Background and Objectives: The project area is located in the Ashanti Region of Ghana / West Africa in the transition zone of the moist semideciduous forest and tropical savannah zone. Main land use in this region is subsistence agriculture with large fallow areas. As an alternative land-use, forest plantations are under development by the Ghanaian wood processing company DuPaul Wood Treatment Ltd. Labourers from the surrounding villages are employed as permanent or casual plantation workers. Within three forest plantation projects of approximately 6,000 ha, DuPaul offers an area of 164 ha (referred to as Papasi Plantation) - which is mainly planted with Teak (Tectona grandis) - for research purposes. In return, the company expects consultations to improve the management for sustainable timber and pole production with exotic and native tree species. Results: In a first research approach, the Papasi Plantation was assessed in terms of vegetation classification, timber resources (in qualitative and quantitative terms) and soil and site conditions. A permanent sampling plot system was established to enable long-term monitoring of stand dynamics including observation of stand response to silvicultural treatments. Site conditions are ideally suited for Teak and some stands show exceptionally good growth performances. However, poor weed management and a lack of fire control and silvicultural management led to high mortality and poor growth performance of some stands, resulting in relative low overall growth averages. In a second step, a social baseline study was carried out in the surrounding villages and identified landowner conflicts between some villagers and DuPaul, which could be one reason for the fire damages. However, the study also revealed a general interest for collaboration in agroforestry on DuPaul land on both sides. Thirdly, a silvicultural management concept was elaborated and an improved integration of the rural population into DuPaul's forest plantation projects is already initiated. If landowner conflicts can be solved, the development of forest plantations can contribute significantly to the economic income of rural households while environmental benefits provide long-term opportunities for sustainable development of the region. Funding: GTZ supported PPP-Measure, Foundation
Die aktuelle politische Lage erfordert eine Überprüfung und eventuelle (Neu-) Justierung der Politik. Im Juni 2023 hat die deutsche Bundesregierung zudem erstmals eine nationale Sicherheitsstrategie vorgestellt. Der darin integrierte breite Sicherheitsbegriff umfasst den Schutz der natürlichen Lebensgrundlagen als einen elementaren Pfeiler. Die Aktivitäten, Maßnahmen und Ziele des Umweltressorts sind, auch mit und neben anderen Akteuren, im Ressortkreis wie auch auf europäischer/internationaler Ebene somit relevant für die Sicherheit und die Umsetzung der Strategie. Hieraus ergibt sich Forschungsbedarf, um z.B. eine umweltgerechtere, nachhaltige Sicherheitspolitik bzw. eine krisenpräventivere Umwelt- und Entwicklungspolitik zu gestalten und konkrete Möglichkeiten zur Umsetzung der Ziele der nationalen Sicherheitsstrategie und des immanenten breiten Sicherheitsbegriffes durch die Umweltpolitik in Deutschland aufzuzeigen. Die Analyse von drei noch auszuwählenden Themenfeldern wird abklären, in welchen konkreten Bereichen welche nationalen politischen Maßnahmen in Hinblick vor allem auf die Zuständigkeiten des BMUV auf internationaler Ebene am effektivsten verhindern können, dass 1) Konflikte zu Umweltzerstörung beitragen, 2) Umweltzerstörung zu Konflikten beiträgt und 3) Umweltschutzmaßnahmen zu Konflikten beitragen. Die Erkenntnisse und Herausforderungen sollen mit den Akteuren reflektiert und deren Austausch ermöglicht werden, um eine kohärente Politikgestaltung im Hinblick auf die Ziele zu fördern. Dabei sollen auch gute und schlechte Praxisbeispiele erfasst werden und in die Prozesse einfließen.
In my Phd-study, I examine the resource conflict over industrial logging in the South Moresby area on Haida Gwaii (former Queen Charlotte Islands) from 1974 to 1993. On this remote archipelago on British Columbias west-coast, a fierce dispute over logging practices, land rights, Aboriginal land claims and environmental issues had emerged in the face of devastating logging practices were not only threatening to destroy large parts of Moresby Island but also resulted in the destruction of salmon streams. The two major natural resources available on the islands were at stake during the 'war in the woods.' Together with environmentalist, the Haida First Nation successfully fought for the preservation of Gwaii Haanas (South Moresby Island) with blockades, protests, environmental campaigns, lobbying and legal action. The area is now protected as the 'Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve.-' Using a cultural approach combining aspects of 'storytelling,' the 'cultural memory' and 'actor-network-theory' (ANT), the core question arises whether the (Western) dualisms between 'nature' and 'culture' and between 'fact' and 'fiction' should be dissolved. Latour argues that such dualisms and even the separation between the human and non-human world (i.e., the world of things) do not exist. Assmann claims that we do not necessarily remember what has really happened', but what was repeatedly told us to have happened. Along with Thomas King, J. Edward Chamberlin and William Cronon, I stress the point that stories - fictitious or based on facts - do matter. The effect of stories on the way we understand our past, might often be more important than that of 'hard' facts: Stories shape both a societys concept of the past and its present identity. Canada, with its heterogeneous population, is a particularly interesting place to conduct research about different concepts of 'nature' and culture'. Analyzing the different stories that evolved around South Moresby, and taking into account diverging messages of native and non-native stories, offers a new perspective on similar resource conflicts that continue to exist and arise all over the world.
