Title from title page of PDF (University of Missouri--St. Louis, viewed February 24, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 328-345).

The objectives of the study were to examine the socio-economic impact of outsourcing on forest-dependent communities, to evaluate the current outsourcing management system in Mondi Forests, and to assess the financial impact (costs savings) of outsourcing on Mondi Forests: Natal Region in KwaZulu-Natal. Participatory Rural Appraisal exercises were used to assess the socio-economic impact of outsourcing on forest-dependent communities. A questionnaire was then used on a sample of Mondi Forests personnel to evaluate the current outsourcing management system in Mondi Forests. Finally, cash-flow trends were used to assess the financial impact (costs savings) of outsourcing on Mondi Forests, Natal Region. Activities that have been outsourced include transport, harvesting operations, silviculture operations, security services, mechanical services, training, payroll services and information systems. Results show that outsourcing has impacted negatively on the livelihoods of some of the forest-dependent communities sampled. The negative impacts are mainly associated with a reduction in hygiene services offered to these communities and an increase in unemployment in some of these villages. Forest-dependent communities perceive outsourcing as the cause of poor relationship between the rural communities, forest companies and contractors as well as being the cause of high unemployment rates. Mondi Forests' personnel perceive that outsourcing goes beyond costs savings to include redirecting scarce resources toward core business activities. Lower morale and insecurity among forest staff members and negative views of the forestry companies by rural communities, unions and government departments were perceived as the disadvantages of outsourcing. Uncertainty with regards to employment continuity and social problems (e.g. increased forest fires, poor relationship with local communities) were perceived as outsourcing risks. Results show that Mondi Forests has implemented a number of strategies in order to reduce some of these risks and disadvantages by giving preference to their ex-employees when offering contracts, by providing start-up capital to emerging black contractors, and by initiating community development programmes in order to uplift the standard of living of the forest-dependent communities. Mondi Forests' personnel suggested that forest management. accounting, conservation management, and human resources are the best candidates for future outsourcing, since most other forest organizations in the world are already outsourcing them successfully. Most of these activities are still kept in-house in Mondi Forests. Results also show that outsourcing can be used with other rationalization methods to save costs. This is because costs savings in Mondi Forests: Natal Region, since 1998 to 2001 were .not only due to outsourcing, but also to some other management decisions such as reduced fertilizer and pesticides use. The total costs savings were R14.5 million from 1998 to 2001. Results support the need to strengthen the current rural development programmes in Mondi Forests, and to the establish Community Liaison Forums to improve communication with rural communities and to start community development programmes. A contractor upliftment programme was also recommended for developing the emerging black contractors. Lastly, company/contractor agreements must be reviewed in order to ensure that social responsibility aspects are appropriately managed. Outsourcing relationships need to consider the economic, environmental and social effects in order to be sustainable. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2001.

Ntabamhlophe indigenous state forest is the focus study area. It is one of the forests that are found along the Drakensberg mountain range in KwaZulu- Natal province in South Africa. It is a proclaimed forest of approximately 50ha in extent. The Ntabamhlophe indigenous state forest was formerly called Monk’s Cowl State Forest, (Monk’s Cowl State Forest - iNtabamhlophe) situated in central uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This forest is located on communal land. In many parts of the world, indigenous forests face growing threats and pressures. Internationally this has resulted in approximately 9.4 million hectares being lost by 1990. Indigenous forests play an important role in ecosystem processes. They are associated with a range of products and processes that support the livelihood of millions of people around the world. Forests cover more than 3 000 km2 or 0.1% of the land surface of South Africa. Furthermore, due to the lack of appropriate management programmes, South Africa has contributed its share to indigenous forest loss. Approximately 76% (3240ha) of the Drakensberg Montane forest is formally protected South Africa’s geographical positioning is such that it has historically had a smaller extent of forests. The future of South Africa’s remaining indigenous forests depends partly on the values ascribed to them by local communities. The study objectives were, (i) to understand the values and perceptions of the community towards the existence and future management of the Ntabamhlophe indigenous state forest, and (ii) to determine the different types of forest products and resources used by the community and their values to the users (cultural, spiritual or economic values). To understand Ntabamhlophe community’s indigenous forest resource use, values and perceptions, a qualitative survey method was used. This was conducted by using focus group techniques. The use of focus groups provided an insight into qualitative data. The technique combined both wise counsel and focus group workshops. The use of this technique aimed at drawing upon respondents’ attitudes, feelings, beliefs, experiences and reactions. The questionnaire design was based on the structures of other studies, on user attitudes and values relating to forest resources. The study revealed that the community ascribes high values to the indigenous forest, however they do not have a proper forest management system in place. The following were regarded as the major threats facing Ntabamhlophe forest resources: crime, uncontrolled and excessive burning, uncontrolled harvesting of indigenous medicinal plant and fuelwood, deforestation (clearing forests for plantations, e.g. vegetable crops and Cannabis sativa). Illegal hunting, soil erosion, and inappropriate forest management systems (nonexistence) were all considered by community representatives as serious threats to the survival of this indigenous forest. The findings also revealed that there is a lack of capacity and skills, appropriate stakeholder representation and coherent community leadership to pursue Ntabamhlophe Mountain and forest conservation initiatives. Given the circumstances, there is an apparent lack of confidence on the part of the community to confirm their natural resource conservation priorities. The community representatives recommended that the current uncontrolled activities be prohibited. They also had a strong belief that the forest should be protected through a cooperative management system involving Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, the Traditional Authority, the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry and Imbabazane Local Municipality. The focus group indicated that they had a very high future benefit expectation of activities such as education, water, cultural, biodiversity, spiritual upliftment, tourism, craft and free access (Table 6). They also indicated that gathering medicinal plants and fuelwood was very common. Educational benefit was regarded as the most important of all, followed by tourism and biodiversity conservation. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

Lic.-avh. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniv., 2008. / Härtill 2 uppsatser.

