrapa Caprinos e Ovinos, located in Sobral - CE, controlled by the ?Programa de Melhoramento Genético de Caprinos e Ovinos de Corte? (GENECOC), were used in this study. The traits evaluated were lambing interval (IEP), lambing day (DP), gestation length (PG) and number of service per conception number (NSC). The estimative of phenotypic and genetic parameters were obtained by Derivative Free Restricted Maximum Likelihood method, utilizing a multi-trait animal model and the MTDFREML software. The heritabilities estimates were next to zero for IEP and DP, low for PG and moderate for NSC. The estimates indicate that traits are under higher influence of the environment than genetic. Keywords: genetic correlations, heritability, mixed models, varianc

Biotechnological production of γ-decalactone, a peach like aroma, by Yarrowia lipolytica

The request for new flavourings increases every year. Consumer perception that everything natural is better is causing an increase demand for natural aroma additives. Biotechnology has become a way to get natural products. γ-Decalactone is a peach-like aroma widely used in dairy products, beverages and others food industries. In more recent years, more and more studies and industrial processes were endorsed to cost-effect this compound production. One of the best-known methods to produce -decalactone is from ricinoleic acid catalyzed by Yarrowia lipolytica, a generally regarded as safe status yeast. As yet, several factors affecting -decalactone production remain to be fully understood and optimized. In this review, we focus on the aromatic compound -decalactone and its production by Y. lipolytica. The metabolic pathway of lactone production and degradation are addressed. Critical analysis of novel strategies of bioprocess engineering, metabolic and genetic engineering and other strategies for the enhancement of the aroma productivity are presented.This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684)