The need of owner-specific policies and communications to advance forest conversion in small pine plantations

The conversion of secondary conifer plantations into well-structured native broadleaf forests is a growing issue in both the academic and policy arenas of today. One crucial factor necessary for the implementation of any strategy or program is the readiness of countless small landowners to engage in forest conversion. This paper examines the emerging theme of forest conversion through presenting a recent study among small owners of pine plantations in Flanders (the northern part of Belgium). In order to capture the variety in ownership motivations relevant to decision-making, a typology of forest owners was built using a forest owner survey. Three types of owners were identified, named as the ‘economist’ (wood production and financial investment being the main goals), the ‘recreationist’ (personal amenities and relaxation considered most important), and the ‘passive owner’ (no clear motivations). Focus groups were subsequently used to examine those factors likely to influence small-scale forest owners’ decision-making regarding forest conversion, and how these factors may vary between owner types. Generally, economists would favour a gradual forest conversion scenario (thinning and giving space to broadleaves), recreationists appear to be reluctant to change the forest scenery and passive owners tend to believe that forest conversion happens naturally without need for intervention. The research findings suggest that rapid conversion will not be a feasible option on private land. Policies and communications which could motivate small forest owners to engage in forest conversion include capacity (provide the knowledge, resources, or ability to make the decision towards forest conversion), learning (rely on the interaction between policy targets and policy-makers to determine the best way to address a problem) and symbolic tools (rely on the assumption that if a policy is viewed as consistent with the target population's values, it will be accepted and followed)

Relating spatial pattern of forest cover to accessibility

Urban planning for optimal provision of recreational forests is not only concerned with how much space is needed, but equally with how this could be arranged in the landscape in order to make these forests accessible to many potential visitors. The present study sought to establish relationships between the spatial pattern of forest cover and these forests’ accessibility – either on foot or by bike – for short walks. This question was approached in an experimental way using landscape structure metrics. A factor analysis identified the common axes of spatial pattern. The first five factors explained 82.2% of the variation of the original data set. The first factor is related to forested area and number of forest patches, the second is related to shape complexity. The third factor quantifies contiguity, and the fourth measures the clumpiness of forests. The fifth refers to variability in forest shape. Only the factors related to forested area, forest shape complexity and clumpiness, show a significant correlation with recreational provision. A higher forest coverage and more forests should thus lead to a higher provision for short walking trips. However, when a small afforestation budget is available, high shape complexity, low forest contiguity and a high landscape shape index (LSI) should take priority. Shape indices make the most important contribution to single out patterns that offer recreation possibilities to a high number of people. The findings show the potential of using landscape structure metrics for the modelling of forest recreational provision

Erratum to: Adaptation of forest management to climate change as perceived by forest owners and managers in Belgium

Background Climate change is likely to cause significant modifications in forests. Rising to this challenge may require adaptation of forest management, and therefore should trigger proactive measures by forest managers, but it is unclear to what extent this is already happening. Methods The survey carried out in this research assesses how forest stakeholders in Belgium perceive the role of their forest management in the context of climate change and the impediments that limit their ability to prepare and respond to these changes. Results Respondents indicated strong awareness of the changing climate, with more than two-thirds (71 %) expressing concern about the impacts of climate change on their forests. However, less than one-third of the respondents (32 %) reported modifying their management practices motivated by climate change. Among the major constraints limiting their climate related actions, lack of information was considered the most important for managers of both public and private forests. Conclusions Knowledge transfer is an essential condition for research to lead to innovation. Improving the communication and demonstration of possible solutions for climate change adaptation is therefore likely to be the most effective strategy for increasing their adoption

Different arguments, same conclusions: how is action against invasive alien species justified in the context of European policy?

The prevention and management of invasive alien species (IAS) has become a high priority in European environmental policy. At the same time, ways of evaluating IAS continue to be a topic of lively debate. In particular, it is far from clear how directly policy makers’ value judgements are linked to the European (EU) policy against IAS. We examine the arguments used to support value judgements of both alien species and invasive alien species as well as the relation between these value judgements and the policy against IAS being developed at European level. Our study is based on 17 semi-structured interviews with experts from EU policy making and from the EU member states Austria, Belgium, Germany and Hungary. We found that our interviewees conceived of IAS in very different ways, expressed a variety of visions of biodiversity and ecosystem services, and adhered to widely different values expressed in their perceptions of IAS and the impacts of IAS. However, only some of these conceptualizations and value judgements are actually addressed in the rationale given in the preamble to the European IAS Regulation. Although value judgements about IAS differed, there was considerable agreement regarding the kind of action to be taken against them. © 2016 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrech

