Valuing nature’s contributions to people: the IPBES approach

Nature is perceived and valued in starkly different and often conflicting ways. This paper presents the rationale for the inclusive valuation of nature’s contributions to people (NCP) in decision making, as well as broad methodological steps for doing so. While developed within the context of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), this approach is more widely applicable to initiatives at the knowledge–policy interface, which require a pluralistic approach to recognizing the diversity of values. We argue that transformative practices aiming at sustainable futures would benefit from embracing such diversity, which require recognizing and addressing power relationships across stakeholder groups that hold different values on human nature-relations and NCP

Municipal governments and forest management in lowland Bolivia

Recent decentralization and forestry laws in Bolivia give municipal governments a strong role in forest management. This article analyzes the impact of those laws on local government activities related to logging, protected areas, indigenous territories, and land-use planning. It con-cludes that the laws have created new opportunities for indigenous people, small farmers, and small-scale timber producers to gain access to forest resources and influence forest policy, although they are not always able to take advantage of those opportunities. The article identifies both positive and negative trends with regard to the laws' impact on resource management, although it is premature to draw firm conclusions

Considering the impact of structural adjustment policies on forests in Bolivia, Cameroon and Indonesia

A preliminary insight into how structural adjustment policies (SAPs) may have affected deforestation and forest degradation in the lowland tropical forests of Bolivia, Cameroon and Indonesia. It presents tentative hypotheses regarding how changes in prices, costs, incomes and government services associated with SAPs affect forests. The indirect effects of SAP's on forests resulting from changes in overall economic growth, inflation rates, employment and consumption are difficult to measure and predict. The experience of Cameroon and Indonesia indicate that SAPs that sucees in creating new off-farm employment opportunities probably reduce deforestation, while those that do not succeed have the opposite effect, but this is still inconclusive. There is little evidence that government spending restrictions associated with SAPs diminished governments' ability to promote sustainable forest management or control deforestation, largerly because there was minimal capacity in the first place. It remains to be seen whether SAPs will favour or hinder the development of such capacity in the future

Valuing nature's contributions to people: the IPBES approach

Nature is perceived and valued in starkly different and often conflicting ways. This paper presents the rationale for the inclusive valuation of nature's contributions to people (NCP) in decision making, as well as broad methodological steps for doing so. While developed within the context of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), this approach is more widely applicable to initiatives at the knowledge-policy interface, which require a pluralistic approach to recognizing the diversity of values. We argue that transformative practices aiming at sustainable futures would benefit from embracing such diversity, which require recognizing and addressing power relationships across stakeholder groups that hold different values on human naturerelations and NCP

Subtropical Dry Forests: The Main Forest Ecoregion of Argentina

The Chaco is a sparsely populated, wooded grassland natural region of the Río de la Plata basin, where four physiognomic regions can be identified: Humid Chaco, Semi-arid Chaco, Arid Chaco, and Chaco Serrano. In this introduction to the section of subtropical dry forests, the most relevant tree genera and species are presented. A severe degradation and deforestation process characterize this region in the current century. The main productive systems are described, together with their effects on environmental, economic, and social aspects: extraction of firewood, production of charcoal, and extensive livestock. The recent advance of the agricultural frontier threatens the native communities living within and from the forest in an ancient equilibrium: changes in land use, technological advances of agriculture, increase of logging in the natural forest are occurring. A new tree-centered production paradigm is needed. “Quebracho” species represent a historical paradigm of overexploitation but a promise of possible sustainable management. Key species for the reconversion of the productive systems in the Chaco (not treated in the following chapters) are presented, taking into account their potential for breeding and relevance for restoration, within the environmental, economic, and social context of the region.Instituto de Fisiología y Recursos Genéticos VegetalesFil: Verga, Anibal. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria La Rioja. Agencia De Extensión Rural La Rioja; ArgentinaFil: Lopez Lauenstein, Diego. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Fisiología y Recursos Genéticos Vegetales; ArgentinaFil: Lopez Lauenstein, Diego. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Unidad de Estudios Agropecuarios (UDEA); Argentin