Rattan nursery (1)

The Philippines is endowed with the rich natural resources inherent in many tropical countries. The plant species are so diverse that many plant forms have become integral components in the way of life of many Filipinos. Aside from the woody trees that are the major and dominant components of forest ecosystems, rattans are considered as highly important non-wood forest resources. Over time the rattans became very important sources of livelihood and the mainstays of the global cane industry common to most ASEAN countries. In a recent report, the Philippines was regarded as the centre of the rattan furniture industry and highly acclaimed with the best and most elegant designs known in the world. Rattan poles and finished products have been the top exports. Like any forest product derived from the wild in high demand, rattans in natural stands suffered from heavy extraction. Such pressure was felt in the 1970s, prompting the government to impose a ban on the export of raw materials. This situation was however, partly addressed by replenishing the raw materials by artificial means through plantation establishment. Interest was sustained in rattan nursery improvement because of the governments’ policy of using rattans as reforestation species to rehabilitate watershed areas with added productive value, along with other commercial species. The integration of rattans in forest plantation development opened avenues for livelihood development options for upland dwellers on one hand and for future augmentation of supply of resources on the other. Government projects and tenurial agreements that include rattan are the Upland Development Projects (UDP), Community Forestry Projects (CFP), the Community Based Forest Management (CBFM), the Socialized Integrated Forest Management Agreement (SIFMA) and the Integrated Forest Management Agreement (IFMA). In the private sector the National Development Corporation in collaboration with the Paper Industries Corporation and what was then Provident Farms, Inc. engaged in massive plantation development on a commercial scale. This developed opportunities to explore practical methods of rattan nursery protocols, including seed germination. One step towards the establishment of a plantation is the propagation of planting stock in the nursery. Initially, the government spearheaded the trial planting of this relatively new plantation crop. The dearth of technology on rattan nurseries compelled the government to develop appropriate methods in order to be able to establish plantations. Research work was conducted to explore the technology for rattan seed germination, nursery establishment and silviculture. Thus, the protocols for raising planting stock were developed and were disseminated by various means such as print medium (How to Series, Research Digest), pilot demonstrations and training.Community rattan nurser

Rattan nursery (2)

The Philippines is endowed with the rich natural resources inherent in many tropical countries. The plant species are so diverse that many plant forms have become integral components in the way of life of many Filipinos. Aside from the woody trees that are the major and dominant components of forest ecosystems, rattans are considered as highly important non-wood forest resources. Over time the rattans became very important sources of livelihood and the mainstays of the global cane industry common to most ASEAN countries. In a recent report, the Philippines was regarded as the centre of the rattan furniture industry and highly acclaimed with the best and most elegant designs known in the world. Rattan poles and finished products have been the top exports. Like any forest product derived from the wild in high demand, rattans in natural stands suffered from heavy extraction. Such pressure was felt in the 1970s, prompting the government to impose a ban on the export of raw materials. This situation was however, partly addressed by replenishing the raw materials by artificial means through plantation establishment. Interest was sustained in rattan nursery improvement because of the governments’ policy of using rattans as reforestation species to rehabilitate watershed areas with added productive value, along with other commercial species. The integration of rattans in forest plantation development opened avenues for livelihood development options for upland dwellers on one hand and for future augmentation of supply of resources on the other. Government projects and tenurial agreements that include rattan are the Upland Development Projects (UDP), Community Forestry Projects (CFP), the Community Based Forest Management (CBFM), the Socialized Integrated Forest Management Agreement (SIFMA) and the Integrated Forest Management Agreement (IFMA). In the private sector the National Development Corporation in collaboration with the Paper Industries Corporation and what was then Provident Farms, Inc. engaged in massive plantation development on a commercial scale. This developed opportunities to explore practical methods of rattan nursery protocols, including seed germination. One step towards the establishment of a plantation is the propagation of planting stock in the nursery. Initially, the government spearheaded the trial planting of this relatively new plantation crop. The dearth of technology on rattan nurseries compelled the government to develop appropriate methods in order to be able to establish plantations. Research work was conducted to explore the technology for rattan seed germination, nursery establishment and silviculture. Thus, the protocols for raising planting stock were developed and were disseminated by various means such as print medium (How to Series, Research Digest), pilot demonstrations and training.Community rattan nurser

Farmer business school with climate change and gender perspective in agroforestry context: Learning guide.