Learning and the transformative potential of citizen science

The number of collaborative initiatives between scientists and volunteers (i.e., citizen science) is increasing across many research fields. The promise of societal transformation together with scientific breakthroughs contributes to the current popularity of citizen science (CS) in the policy domain. We examined the transformative capacity of citizen science in particular learning through environmental CS as conservation tool. We reviewed the CS and social-learning literature and examined 14 conservation projects across Europe that involved collaborative CS. We also developed a template that can be used to explore learning arrangements (i.e., learning events and materials) in CS projects and to explain how the desired outcomes can be achieved through CS learning. We found that recent studies aiming to define CS for analytical purposes often fail to improve the conceptual clarity of CS; CS programs may have transformative potential, especially for the development of individual skills, but such transformation is not necessarily occurring at the organizational and institutional levels; empirical evidence on simple learning outcomes, but the assertion of transformative effects of CS learning is often based on assumptions rather than empirical observation; and it is unanimous that learning in CS is considered important, but in practice it often goes unreported or unevaluated. In conclusion, we point to the need for reliable and transparent measurement of transformative effects for democratization of knowledge production

The values and benefits of environmental elements on housing rents

© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. The value provided by availability of environmental elements on human quality of urban life is difficult to assess and incorporate into urban planning and development. Researchers worldwide have seldom objectively factored these attributes into property pricing and associated decisions. This study contends that a better understanding of the effect of environmental elements requires systematic study of the relationship between objective and subjective measures of environmental phenomena and human responses. This paper summarizes the outcomes from applying Hedonic Pricing (HP) and Life Satisfaction (LS) methods - providing valuation in an increasingly expanding and privatized property Iranian market. A survey was carried out from 400 households that are more likely to make location choices and pay rent and property expenses in the city of Shiraz. The findings indicates that Shiraz neighbourhoods are likely to be characterized by deep environmental segregation. This study informs the decisions of policy makers and property developers regarding sales and purchases conversion, property development, urban nature conservation, and design of ecological green-space networks

Relationship between green space-related morphology and noise pollution

Green spaces have been proved to have a positive effect on traffic noise pollution in the local scale; however their effects have not been explored on the urban level. This paper investigates the effects of green space-related parameters from a land cover viewpoint on traffic noise pollution in order to understand to what extent greener cities can also be quieter. A triple level analysis was conducted in the agglomeration, urban and kernel level including various case study cities across Europe. The green space parameters were calculated based on land cover data available in a European scale, while traffic noise data were extracted from online noise maps and configured in noise indices. In the first level 25 agglomerations were investigated, six of which were further analyzed in the urban and kernel levels. It was found that the effect of green spaces on traffic noise pollution varies according to the scale of analysis. In the agglomeration level, there was no significant difference in the cluster of the higher green space index and the percentage of people exposed in the lowest (55-59 dB(A)) or the highest noise band of more than 70 dB(A). In the urban level it was found that lower noise levels can possibly be achieved in cities with a higher extent of porosity and green space coverage. Finally, in the kernel level a Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) analysis was conducted for the identification of correlations between noise and green. Strong correlations were identified between 60% and 79%, while a further cluster analysis combined with land cover data revealed that lower noise levels were detected in the cluster with higher green space coverage. At last, all cities were ranked according to the calculated noise index

Capturing residents' values for urban green space: mapping, analysis and guidance for practice

Planning for green space is guided by standards and guidelines but there is currently little understanding of the variety of values people assign to green spaces or their determinants. Land use planners need to know what values are associated with different landscape characteristics and how value elicitation techniques can inform decisions. We designed a Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) study and surveyed residents of four urbanising suburbs in the Lower Hunter region of NSW, Australia. Participants assigned dots on maps to indicate places they associated with a typology of values (specific attributes or functions considered important) and negative qualities related to green spaces. The marker points were digitised and aggregated according to discrete park polygons for statistical analysis. People assigned a variety of values to green spaces (such as aesthetic value or social interaction value), which were related to landscape characteristics. Some variables (e.g. distance to water) were statistically associated with multiple open space values. Distance from place of residence however did not strongly influence value assignment after landscape configuration was accounted for. Value compatibility analysis revealed that some values co-occurred in park polygons more than others (e.g. nature value and health/therapeutic value). Results highlight the potential for PPGIS techniques to inform green space planning through the spatial representation of complex human-nature relationships. However, a number of potential pitfalls and challenges should be addressed. These include the non-random spatial arrangement of landscape features that can skew interpretation of results and the need to communicate clearly about theory that explains observed patterns

Biodiversity, cultural pathways, and human health: a framework.

This is a freely-available open access publication. Please cite the published version which is available via the DOI link in this record.Direct contact with biodiversity is culturally important in a range of contexts. Many people even join conservation organisations to protect biodiversity that they will never encounter first-hand. Despite this, we have little idea how biodiversity affects people's well-being and health through these cultural pathways. Human health is sensitive to apparently trivial psychological stimuli, negatively affected by the risk of environmental degradation, and positively affected by contact with natural spaces. This suggests that well-being and health should be affected by biodiversity change, but few studies have begun to explore these relationships. Here, we develop a framework for linking biodiversity change with human cultural values, well-being, and health. We argue that better understanding these relations might be profoundly important for biodiversity conservation and public health.Natural Environment Research CouncilEuropean Regional Development Fund Programme 2007 to 2013European Social Fund Convergence Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly