A Bayesian Belief Network approach to assess the potential of non-wood forest products for small-scale forest owners

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Eris quod sum

Seit jeher befasst sich der Mensch, da er sich seiner Sterblichkeit bewusst ist, mit der Thematik des Todes und versucht mittels Verbildlichung oder Darstellung in anderen Medien diesen zu verarbeiten. Im Bereich der bildenden Kunst besteht eine Vielzahl an makaberen Werken; allen voran die Totentanzdarstellungen, deren Ursprung im Spätmittelalter liegt. Die klassische Darstellungsweise des Totentanzes lässt sich in der heutigen Kunst aber nur noch selten finden. Die Aufbereitung der Todesthematik erfolgt nun in Verbindung mit verschiedensten Themenbereichen und in unterschiedlichsten Darstellungsformen, wobei die Druckgrafik die am häufigsten gewählte Technik darstellt und damit die Malerei und die Plastik sowie die anderen Medien als Anwendungsformen hintanstellt. Ein Künstler, der sich aber sowohl der Druckgrafik wie auch der Malerei gleichermaßen zur Umsetzung der Todesthematik bedient, ist Herwig Zens, Mitglied der Europäischen Totentanzvereinigung. Dieser erarbeitet Paraphrasen zu den mittelalterlichen Originalen und erfindet auch neue Darstellungsweisen. Im Zentrum dieser Arbeit steht Zens’ Gemäldezyklus in der Friedhofskapelle in Brunn am Gebirge; aber auch andere Werke aus seinem umfassenden Oeuvre werden besprochen oder angeschnitten. Auffallend dabei ist immer wieder Zens’ Interesse am Zyklischen sowie an bestimmten Werkgruppen und einzelne Künstler, die ihn zu Paraphrasen reizten. Für die Friedhofskapelle in Brunn am Gebirge schuf er einen großformatigen Gemäldezyklus besiedelt mit verschiedenen Vanitasdarstellungen und –figuren aus den Bereichen der Religion und der Mythologie unter dem allumfassenden Motto „Eris quod sum – Du wirst sein, was ich bin“; sodass ein Zeichen der Trauer und des Trostes entsteht. Da die Malerei hierbei mit der sie umgebenden Architektur (und Natur) eine Symbiose eingeht, die geprägt ist von Gegensatzpaaren wie Himmel und Erde, Diesseits und Jenseits etc. und als Gesamtwerk alle Konfessionen gleichermaßen ansprechen will, wird im Laufe der Arbeit auch auf verschiedene, damit verbundene Bereiche eingegangen; wie auf die Funktion und Liturgie von Friedhofskapellen, die Begräbnisriten und Vorstellungen vom Leben nach dem Tod der verschiedenen Kulturen usw. Abschließend erfolgt eine Eingliederung von Herwig Zens’ Werken in das zeitgenössische Kunstgeschehen, die zeigt, dass Zens vielschichtig tätig ist und verschiedene Bereiche anschneidet, jedoch nie politisiert oder moralisiert, sondern immer eine möglichst versöhnliche Näherbringung des Todes an den Menschen als allgegenwärtigen Bestandteil des Lebens intendiert

Innere und äußere Repräsentation von Äbten

Die vorliegende Untersuchung thematisiert Entwicklung, Praxis, Typen und verschiedene Funktionen der Porträtierung von Prälaten in der Barockzeit. Der Schwerpunkt liegt dabei im donauländischen Raum, konkret im Kloster Seitenstetten, dessen barocke Prälatenporträts im historischen Kontext und im Lichte ausgewählter Archivalien [Kämmereirechnungen, Inventare, Einzelrechnungsbelege und Briefe] vorgestellt werden sollen. Ausgehend davon wird ein Vergleich mit anderen Klöstern, die drei verschiedenen Orden – Benediktinern, Zisterziensern und Augustiner-Chorherren – angehören, unternommen.The present investigation deals with development, practice, types and various features of the depiction of prelates in the Baroque period. The focus lies on the Danube region, in particular on the Seitenstetten monastery, whose Baroque portraits of prelates will be presented considering the historical context and selected archive materials [books of accounts, inventories, individual bills and letters]. With this in mind, a comparison is made to other monasteries belonging to the three orders of Benedictines, Cistercians, and Augustinian Canons

Humane embryonale Stammzellforschung – vom Diskurs über den Status des Embryos bis zu praktischen rechtlichen Lösungen der EU-Mitgliedstaaten