No description available.

Tree population dynamics were monitored in three tropical rain forest sites in Peninsular Malaysia. The studies involved trees ≥ 10 cm dbh, over 36 years in hill dipterocarp forest at Bukit Lagong, and over 38 and 13 years in lowland dipterocarp forests at Sungei Menyala and Pasoh respectively. Trees were periodically measured for dbh, and mortality and recruitment recorded. Sapling populations at Sungei Menyala were also enumerated at periods separated by about 30 years. The major findings were: decline in tree density over the periods of study were offset by incremental growth in surviving trees, showing that the forests are fully stocked and structurally stable; mortality rates and 'half-life' values were 2.03%, 2.07% and 1.39% yr^-1, and 34.2, 33.5 and 49.9 years for Sungei Menyala, Pasoh and Bukit Lagong respectively; mortality was not correlated with size class for the lowland forests, but there was some evidence for higher mortality in the larger size classes for the hill forest, this possibly being related to soil instability on steep slopes; the risk of death was about 7-8 times greater for trees with negative or no growth, with suppression leading to higher mortality in canopy than in understorey species; recruitment rates to the 10 cm dbh class were 1.32%, 1.46% and 0.85% yr^-1 at Sungei Menyala, Pasoh and Bukit Lagong respectively; dbh increments were linear over long periods for most trees, future size of individuals therefore predictable from one set of measurements; fast-growing mature trees are estimated to be as young as 60 years; variation in species composition over time was slight compared with variation between sites; sapling composition and density at Sungei Menyala changed greatly over 30 years but that for adults remained constant over 38 years, showing that future canopy composition is unlikely to change without catastrophic disturbances occurring.

No description available.

Non timber forest products are the neglected resource of Scotland’s woodlands, used by many, but with little provision in law, policy or management. Drawing on new research conducted in Scotland, and comparative studies in Finland, the Pacific Northwest USA and Canada, this thesis examines issues relating to the practice, politics and ecology of NTFPs. The methodological approaches used in the field research are set out in Chapter One. Chapters Two to Five explore the perspectives of stakeholder groups, who either use NTFPs directly or who influence the availability of resources and the ability of others to access them. The first of these groups is harvesters, with Chapter Two examining how issues of legal pluralism or the coexistence of both legal and customary rights for harvesting has resulted in the dominance of common practice over management and policy. Chapter Three discusses buying and processing activity, focussing on its contribution to both livelihood and lifestyle and its position ‘somewhere in between’ commercial and non-commercial benefit. The influence of land managers is examined in Chapter Four, reviewing the contrast between the privileged knowledge that enables harvesters to use resources, and the reliance on professionalised knowledge that renders land managers comparatively powerless. In Chapter Five the influence of organisations is explored, particularly in relation to the difficulty of accommodating the interests of such disparate groups without formal channels for representation. The thesis concludes by addressing policy and management concerns, both practical and ideological, and considering mechanisms for the management of NTFPs as a resource. It demands that ethical questions over benefits, values and rights be addressed, as well as issues surrounding sustainability and resource use. The conclusion seeks to present a new system for the self-governance of NTFP resources by the stakeholders themselves.

Riparian buffers along stream margins have been widely adopted as a management strategy to mitigate the adverse effects of plantation forestry on stream ecosystems. However, the efficacy of these riparian buffers can be jeopardised by variations in width, length, and vegetation which can range from native and exotic scrub (including bracken, gorse, broom and blackberry) to remnant beech forest. This thesis investigates the influence of riparian vegetation age and composition, on stream ecosystems within exotic pine plantations. Initially, a survey of 50 streams within pine forests of various ages and riparian composition was conducted at sites from mid-Canterbury to Hanmer Springs over the summer of 2004-2005. Additionally, terrestrial subsidies were compared between young pine, mature pine and indigenous forest streams to ascertain differences or similarities between vegetation types. A range of physico-chemical and biological characteristics were recorded, while vegetative age and composition with catchment, riparian buffer and reach scales were determined using GIS. Forestry activities were found to vary temporarily and tended to adversely impact upon streams where riparian buffers were narrow and lacked indigenous vegetation. Stream instability and sedimentation were consistently higher in catchments lacking indigenous riparian vegetation, and more markedly so in recently harvested catchments compared with more mature forests. Streams dominated by pine forests had finer substrates with higher water temperatures and levels of turbidity, while those dominated by indigenous forest had coarser substrates, higher flows and dissolved oxygen levels, and less in-stream debris. Benthic community composition was similar among sites, although taxonomic richness, EPT diversity, and invertebrate abundances were enhanced by indigenous riparian vegetation.

4 pp.