During the period of centralized forest management from 1976 to 1990, the expansion of shifting cultivation by ethnic minority groups was widely associated with deforestation in Vietnam's upland regions. In response, the forestland allocation (FLA) policy was introduced to promote sustainable forest management and rural development. While previous studies have mainly examined the short-term impacts of FLA on forest cover and local livelihoods, this study investigates its long-term effects on changes in forest use and forestland use practices among ethnic minority households. Field research was conducted in two upland communes in the buffer zone of Pu Mat National Park. Results indicate that FLA contributed to substantial changes in forest use, including a decline in unregulated forest extraction. Forest resources nevertheless remain important for household livelihoods, particularly in geographically isolated areas with limited alternative income sources. Most forestland recipients had shifted from shifting cultivation to more stable land-use practices, such as small-scale timber and bamboo plantations. However, these plantations remain small and fragmented, potentially constraining the scale of forest production. The findings highlight the need for continued government support to expand household tree plantations and foster livelihood diversification, thereby reducing pressure on natural forests and enhancing sustainable forest management.
Rural women living in forest-margin regions play vital roles in household welfare, natural resource management, and local economies, yet they remain among the most structurally disadvantaged groups in rural development systems. This study develops an empirically grounded model of employment-oriented empowerment tailored to the socio-ecological and cultural conditions of forest-margin communities in Malekshahi County, western Iran. Using a qualitative case study informed by Grounded Theory methodology, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 27 expert stakeholders from academia, government, and development institutions. Systematic coding generated 163 open codes, 25 axial categories, and three integrated analytical domains: enabling conditions, strategic interventions, and empowerment outcomes. Findings conceptualize empowerment as a dynamic, multi-level process shaped by the interaction of forest-based livelihood opportunities, individual psychological and vocational capacities, and institutional support structures. Environmental shocks and gendered cultural norms act as cross-cutting moderators influencing both the trajectory and sustainability of empowerment. Durable outcomes emerge when market-oriented skill development, value-chain integration, financial access, and gender-responsive institutional support align. The model advances employment-based empowerment theory by integrating ecological constraints and cultural mediation into livelihood frameworks, while offering a practical roadmap for designing adaptive, place-based interventions in forest-dependent rural regions.
Effective forest governance depends on regulatory enforcement, yet measuring its quality in data-scarce environments poses a persistent methodological challenge. This study introduces compliance triangulation as a diagnostic framework treating regulated actors' behaviour as an indicator of enforcement quality. Using a mixed-methods design, I surveyed 217 participants across six groups in Oyo State, Nigeria, and conducted 24 in-depth interviews. Five chi-square tests revealed significant variation in compliance perceptions and harmful practice frequencies across groups (chi(2) (8) values ranging from 15.82 to 86.56, p < .05 to p < .001). The central finding is a structural paradox: timber traders report the highest compliance with regulatory mechanisms while simultaneously reporting the highest frequency of clear-cutting and national park encroachment. Drawing on street-level bureaucracy theory and prebendal peculiarity, a construct describing enforcement failure when public offices are treated as personal revenue sources, the study argues that formal compliance documentation reflects regulatory capture rather than genuine constraint on unsustainable logging behaviour. The findings contribute to street-level bureaucracy theory, compliance measurement, and research on forest governance failure in postcolonial Africa.
Agroforestry systems offer sustainable land management solutions for semi-arid regions facing land degradation, erratic rainfall, and declining soil fertility. This study developed a GIS-based multi-criteria framework integrating the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to assess biophysical suitability for moderate-intensity silvo-agricultural systems in the Jhansi district, Bundelkhand region, India. Seventeen thematic layers representing climate (rainfall, temperature), soil properties (SOC, nitrogen, pH, CEC, bulk density, texture), topography (slope, elevation), vegetation indices (NDVI, NDMI), land use, and accessibility were standardized and integrated using AHP-derived weights. Climate (34.0%) and soil fertility (25.9%) emerged as the primary determinants, followed by topography (15.9%), ecology (12.1%), land use (6.8%), road access (3.3%), and water proximity (2.0%). Results identified 48.00 km(2) (1.25% of the analyzed agricultural land) with Very High suitability and 1,472.70 km(2) (38.32%) with high suitability, totalling 1,520.70 km(2) (39.57%) as highly suitable areas. Garautha tehsil (sub-district administrative unit) ranked first with a mean suitability score of 3.75, followed by Mauranipur (3.60), Tahrauli (3.38), Moth (3.15), and Jhansi (2.98). Sensitivity analysis across six alternative weight scenarios demonstrated stable classification (Spearman's rho = 1.00). The suitability map provides an evidence base for targeting agroforestry interventions aligned with National Agroforestry Policy objectives.