Der Beitrag analysiert die Berichte und Stellungnahmen der Nationalen Bioethikkommissionen der EU-15 zur Forschung an humanen embryonalen Stammzellen (hES). Diese weisen eine weitgehend homogene Struktur auf und behandeln naturwissenschaftliche, rechtliche und ethische Aspekte des Themas. Im Rahmen der Behandlung der ethischen Aspekte wird herausgearbeitet, dass die deutsche und italienische Diskussion zur Forschung an hES nicht über die Frage des moralischen und rechtlichen Status des Embryos hinaus kommt, während der Angelpunkt der Diskussionen der anderen Mitgliedstaaten der EU-15 der Schutz von Frauen ist, die sich im Rahmen der Gewinnung von Eizellen einer belastenden Behandlung unterziehen müssen. Diese Behandlung wird in Bezug auf ein Elternprojekt anders bewertet als für die Herstellung von hES zur Forschung. Daran anknüpfend wird argumentiert, dass sich dieser Unterschied in der ethischen Diskussion direkt auf die nationale Gesetzgebung im genannten Bereich auswirkt, wodurch Deutschland und Italien zu anderen rechtlichen Lösungen des Bereiches gefunden haben als das Gros der übrigen Mitgliedstaaten der EU-15. Weiters bietet der Beitrag einen Exkurs zur österreichischen Diskussion zur Forschung an hES in der Bioethikkommission beim Bundeskanzleramt

Social and Policy Aspects of Climate Change Adaptation in Urban Forests of Belgrade

Background and Purpose: Climate change has an impact on economic and natural systems as well as human health. These impacts are particularly visible in urbanised areas. Urban forests, which are one of the main natural features of the cities, are threatened by climate change. Generally, the role of forests in combating climate change is widely recognised and its significance is recognised also in urban areas. However, appropriate responses to climate change are usually lacking in their management. Climate change adaptation in relation to urban forests has been studied less often in comparison to climate change mitigation. Adaptive capacity of forests to climate change consists of adaptive capacity of forests as an ecological system and adaptive capacity of related socio-economic factors. The latter determines the capacity of a system and its actors to implement planned actions. This paper studies social and policy aspects of adaptation processes in urban forests of Belgrade. Materials and Methods: For the purpose of this study content analysis of urban forest policy and management documents was applied. Furthermore, in-depth interviews with urban forest managers and Q-methodology surveys with urban forestry stakeholders were conducted. Triangulation of these data is used to assure validity of results. Results: The results show weak integration of climate change issues in urban forest policy and management documents, as well as weak responses by managers. A comprehensive and systematic approach to this challenge does not exist. Three perspectives towards climate change are distinguished: (I) ‘sceptics’ - do not perceive climate change as a challenge, (II) ‘general-awareness perspective’ - aware of climate change issues but without concrete concerns toward urban forests, (III) ‘management-oriented perspective’ - highlights specific challenges related to urban forest management. Awareness of urban forest managers and stakeholders towards climate change adaptation is characterized by assumptions and uncertainties, which are the result of poor knowledge, lack of data of local impacts and weak communication. Conclusions: The results indicate the need for building urban forestry institutional and human capacities for creating effective climate change adaptation responses, which will lead to better understanding of challenges posed by climate change and ability to make the trade-offs between possible decisions

Training Programmes in Sustainable Forest Management in Austria, Croatia and Slovenia

Background and Purpose: During the Erasmus+ project “Cooperation for Innovative Approach in Sustainable Forest Management Training (CIA2SFM)” a study of the existing vocational education and training (VET) and lifelong learning (LLL) programmes in the field of sustainable forest management (SFM) was conducted in Austria, Croatia and Slovenia. The aim of this paper is to get an overview of and analyse SFM-related VET and LLL programmes in the study area, with an emphasis on the identification of good practice examples and providing recommendations for improvement. Materials and Methods: A combined approach of literature review, Internet search and consultations with training providers was applied in order to collect data on training programmes conducted in the period 2006-2015 in Austria, Croatia and Slovenia. The programmes were analysed based on topics, types of methods used, existence of specified learning outcomes, programme evaluation by participants and how the programme was advertised. The analysis employed basic descriptive statistics. Topics were grouped into broader themes. Only training programmes targeting private forest owners, forestry professionals, and forestry entrepreneurs were analysed. Three examples of good practice in each country were selected based on collaboratively developed criteria. Results: In Austria, Croatia and Slovenia numerous training courses related to SFM were conducted in the analysed period, predominantly addressing target groups in forestry sector and covering a variety of topics. The relative importance of themes varied among countries. In order to facilitate the knowledge uptake by participants various methods were applied. Although indoor ex-cathedra approaches prevailed, it could be recognized that there is a growth in interest for foster demonstrations in the field, organizing field trips, emphasize on practical work and combining methods and approaches in most countries. Conclusions: Even if national providers of training programmes may relate to individual needs within national forestry sectors, SFM-related training programmes should be regularly screened and updated according to international agendas and emerging issues. In order to cope with increasing uncertainty and expanding risks forest ecosystems are facing, it is an important task to open up the recent training offer to innovative forms of learning, combinations of topics and learning environments

Expert-Based Assessment of the Potential of Non-Wood Forest Products to Diversify Forest Bioeconomy in Six European Regions