The Thematic Node 1 is part of NCCR-North-South and delves into institutions, livelihoods and conflicts. Institutions regulate access to natural, political and symbolic resources and frame the political and social contexts within which social actors strive for their livelihoods. Latent or violent conflicts are also directly linked to the ways in which institutions regulate, or fail to regulate power imbalances within societies, and to the existence or lack of channels through which political grievances can be expressed and negotiated. The overall objective is to research the dynamic and changing roles of political, social, economic and cultural institutions in order to (1) understand how they regulate social interactions between and among individuals and groups (specifically regarding access to livelihood means, and peace and security), and (2) to enable a broader acceptance and legitimacy of institutions relevant for sustainable development. To understand these processes, we interlink our research with contemporary theoretical debates that conceptualise institutions not as given structures that influence peoples behaviour, but as socially constructed rules, regulations, norms and values. This crucial conceptualisation as 'socially constructed allows us to analyse institutions on the one hand as structures or frames established in order to achieve certain social, political or economic goals. On the other hand, it indicates that institutions are also changed, modified or even invented by certain social actors. The focus on actors highlights the potential of disagreement, and thus contestations among actors (state and non-state actors). Thus, 'institutions need to be researched as deeply embedded in social processes, influenced by social actors, their interests and unequal power relations.
Recent legislation (Cross Compliance, Soil Protection Act of Germany) has forced farmers to keep the level of soil organic carbon (SOC) in their arable soils within certain limits. In the region Cologne/Bonn, an unfavourable constellation of factors (low cattle density, intensive soil tillage etc.) resulted in low contents and stocks of soil organic carbon (SOC). Thus, the farmers are challenged to increase the humus content of their soils. However, the rapid achievement of this objective may conflict (i) specifically with the interests of the local waterworks, and (ii) generally with the environmental targets of the European Community Nitrate Directive: Within Nitrate Vulnerable Zones, application rates of organic manures are restricted to avoid diffuse water pollution from nitrate. Against this background, our project aims at optimizing a system of soil use and management, that (i) assures an adequate humus support and sustainable soil fertility, and that (ii) minimizes the pollution of groundwater. The experiments include (i) quantifying the spatial heterogeneity of various soil parameters (Corg, Ntotal, Nmin, texture, nutrients) within arable fields in order to assess the possibility of a site-specific management; (ii) repeated sampling at selected sites in order to quantify C and N dynamics (incl. nitrate leaching) under different management options; (iii) spiking of soils with 15N in order to detect the fate of fertilizer N; (iv) modelling C and N dynamics for selected fields on the basis of long-term management data.
In the mountainous regions of North Vietnam, smallholder farmers try to sustain and improve their livelihoods under conditions of growing population density and land pressure. Livestock husbandry appears as major development opportunity for them. Yet, 'mountainous regions' are heterogeneous, comprising areas near town with favourable access to markets and infrastructure but higher land pressure and remote areas, disadvantaged concerning market and infrastructure access but disposing of larger cropping and pasture areas. Low and unsteady resource availability in marginal areas limits the possibilities for intensification of livestock production. One solution is to increase production efficiency through improved resource utilisation. In animal production this can be realised through the development of sustainable livestock breeding and management programmes, using genotypes with high productive adaptability. Such programmes will have different structures depending on short- and medium-term resource availability, production objectives and production intensity of respective smallholder production systems.Based on the results of phase 1 and 2, D2.3 focuses on planning procedures for livestock breeding and management programmes for four combinations of production systems and species/genotypes, namely production of lean pork with exotic higher-yielding breeds in demand-driven systems, production of branded pork from local Ban pigs including remote, resource-driven pig producers, production of beef in farming systems of different scale, organisational set-up and remoteness, and production of goat meat as niche product in systems in transition. The four programmes will respond to the large heterogeneity of smallholder production systems in the project area. In fulfilment of its research objectives, D2.3 relies on cooperation with sub-projects E4.1 (Product marketing) concerning the design of a pork marketing and quality control system in the frame of village breeding and pork marketing programmes, G1.2 (Innovations and sustainability strategies) and C4.1 (Land use modelling) on integrated modelling concerning the identification of most sustainable development paths for farms of different production intensity, scale, organisational set-up and remoteness, F2.3 (Livelihood risks) for characterisation of smallholder farms using key indicator regarding adoption of technologies in livestock husbandry, A1.3 (Participatory research) on adoption of optimised breeding strategies by farmers, and D5.2 (Aquaculture) on conflicts and complementarities in the use of feed resources for investigated livestock species and fish/aquaculture.