Bambusa burmanica Gamble is an economically useful bamboo with distribution in Burma, Thailand, India, and Bangladesh. The present study evaluated the relative effects of seasons, cutting types, and auxin treatments on micropropagation. Single-node cuttings from candidate plus clumps were classified into culm cuttings, culm branch cuttings, and mini cuttings. Experiments were conducted across four seasons (winter, spring, summer, and rainy), and cuttings were treated with indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), and naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) at three concentrations. After 3 months, analysis was done using generalized linear models. Cutting type emerged as the principal determinant of macropropagation success. Shoot elongation, number of roots, and rooting percentage were strongly influenced by cutting type, with culm cuttings exhibiting superior performance across seasons. Root elongation demonstrated significant seasonal sensitivity, attaining maximum values during summer. Auxin treatments and interaction effects contributed only marginally and did not override the dominant influence of cutting type. For robust root development, IAA 200 ppm was most effective. The study establishes a clear hierarchy of factors governing macropropagation in B. burmanica, identifying cutting type as the primary driver, season as a secondary modifier of root growth, and auxin treatments as supplementary inputs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing a comprehensive macropropagation method for cloning of Bambusa burmanica.
The Guinea Savannah woodlands of Ghana face rapid degradation from charcoal production, agricultural expansion, and bushfires. Grounded in the Awareness-to-Action model, this study investigates how charcoal producers perceive forest decline and climate change, and how these perceptions influence environmental behaviour. Using a mixed-methods approach, data were collected from 150 households across Builsa South, Sissala East, and West Mamprusi districts, complemented by focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Findings reveal high environmental awareness: over 90% of producers acknowledged that charcoal production contributes to degradation, while 74% and 67% reported reduced rainfall and increased temperatures, respectively. Despite this, adoption of sustainable practices like tree replanting and improved kiln use remains limited, reflecting a persistent awareness-action gap. While education and experience significantly predict awareness, institutional weaknesses, poor enforcement, and inadequate livelihood alternatives undermine behavioural change. Results challenge the notion that charcoal producers are environmentally ignorant; rather, they are constrained by structural and economic realities. The study concludes that awareness alone is insufficient to promote sustainability. Strengthening participatory forest management, improving access to efficient technologies, and integrating producers into formal value chains are vital to aligning environmental consciousness with sustainable action in Ghana's charcoal sector.
This research note explores the changing place of Mahua (Madhuca latifolia) in the livelihoods of Gond and Dhurwa Adivasis (Indigenous communities) in Bastar, Chhattisgarh. Drawing on fieldwork across three villages and literature from Central India, it uses the Sustainable Rural Livelihoods Framework to examine how ecological, social, human, financial, and physical capitals shape household engagement with Mahua. The findings show that declining yields, volatile pricing, poor storage infrastructure, and uneven state initiatives are pushing households towards more effort-intensive strategies such as sale by bypassing local traders, liquor production, and broader income diversification. The study argues that sustaining Mahua-based livelihoods requires stronger collective action through decentralised governance under the Forest Rights Act of 2006, enhancing women's roles in capacity and decision-making, fair and transparent value chains, and locally rooted ecological and market research.
Wealth maximization by forest landowners in the United States has evolved since European settlement, in part due to markets for forest-based goods that existed at each point in time and the perception of landowners regarding their ability to generate revenue by supplying these markets with materials grown or found. Early forest investment activity had a few objectives: harvest timber for a growing society and provide revenue for landowners; many forested lands were converted to agricultural uses. Other lands were abandoned after forest harvest activities and left to naturally regenerate through secondary succession processes because of the inability of landowners to pay property taxes. However, management of forest lands in the United States as a business opportunity has created wealth for forest landowners, helped produce products for society, and aided in stabilizing the area covered by trees. Opportunities to generate revenue from other natural capital resources of forested landscapes have arisen. These opportunities often, however, require information, effort, or financing beyond the reach of smaller forest landowners.
This article examines the interconnected dynamics of flooding, human - elephant encounters, and tropical forest change in Sumatra through the lenses of critical agrarian studies and political ecology. It analyses how recurrent floods, intensifying human - wildlife encounters, and socio-ecological disruption are shaped by long-term processes of agrarian transformation associated with palm oil expansion, plantation capitalism, and state-backed land commodification, while also interacting with climate variability and extreme weather events. Over the past three decades, Indonesia's rapid expansion of oil palm plantations has reconfigured forested and peatland landscapes through deforestation, drainage, and infrastructural development, altering hydrological systems and patterns of vulnerability. Extreme rainfall associated with Tropical Cyclone Senyar in late 2025 intersected with these transformed landscapes, contributing to widespread flooding across Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra, with severe impacts on lives, livelihoods, and displacement. Drawing on qualitative fieldwork, land-use analysis, and policy review, the article situates floods and human - elephant encounters as socio-ecological outcomes emerging from the interaction of climatic dynamics, enclosure, ecological simplification, and governance arrangements. In doing so, it contributes to debates on agrarian change, environmental governance, and climate-related vulnerability in plantation frontiers.
