The bioeconomy approach offers potential solutions to global challenges, including sustainable forest management. The body of literature on the forest-based bioeconomy is rapidly expanding, and the ...diversity of approaches is bewildering. In this paper, we (1) discuss and clarify terminology related to the forest-based bioeconomy as a basis for (2) developing a general framework for analysing the forest-based bioeconomy, which is then (3) applied to two bioeconomy cases. The point of departure is a structured literature review; through qualitative content analysis, we identified the key questions characterizing current approaches to the forest-based bioeconomy; subsequently, the two cases were investigated through analysis of nominal and functional national bioeconomy policy documents and case-specific literature. Answering the key questions allowed the identification of five distinct schools of thought that make up the global framework: the biotechnology, techno-bioresource, socio-bioresource, eco-efficiency, and eco-society schools. These provide a systematic tool to analyse key paradigms, public policy goals, product or service sold, stakeholders, strength of environmental sustainability, and likely transition pathways. We illustrate the application of the framework through analysis of two cases (medicinal plants in Nepal and timber in Finland). We end by discussing how to operationalize the framework further.
Laurel (Laurus nobilis L.) is a valuable non-wood forest product (NWFP) in the global export market, with Turkey being the largest supplier. Laurel harvesting is crucial for achieving long-term goals ...in the NWFP industry. This study assessed the effectiveness of a hybrid framework for prioritizing management strategies for laurel harvesting to boost the forest-based bioeconomy in Turkey. The existing literature highlights the use of multi-criteria decision-making methods when dealing with multiple conflicting criteria. This study proposes a systematic and comprehensive framework to analyze the current situation and develop effective laurel harvesting strategies. An integrated SWOT-fuzzy Pivot Pairwise Relative Criteria Importance Assessment (F-PIPRECIA) and TOWS Matrix approach was used. Data from ten decision makers evaluated four separate SWOT criteria against thirty-two sub-criteria. The most critical strategy identified was Maxi S2 × Maxi O1 (0.0803). Sensitivity analyses validated the results. This study found that the most effective strategies in Turkey include improving environmental and forest planning tools through circular management methods, promoting investment in forest infrastructure, supporting training and entrepreneurship programs in laurel harvesting, and strengthening innovative forest-based value chains. The hybrid framework aims for sustainable laurel resource management while maximizing economic returns. Implementing this methodology will help conserve biodiversity and enhance local communities’ well-being.
Wild edible mushrooms have been collected and consumed by human groups for centuries, and today they represent a relevant source of food and income for many rural families worldwide. Preserving these ...non-timber forest products is of great interest, and there is concern about the damage caused by intensive mushroom harvesting on macromycete communities. The aim of this study was to evaluate variation in diversity and composition of macromycete species between areas regularly used for mushroom harvesting and non-harvested areas in the Mixteca region of Oaxaca, Mexico, as well as to assess the influence of microclimatic and environmental factors on this variation. We selected two harvested and two non-harvested sites within the study area. In each one, we established 10 permanent plots of 10 m × 10 m where we sampled all the observed fruit bodies weekly from June to October 2017. We recorded a total of 856 individuals corresponding to 138 species, and 23 of these were identified as edible. Overall macromycete diversity, edible species diversity and composition were similar in Sites 1 (non-harvested) and 3 (harvested), and in Sites 2 (non-harvested) and 4 (harvested). Variation of diversity and species composition along the studied area was mainly related to microclimatic variables, while most environmental variables and variables related to vegetation structure similarly affected macromycete species in the four sites. Our results indicate that intensive harvesting of wild edible mushrooms is not affecting the diversity and distribution of macromycete species in our study area. Knowledge on the sustainability of mushroom harvesting practices can help improve current regulations regarding the management of these valuable non-timber forest products.
It is clear that reducing greenhouse gas emissions alone is insufficient to avoid large global temperature increases. To avoid atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases that result in dangerous ...alterations of the climate, large reductions in carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion and land use changes must be accompanied by an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide sequestration. Natural Climate Solutions have become a major focus of climate policy. Land and ocean ecosystems remove and store atmospheric carbon, and forests play a major role. This focus collection includes papers that address three important aspects of the role for forests in meeting climate change mitigation goals: (i) Carbon Accounting of forest sinks and reservoirs, process emissions and carbon storage in forest products, (ii) the carbon dioxide dynamics of using Forest Bioenergy and (iii) the carbon cycle of Tropical Forests.