This guide is a participatory action learning process that involves farmer groups’ participation in agricultural value chains. As part of capacity strengthening, it comprises a series of group-based experiential learning activities over a production-marketing cycle while interacting with other chain actors and stakeholders. As a tangible outcome, the farmer-participants are expected to have actual business initiated or strengthened upon completing the learning process. The guide aspires to a more profitable pro-poor farm business through market oriented innovations that enhance trust, coordination and collaboration between farmers and other chain actors while empowering men and women farmers, thus ultimately contributing to sustainable livelihoods of targeted farming households

Risks of Coal Seam and Shale Gas Extraction on Groundwater and Aquifers in Eastern Australia

In the developed world there are growing concerns about water security due to the increase in exploration and production of coal seam and shale gas in peri-urban areas using both the hydraulic fracturing (fracking) technique of gas production and the method of extraction of naturally occurring groundwater by pumping it from coal formations to release coal seam gas (CSG). In Australia there is a competing prerequisite to maintain and increase the natural resource base as well as the need to protect and sustain the supply of potable and agricultural groundwater in peri-urban areas. One identified issue for this chapter is whether the increasing popularity of fracking in peri-urban and semi-rural areas in New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland poses a risk to the quality of groundwater supply as well as its contamination. The other main issue is whether the extraction of groundwater from coal seams where fracking is not needed has a major impact on groundwater depletion; and, if so, investigating the appropriate risk assessment and risk management approaches

Past and present forestry support programs in the Philippines, and lessons for the future

A variety of government programs have been implemented to support smallholder forestry for production and conservation purposes in the Philippines. This paper briefly outlines the arrangements of the past and current programs, notes how they have evolved over time, and provides some comments on their performance. Over about 30 years, as weaknesses have been identified in programs, the program designs have been modified. For most of this time, there has been an increasing emphasis on community involvement as distinct from industrial or individual farmer forestry. However, some of the intractable constraints on community planting have led to recent interest in individual property rights

Coastal urban and peri-urban Indigenous people’s adaptive capacity to climate change

This chapter discusses the adaptive capacity of coastal urban and peri-urban Indigenous People’s to climate change. It is based on the findings of a National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF) funded project that utilised a series of case studies that engaged key representatives from Indigenous organisations in five coastal locations in three states of south-eastern Australia (Low Choy D, Clarke P, Jones D, Serrao-Neumann S, Hales R, Koschade O et al., Aboriginal reconnections: understanding coastal urban and peri-urban Indigenous people’s vulnerability and adaptive capacity to climate change, National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, Gold Coast, 139 pp, 2013). The study has highlighted the social, economic and environmental impacts on urban and peri-urban Indigenous communities inhabiting coastal areas throughout south-eastern Australia. These impacts include a loss of community and environmental assets, such as cultural heritage sites, with significant impacts on their quality of life and the establishment of potential favourable conditions for the spread of plant diseases, weeds and pests. The study also found that opportunities did not readily exist for engagement with climate change adaptation policy and initiatives and this was further exacerbated by acute shortages of qualified/experienced Indigenous members that could represent their communities’ interests in climate change adaptation forums. The evidence emerging from this research clearly demonstrates that Aboriginal people’s consideration of the future, even with the overlay of climate change and the requirements for serious considerations of adaptation, are significantly influenced and dominated by economic aspirations which are seen as fundamental survival strategies for their communities

Appraising infrastructure for new towns in Ireland

Copyright © 2013 ICE Publishing Ltd. Permission is granted by ICE Publishing to print one copy for personal use. Any other use of these PDF files is subject to reprint fees.Over a 20 year period 1996–2016, a new 223 ha town is being developed 10 miles west of Dublin's city centre on the south side of Lucan, County Dublin, in the Republic of Ireland (ROI). This €4 billion ‘Adamstown’ development is the first of four planning schemes in ROI to be approved as a strategic development zone – an integrated planning framework deemed suitable for creating sustainable neighbourhoods in sites of strategic economic or social importance to the state. The creation of sustainable neighbourhoods in ROI is facilitated through the implementation of a checklist of 60 indicators. This paper critically examines the attempts being made to consider sustainability within the development's overall infrastructure plan, specifically: transport, energy and water services, information technology and waste. Inadequacies in the existing development are linked to shortfalls in the sustainability checklist, by way of a comparison of infrastructure-related indicators from the ROI checklist with those derived for the UK and exemplar European projects (i.e. Bedzed, UK and Freiberg, Germany). The subsequent legacy for future residents of Adamstown is then considered in the context of ‘what if’ scenarios

Competing coalitions: The politics of renewable energy and fossil fuels in Mexico, South Africa and Thailand

This paper analyses why middle-income countries incentivize renewable energy despite inexpensive domestic fossil fuel resources and lack of international support. We examine the politics of renewable energy programs in Mexico, South Africa and Thailand. All three countries hold abundant local fossil fuel and renewable energy resources. We argue that renewable energy programs become implementable policy options in fossil fuel resource-rich middle-income countries when coalitions of powerful political actors support them. This study presents an analysis of the domestic coalitions in support of and those in opposition to renewable energy policies from a discourse network perspective. Discourse networks reflect actors and the arguments they share to advance or hamper the policy process. The analysis draws on a data set of 560 coded statements in support or opposition of renewable energy from media articles, policy documents and interviews. Findings show similar structures of competing coalitions in all three countries, with the discourse in all three countries revealing strong linkages between environmental and economic considerations