25 research outputs found
Corporate governance for sustainability : Statement
The current model of corporate governance needs reform. There is mounting evidence that the practices of shareholder primacy drive company directors and executives to adopt the same short time horizon as financial markets. Pressure to meet the demands of the financial markets drives stock buybacks, excessive dividends and a failure to invest in productive capabilities. The result is a ‘tragedy of the horizon’, with corporations and their shareholders failing to consider environmental, social or even their own, long-term, economic sustainability.
With less than a decade left to address the threat of climate change, and with consensus emerging that businesses need to be held accountable for their contribution, it is time to act and reform corporate governance in the EU.
The statement puts forward specific recommendations to clarify the obligations of company boards and directors and make corporate governance practice significantly more sustainable and focused on the long term
Long-Term Vegetation Change in Central Africa: The Need for an Integrated Management Framework for Forests and Savannas
peer reviewedTropical forests and savannas are the main biomes in sub-Saharan Africa, covering most of the continent. Collectively they offer important habitat for biodiversity and provide multiple ecosystem services. Considering their global importance and the multiple sustainability challenges they face in the era of the Anthropocene, this chapter undertakes a comprehensive analysis of the past, present, and future vegetation patterns in central African forests and savannas. Past changes in climate, vegetation, land use, and human activity have affected the distribution of forests and savannas across central Africa. Currently, forests form a continuous block across the wet and moist areas of central Africa, and are characterized by high tree cover (>90% tree cover). Savannas and woodlands have lower tree cover (<40% tree cover), are found in drier sites in the north and south of the region, and are maintained by frequent fires. Recent tree cover loss (2000–2015) has been more important for forests than for savannas, which, however, reportedly experienced woody encroachment. Future cropland expansion is expected to have a strong impact on savannas, while the extent of climatic impacts depends on the actual scenario. We finally identify some of the policy implications for restoring ecosystems, expanding protected areas, and designing sustainable ecosystem management approaches in the region
Does geographic origin dictate ecological strategies in Acacia senegal (L.) Willd.?: evidence from carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes
Background and aims: Acacia senegal, a leguminous
dryland tree, is economically and ecologically important
to sub-Saharan Africa.Water-use efficiency (WUE) and
biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) are fundamental to plant productivity and survival.We quantify provenance
differences in WUE, BNF, photosynthesis, biomass and
gum arabic production from A. senegal assessing genetic
improvement potential.
Methods: Using stable isotope ratios, we determined
WUE (δ13C) and BNF (δ15N) from provenances of
mature A. senegal in field-trials (Senegal), sampling
leaves at the beginning (wet) and end (dry) of the rainy
season. Seedling provenance trials (UK) determined
photosynthesis, and biomass and δ13C in relation to
water table. Environmental data were characterised for
all provenances at their sites of origin.
Results: Provenances differed in both δ13C and δ15N.
Gum yield declined with increasing WUE. Virtually no
BNF was detected during the dry season and seedlings
and mature trees may have different WUE strategies.
Wind speed and soil characteristics at provenance origin
were correlated with isotope composition and gum
production.
Conclusion: Provenance differences suggest that selection
for desirable traits, e.g., increased gum production,
may be possible. As ecological strategies relate to
native locality, the environmental conditions at plantation
site and provenance origin are important in
assessing selection criteria