24 Pág.The forest-based sector plays a significant role in supporting Europe on its pathway towards a more integrated and bio-based circular economy. Beyond the supply of timber, forest ecosystems offer a wide range of products and services beneficial to human wellbeing. Non-wood forest products (NWFPs) play an integral role in provisioning forest ecosystem services and constitute a huge portfolio of species from various taxonomic kingdoms. As diverse as the resources themselves is the list of end-products that may be derived from raw non-wood materials. Multiple value-chains of NWFPs provide benefits to actors across all stages of the supply chain. Forest management has not yet directed full attention towards NWFPs, since timber production remains the main management objective, although multi-purpose management is recognised as a key principle of the sector’s sustainability paradigm. Lack of knowledge of the socio-economic relevance of NWFPs for European societies and diverse property rights frameworks increase the complexity in forest-based decision making additionally. In this study, the future potential of 38 NWFPs for diversifying the forest bioeconomy is investigated by means of multi-criteria analysis, including stakeholder interaction and expert involvement. The results for six case studies in different biogeographical zones in Europe indicate the latent opportunities NWFPs provide to forest owners who are willing to focus their management on the joint production of wood and non-wood resources as well as their value networks. This study intends to unravel perspectives for forest owners in particular, as they often represent principal decision makers in forest ecosystem management, act as main suppliers of NWFP raw materials, and thus can be understood as key stakeholders in a forest bioeconomy. Even though regional perspectives differ, due to varying socio-economic and ecological environments, there is huge potential to strengthen the economic viability of rural areas. Furthermore, sustainable co-production may foster the ecological integrity of forest ecosystems across Europe. Results show that wild mushrooms constitute the most widespread opportunity to increase additional income from forest management, but the most promising NWFPs can be found in the tree product, understorey plant and animal origin categories.This study was financially supported by FP7 Project no. 311919 KBBE.2012.1.2-06 StarTree—Multipurpose trees and non-wood forest products a challenge and opportunity, and COST-Action FP1203: European non-wood forest products (NWFPs) network. Mr. S. de-Miguel was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 MultiFUNGtionality Marie Skłodowska-Curie (IF-EF No 655815), and Mr. J.A. Bonet benefited from a Serra-Húnter Fellowship provided by the Generalitat of Catalunya. José G. Borges and M. Marques participation was also funded by the Forest Research Centre, a research unit funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia I.P. (FCT), Portugal (UIDB/00239/2020). This study has been also done with affiliation to the Academy of Finland Flagship Forest-Human-Machine Interplay—Building Resilience, Redefining Value Networks and Enabling MeaningfulExperiences (UNITE) with decision number 337127.Peer reviewe

Decision support systems for forest management: a comparative analysis and assessment

Supplementary data associated with this article can be found, in the online version, at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compag.2013. 12.005.[EN] Decision Support Systems (DSS) are essential tools for forest management practitioners to help take account of the many environmental, economic, administrative, legal and social aspects in forest management. The most appropriate techniques to solve a particular instance usually depend on the characteristics of the decision problem. Thus, the objective of this article is to evaluate the models and methods that have been used in developing DSS for forest management, taking into account all important features to categorize the forest problems. It is interesting to know the appropriate methods to answer specific problems, as well as the strengths and drawbacks of each method. We have also pointed out new approaches to deal with the newest trends and issues. The problem nature has been related to the temporal scale, spatial context, spatial scale, number of objectives and decision makers or stakeholders and goods and services involved. Some of these problem dimensions are inter-related, and we also found a significant relationship between various methods and problem dimensions, all of which have been analysed using contingency tables. The results showed that 63% of forest DSS use simulation modelling methods and these are particularly related to the spatial context and spatial scale and the number of people involved in taking a decision. The analysis showed how closely Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) is linked to problem types involving the consideration of the number of objectives, also with the goods and services. On the other hand, there was no significant relationship between optimization and statistical methods and problem dimensions, although they have been applied to approximately 60% and 16% of problems solved by DSS for forest management, respectively. Metaheuristics and spatial statistical methods are promising new approaches to deal with certain problem formulations and data sources. Nine out of ten DSS used an associated information system (Database and/or Geographic Information System - GIS), but the availability and quality of data continue to be an important constraining issue, and one that could cause considerable difficulty in implementing DSS in practice. Finally, the majority of DSS do not include environmental and social values and focus largely on market economic values. The results suggest a strong need to improve the capabilities of DSS in this regard, developing and applying MCDM models and incorporating them in the design of DSS for forest management in coming years.The authors acknowledge the support received from European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST Action FP0804 - Forest Management Decision Support Systems "FORSYS"), the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through the research project Multiple Criteria and Group Decision Making integrated into Sustainable Management, Ref. ECO2011-27369 and Ministry of Education (Training Plan of University Teaching). We also thank the editor and reviewers for their suggestions to improve the paper.Segura Maroto, M.; Ray, D.; Maroto Álvarez, MC. (2014). Decision support systems for forest management: a comparative analysis and assessment. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 101:55-67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compag.2013.12.005S556710