Climate changes, particularly warming trends, have been recorded around the globe. For many countries, these changes in climate have become evident through insect epidemics (e.g., Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic in Western Canada, bark beetle in secondary spruce forests in Central Europe), water shortages and intense forest fires in the Mediterranean countries (e.g., 2005 droughts in Spain), and unusual storm activities (e.g., the 2004 South-East Asia Tsunami). Climate changes are expected to impact vegetation as manifested by changes in vegetation extent, migration of species, tree species composition, growth rates, and mortality. The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has included discussions on how forests may be impacted, and how they may be used to mitigate the impacts of changes in climate, to possibly slow the rate of change. This book provides current scientific information on the biological and economical impacts of climate changes in forest environments, as well as information on how forest management activities might mitigate these impacts, particularly through carbon sequestration. Case studies from a wide geographic range are presented. This information is beneficial to managers and researchers interested in climate change and impacts upon forest environments and economic activities. This volume, which forms part of Springer’s book series Managing Forest Ecosystems, presents state-of-the-art research results, visions and theories, as well as specific methods for sustainable forest management in changing climatic conditions.

The critical role of forests in climate change mitigation and adaptation is now widely recognized. Forests contribute significantly to climate change mitigation through their carbon sink and carbon storage functions. They play an essential role in reducing vulnerabilities and enhancing adaptation of people and ecosystems to climate change and climate variability, the negative impacts of which are becoming increasingly evident in many parts of the world. In many countries climate change issues have not been fully addressed in national forest policies, forestry mitigation and adaptation needs at national level have not been thoroughly considered in national climate change strategies, and cross-sectoral dimensions of climate change impacts and response measures have not been fully appreciated. This publication seeks to provide a practical approach to the process of integrating climate change into national forest programmes. The aim is to assist senior officials in government administrations and the representatives of other stakeholders, including civil society organizations and the private sector, prepare the forest sector for the challenges and opportunities posed by climate change. This document complements a set of guidelines prepared by FAO in 2013 to support forest managers incorporate climate change considerations into forest management plans and practices.

This edited collection assesses governance in forestry programmes and projects, including REDD+ governance. It examines political representation, participation and decentralisation in forest governance, providing insight as to how forest governance arrangements can be responsive to the socio-economic interests of local people and communities who live adjacent to and depend on forests. Global Forest Governance and Climate Change argues that inclusive complementary representation of local communities is required for strong participatory processes and democratic decentralisation of forest governance. Responsiveness to local people’s socio-economic interests in forestry initiatives require paying attention to not just the hosting of participatory meetings and activities, but also to the full cast of appointed, self-authorized, and elected representative agents that stand, speak, and act for local people. This book will be of interest to students and academics across the fields of climate change governance, forestry, development studies, and political economy. It will also be a useful resource for policy makers and practitioners responsible for forestry and climate change initiatives.

Deforestation in tropical rainforest countries is one of the largest contributors to human-induced climate change. Deforestation, especially in the tropics, contributes around 20 per cent of annual global greenhouse gas emissions, and, in the case of Indonesia, amounts to 85 per cent of its annual emissions from human activities. This book provides a comprehensive assessment of the emerging legal and policy frameworks for managing forests as a key means to address climate change. The authors uniquely combine an assessment of the international rules for forestry governance with a detailed assessment of the legal and institutional context of Indonesia; one of the most globally important test case jurisdictions for the effective roll-out of ‘Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation’ (REDD). Using Indonesia as a key case study, the book explores challenges that heavily forested States face in resource management to address climate mitigation imperatives, such as providing safeguards for local communities and indigenous peoples. This book will be of great relevance to students, scholars and policymakers with an interest in international environmental law, climate change and environment and sustainability studies in general.

Conserve biodiversity with effective forest management practices! This valuable book examines integrated forest management in the Americas. Climate Change and Forest Management in the Western Hemisphere takes a close look at such important international issues as global warming and the destruction of the Amazon rainforest. It offers tested suggestions for combining productive economic use of forest products with sustainable, ecologically sound management practices. Here you will find case studies from representative forests in North, Central, and South America. This solidly researched book explores the barriers to integrating environmental and economic approaches to forest management. It also offers practical suggestions for overcoming those barriers, including economic incentives for sustainable use and the conservation of biodiversity. Climate Change and Forest Management in the Western Hemisphere also explores: the role of the Brazilian rainforest in the global carbon cycle sustainable use of rainforests the valuation of forests for carbon sequestration plant biodiversity in managed timber forests issues of deforestation and reforestation and much more! Climate Change and Forest Management in the Western Hemisphere offers a comprehensive overview of a vital subject. It is an essential resource for forestry specialists, environmental economists, and anyone interested in climate change or sustainable agriculture.

Mount Elgon is a transboundary East African montane ecosystem that harbors unique biological diversity and provides critical goods and services to the surrounding densely populated communities. As a key water tower, the effectiveness of forest- and land-management policies has direct impacts on agriculture, hydropower, fisheries and other sectors across large watersheds in Uganda and Kenya (and onward to the whole Nile River basin). The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) have developed a range of exclusionary protected area and partial-access participatory forest management approaches to enforce national conservation mandates in different portions of the Mount Elgon. The future resilience of forest assemblages will be challenged as climate change and increased variability in weather patterns interact that with societal interventions that may enable the introduction of exotic species, the expansion of diseases. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of different forest governance regimes on forest structure and composition over time (1997-2014). Two study sites in Uganda (Kapkwai and Bufuma) and Kenya (Chorlem and Kimothon) under differing forest governance arrangements were monitored from 1997 to 2014 using the International Forestry Resources and Institutions (IFRI) methodology. Each forest unit was sampled three to four times (1997, 2001/2, 2008, 2013/14), at 30 randomly established sample plots. Data was collected on seedlings (counts), saplings and shrubs (diameter at breast height [DBH] and height), trees (DBH and height) and forest use. This analysis of forest structure and composition included density, basal area, dominant species, species richness and the Shannon-Wiener species diversity index. When comparing the outcomes for participatory forest management and centralized forest management in Uganda versus Kenya, the results defy dogmatic generalizations as the outcomes differed in the two countries. Furthermore, this study highlighted the fragility of certain improvements in forest resilience. In this respect, recent declines in forest cover mean that these forest management regimes will need to continue improving their engagement with local communities in order to address both internal socioeconomic and urban-/private sector-driven deterioration of Mount Elgon's forests. This study also highlights the need for greater integration of development (climate-change adaptation) and conservation (climate-change mitigation) policies.

This books explores how an analysis of past forest governance patterns from the global through to the local level, can help us to build institutions which more effectively deal with forests within the climate change regime. The book assesses the options under REDD to reduce emissions from deforestation in developing countries in the context of other forest policies. Based on an assessment of existing multi-level institutional forestry arrangements, the book questions how policy frameworks can be better designed in order to effectively and equitably govern the challenges of deforestation and land degradation under the global climate change regime.