Plants grow in complex ecological networks, and show finely tuned adaptations to attact mutualists such as pollinators, and deter enemies such as herbivores. To do so, plants use volatile signals (BVOCs biogenic volatile organic compounds) that are emitted from vegetative (e.g. leaves) or flowers. Leaf volatiles are often thought to be involved in defense, whereas floral volatiles are traditionally interpreted as attractants for pollinators. However, recent studies have shown that floral scent may as well be involved in defending reproductive structures against antagonists. This can be achieved by emitting repellent compounds from flowers. The obvious need of plants to attract pollinators to flowers on the one hand, and to defend flowers on the other hand, puts them into a dilemma. Such signaling dilemma or trade-offs suggest optimal fitness outcomes may be a compromise between attraction (pollinators, parasitoids) and deterrence (herbivores); a key factor selecting for differential signaling may thus be the abundance and species identity of these interacting organisms in a given habitat. Signaling conflicts may also differ among pollination systems, e.g. when pollinators are also herbivores (moth pollination), attracting an herbivore is unavoidable for pollination. Under strong herbivore attack, however, plants may even switch pollination system by changing BVOC signaling to escape the herbivore pressure. This particular project will focus on ecological and evolutionary aspects of flower signaling to pollinators and the impact of novel herbivores on this mutualism. Up till now, we know surprisingly little about how herbivore induced changes in floral volatiles (HICFV) and the resulting change in flower attractiveness to pollinators. This IP will investigate HICFV after attack of established and novel herbivores (both on shoots and roots) and its molecular basis and variability. Lastly, natural selection on HICFV will be studied in populations with and without invasive herbivores, to asses their impact on the evolution of this key plant signaling trait and model future evolutionary change.
Ziel der Arbeit ist es, die Akzeptanz des im Zuge der EXPO neugeschaffenen Landschaftsraumes Kronsberg zu untersuchen. Von wem wird die Landschaft genutzt? Welche Rolle spielt das 'Naturerleben' im Kontext des Verhaltens in der Landschaft? Treten Konflikte auf zwischen Naherholung, Landwirtschaft und Naturschutz? Vorgehensweise: Untersuchungsdesign: Trend, Zeitreihe.
Wildtiere (Arten, Populationen, Individuen, Lebensräume, genetische Vielfalt) werden neben der Jagd von vielen anderen Landnutzungsaktivitäten beeinflusst, die sich im Wildlebensraum vielfach überlagern und oftmals miteinander konkurrieren. Insbesondere in Mehrfachnutzungs-Kulturlandschaften, wie dem Biosphärenpark Wienerwald, können die resultierenden Wechselwirkungen zwischen den Lebensraumansprüchen von Wildtieren, jagdlichen Nutzungsinteressen und anderen Landnutzungsansprüchen oftmals zu Konflikten führen, die der nachhaltigen Erhaltung heimischer Wildtierarten und ihrer Lebensräume, der Nachhaltigkeit der beteiligten Landnutzungen und einer nachhaltigen regionalen Entwicklung insgesamt abträglich sein können. Sektorale Nachhaltigkeitsansätze alleine sind unzureichend und können sogar unbeabsichtigte negative Auswirkungen auf andere Landnutzungen und auf das betreffende Ökosystem haben. Der nachhaltige Umgang mit Wildtieren kann letztlich nur gelingen, wenn alle im Wildlebensraum agierenden Nutzergruppen sich der Auswirkungen ihrer Tätigkeiten auf die Ressource 'Wildtier' sowie auf die jeweils anderen Nutzergruppen bewusst sind. Am Beispiel von 'Wildtieren und Jagd' wurden daher im Biosphärenpark Wienerwald modellhaft Konzepte, Inhalte und Instrumente für eine integrative, d. h. sektorübergreifend abgestimmte Nachhaltigkeitsbeurteilung mehrerer Landnutzergruppen entwickelt. Mittels angewandter und partizipativer Forschungsmethoden (Experteninterviews, breite Nutzerbefragungen, projektbegleitende Partizipation) wurden zentrale Schnittstellen (Antagonismen, Synergiepotenziale) zwischen Wildtieren, Jagd und weiteren regionalen