Despite intensified sanctions efforts, illegal deforestation in Mato Grosso, Brazil, remains widespread. This study analyzes over 820,000 hectares embargoed for environmental violations between 2008 and 2021, revealing that most embargoed areas continue to be used for farming (agricultural and cattle production), undermining the effectiveness of command-and-control measures. The persistence of economic exploitation, even after re-embargoes, highlights systemic weaknesses in enforcement and market compliance. Factors such as supply chain fraud, legislative leniency, and political pressure contribute to ongoing deforestation. The study emphasizes the need for continuous monitoring and integration of law enforcement with market-based instruments, including rural credit restrictions and traceability tools. It also calls for alignment between federal and regional policies to avoid legal uncertainty. Our findings underscore the urgency of strengthening mechanisms for law enforcement and advancing the implementation of economic and market-based instruments capable of curbing illegal deforestation.
Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis Parkinson (Fosberg)) is a bioculturally significant staple crop with strong potential to support food systems, particularly in Pacific Island contexts, where climate change and dependence on food imports threaten resilience. Yet, neglected crops like breadfruit lack standardised monitoring protocols to track performance and contributions to agroecosystems. This study presents the development of a Breadfruit Tree Status Assessment; a participatory methodology adapted from the International Society of Arboriculture's Tree Risk Assessment framework and applied on Kaua'i. Using a mixed-methods approach, 12 growers contributed to semi-structured interviews, transect walks, and assessments of 59 trees during March - April 2024. The framework integrated arboricultural, ecological, and sociocultural practices to evaluate tree vigour, structure, management. Results demonstrate the framework's feasibility, reproducibility, and relevance across user groups. Most trees exhibited high vigour despite exposure to climatic events, pests, and minimal management. Irrigation, organic fertilisation, and garden type were positively associated with vitality, while improper pruning introduced defects often followed by vigorous regrowth. Companion planting was common but not directly linked to vigour, suggesting broader agroecosystem dynamics. This interdisciplinary tool offers a robust, replicable protocol for long-term monitoring and stewardship, adaptable across regions and applicable to other culturally significant perennial crops.
This study examines the socioeconomic factors influencing household income from non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in Jharkhand's Central Highlands, India, with a focus on gendered patterns of use. Data from 387 tribal households across 62 villages, complemented by focus group discussions and transect walks (2019-2020), reveal that women respondents account for over 70% of NTFP collectors, underscoring their central role in forest-based livelihoods. The study focuses on three key NTFPs, lac (Kerria lacca), mahua (Madhuca longifolia), and tamarind (Tamarindus indica) and applies Resource Utilization Theory to analyze how forest proximity, household labor, and transport costs shape income. Regression models (R-2 = 0.47; p < 0.001) identify lac as the most profitable product and highlight how limited market access and spatial inequalities constrain earnings. Despite low awareness of formal development frameworks, NTFP income is routinely invested in food, healthcare, and education, contributing to poverty reduction and well-being (SDGs 1-4). The study recommends strengthening local value chains through cooperatives and processing units, embedding gender-sensitive approaches into forest policies, and integrating NTFP income metrics into rural welfare programs. These findings provide actionable insights for building equitable, sustainable forest - community partnerships in India and similar contexts across the Global South.
This study investigates a biotechnological approach to enhance balsam production in Liquidambar excelsa, a tropical tree with aromatic resin potential. Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) was applied at 0%, 0.1%, 0.5%, 1%, 5%, and 10% (w/w) to young branches, with 0% concentration as a control. Anatomical responses were evaluated histologically, and the resulting balsam characterized via gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC - MS). The 10% MeJA treatment produced the highest balsam yield and notably increased balsamic resin duct formation. GC - MS analysis identified 20 major compounds, with cinnamate esters accounting for 42.89%, followed by cinnamyl cinnamate (28.39%) and ursolic aldehyde (18.20%). The extract exhibited moderate cytotoxicity against Artemia salina (LC50 = 155.69 mu g/mL), indicating promising bioactivity. This study provides the technical, chemical, and socio-economic basis to transform L. excelsa balsam from a traditionally collected but non-commercialized exudate into a viable non-timber forest product (NTFP) with economic, ecological, and pharmacological value. The findings support sustainable harvesting methods and the discovery of valuable bioactive compounds, paving the way for a balsam value chain that utilizes underused NTFPs. These insights also open new directions for future research to explore the commercial, industrial, and therapeutic applications of L. excelsa balsam, including its potential as a natural functional ingredient.