Landnutzungen identifiziert, analysiert und bewertet. Als zentrales Ergebnis liegen sektorübergreifend abgestimmte Sets von Prinzipien, Kriterien und Indikatoren für ein integratives nachhaltiges Wildtiermanagement im Biosphärenpark Wienerwald vor. Die Bewertungssets dienen der Selbstbewertung wesentlicher regionaler Nutzergruppen (Forstwirtschaft, Landwirtschaft, Jagd, Freizeit- und Erholungsmanagement) und ermöglichen es diesen, jeweils eigene Einflussmöglichkeiten auf die nachhaltige Erhaltung von Wildtierarten, deren Lebensräumen und eine nachhaltige Jagd selbst zu überprüfen. Nachhaltigkeitsanforderungen anderer Nutzergruppen wurden dabei jeweils berücksichtigt. Somit wurde am Beispiel der stark vernetzten Thematik 'Umgang mit Wildtieren' erstmals der Schritt von der rein sektorbezogenen hin zu einer sektorübergreifend abgestimmten Erfassung der Nachhaltigkeit vollzogen. Weiters wurden Empfehlungen für ein integratives nachhaltiges Wildtiermanagement sowie für ein diesbezügliches Monitoring ausgearbeitet. Die Projektergebnisse sollen dazu beitragen, Wildtiere und deren Management möglichst konfliktfrei in eine nachhaltige Landnutzung im Biosphärenpark Wienerwald zu integrieren. Die Vollversion des Endberichtes samt Anhängen ist als Download-Publikation auf der Homepage der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
In strict nature reserves and core zones of protected areas hunting and forestry operations are often restricted or banned. However, regarding the management of Wild boar, such hunt-free zones are discussed controversially and can lead to conflict. Hunters whose areas border no-hunting zones (and who have to reimburse farmers for crop damages caused by Wild boar) are concerned that the boars may evade effective population management by staying within the limits of the no-hunting zone, and farmers fear increased crop damage in the surroundings of such areas. Some conservationists are also concerned because Wild boars increasingly root protected habitats and can cause damage to rare plant assemblies. The three-year project Wild boar problem in the vicinity of protected areas by the Game Research Institute (Wildforschungsstelle) at the Centre for Agriculture Baden-Württemberg (LAZBW) aims at investigating if and how no-hunting zones might affect Wild boar activity, movement patterns, home range size, and habitat use, as well as crop damage caused by boars, by comparing these aspects between hunting-free zones and unprotected areas. Although there have already been a number of telemetry studies on Wild boar, including space use in the context of hunting activity, to date there is no study that has specifically investigated spatial and ecological aspects in and around protected areas. My dissertation Ecology of Wild boar Sus scrofa in the vicinity of protected areas is being carried out within the scope of the Game Research Institutes project and apart from the aims outlined above, further aspects of Wild boar ecology will be investigated, especially the role of Wild boar as bio-engineer and habitat creator for other species vs. unwanted damages at protected sites. Twenty-seven Vectronic GPS-GSM satellite collars with integrated activity sensors are available to tag Wild boars in three study areas: the non-protected Altdorfer Forest near Aulendorf with regular hunting activity and forestry, the nature reserve Wurzacher Ried with its ca. 700 ha core zone that is a strict reserve with no human activity, and the Biosphere Reserve Swabian Jura, especially in the surroundings of the former military training area near Münsingen and the 170 ha no-usage-area Föhrenberg.
| Organisation | Count |
|---|---|
| Bund | 34 |
| Europa | 8 |
| Wirtschaft | 1 |
| Wissenschaft | 10 |
| Type | Count |
|---|---|
| Förderprogramm | 34 |
| License | Count |
|---|---|
| Offen | 34 |
| Language | Count |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | 10 |
| Englisch | 31 |
| Resource type | Count |
|---|---|
| Keine | 27 |
| Webseite | 7 |
| Topic | Count |
|---|---|
| Boden | 30 |
| Lebewesen und Lebensräume | 34 |
| Luft | 22 |
| Mensch und Umwelt | 34 |
| Wasser | 27 |
| Weitere | 34 |