Fire suppression has negatively impacted thousands of acres of private and public lands in the United States. As a case study, the New Jersey Pine Barrens (NJPB) are a disturbance driven ecosystem ...that is experiencing serious ecological implications due to a loss of traditional forest thinning activities such as harvesting for forest products or thinning for wildfire fuel-load reduction measures coupled with a long-standing philosophy of fire suppression and dormant-season prescribed burning. Dense closed-canopy forest conditions, dissimilar to historic open-canopy forests of the NJPB, have reduced abundance and diversity of certain flora and fauna, including regionally imperiled breeding birds. In recent years, active forest stewardship (e.g., thinning, clear-cutting, and burning) has occurred on private and some public lands within the NJPB; however, the impact of such management on breeding birds is unclear due to a paucity of research on this subject within the NJPB. During 2012, 2013, 2016, and 2017, we conducted repeat-visit point counts (n = 1,800) for breeding songbirds across 75 control and 75 treatment sites within the NJPB to assess the influence of forest structure at three strata levels (groundcover, midstory profile, and canopy) on breeding bird communities. Specifically, we constructed a hierarchical community abundance model within a Bayesian framework for Bird Conservation Region (BCR) 30 priority upland birds (n = 12) within three species suites: Forested Upland, Scrub-Shrub (or Young Forest), and Grassland. At the community level, we found a negative relationship between bird abundance and live tree basal area. At the BCR 30 suite level, we found no relationship between Forested Upland suite-level abundance and any of the measured covariates; however, we found a negative relationship between percentage of woody groundcover and Scrub-Shrub suite-level abundance, and negative relationship between horizontal visual obstruction at 2 m above ground level and Grassland suite-level abundance. Furthermore, the two latter species suites exhibited a strong negative relationship with basal area. We recommend active forest stewardship that specifically targets opening the canopy to achieve basal areas between ~0-15 m.sup.2 /ha via selective thinning, shelter cutting, and small-scale clear cutting. Mechanical treatment and prescribed burning would produce such conditions and have the added benefit of reducing fuel loads across this ~4,500 km.sup.2 landscape as well as assisting in carbon defense strategies for the region.
Abstract
Increasing harvest and overexploitation of wild plants for non‐timber forest products can significantly affect population dynamics of harvested populations. While the most common approach to ...assess the effect of harvest and perturbation of vital rates is focused on the long‐term population growth rate, most management strategies are planned and implemented over the short‐term.
We developed an integral projection model to investigate the effects of harvest on the demography and the short‐ and long‐term population dynamics of
Banisteriopsis caapi
in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest.
Harvest had no significant effect on the size‐dependent growth of lianas, but survival rates increased with size. Harvest had a significant negative effect on size‐dependent survival where larger lianas experienced greater mortality rates under high harvest pressure than smaller lianas. In the populations under high harvest pressure, survival of smaller lianas was greater than that of populations with low harvest pressure. Harvest had no significant effect on clonal or sexual reproduction, but fertility was size‐dependent.
The long‐term population growth rates of
B. caapi
populations under high harvest pressure were projected to decline at a rate of 1.3% whereas populations with low harvest pressure are expected to increase at 3.2%. However, before reaching equilibrium, over the short‐term, all
B. caapi
populations were in decline by 26% (high harvested population) and (low harvested population) 20.4% per year.
Elasticity patterns were dominated by survival of larger lianas irrespective of harvest treatments. Life table response experiment analyses indicated that high harvest caused the 6% reduction in population growth rates by significantly reducing the survival of large lianas and increasing the survival‐growth of smaller lianas including vegetative reproductive individuals.
Synthesis and applications
. This study emphasizes how important it is for management strategies for
B. caapi
lianas experiencing anthropogenic harvest to prioritize the survival of larger size lianas and vegetative reproducing individuals, particularly in increased harvested systems often prone to multiple stressors. From an applied conservation perspective, our findings illustrate the importance of both prospective and retrospective perturbation analyses in population growth rates in understanding the population dynamics of lianas in general in response to human‐induced disturbance.
Resumen
El aumento de la recolección y la sobreexplotación de plantas silvestres para la obtención de productos forestales no madereros pueden afectar significativamente a la dinámica poblacional de las poblaciones recolectadas. Aunque el enfoque más común para evaluar el efecto de la recolección y la perturbación de las tasas vitales se centra en la tasa de crecimiento de la población a largo plazo, la mayoría de las estrategias de gestión se planifican y aplican a corto plazo.
Desarrollamos un modelo de proyección integral para investigar los efectos de la cosecha sobre la demografía y la dinámica poblacional a corto y largo plazo de Banisteriopsis caapi en la selva amazónica peruana.
La cosecha no tuvo un efecto significativo en el crecimiento de las lianas en función del tamaño, pero las tasas de supervivencia aumentaron con el tamaño. La cosecha tuvo un efecto negativo significativo en la supervivencia dependiente del tamaño, donde las lianas más grandes experimentaron mayores tasas de mortalidad bajo alta presión de cosecha que las lianas más pequeñas. En las poblaciones sometidas a alta presión de recolección, la supervivencia de las lianas más pequeñas fue mayor que la de las poblaciones con baja presión de recolección. La cosecha no tuvo un efecto significativo sobre la reproducción clonal o sexual, pero la fertilidad fue dependiente del tamaño.
Se prevé que las tasas de crecimiento a largo plazo de las poblaciones de B. caapi sometidas a una alta presión de recolección disminuyan a un ritmo del 1,3%, mientras que se espera que las poblaciones sometidas a una baja presión de recolección aumenten a un ritmo del 3,2%. Sin embargo, antes de alcanzar el equilibrio, a corto plazo, todas las poblaciones de B. caapi disminuyeron un 26% (población sometida a alta recolección) y (población sometida a baja recolección) un 20,4% al año.
Los patrones de elasticidad estuvieron dominados por la supervivencia de las lianas más grandes, independientemente de los tratamientos de recolección. Los análisis del experimento de respuesta de la tabla de vida indicaron que la cosecha alta causó la reducción del 6% en las tasas de crecimiento de la población al reducir significativamente la supervivencia de las lianas grandes y aumentar la supervivencia‐crecimiento de las lianas más pequeñas, incluidos los individuos reproductivos vegetativos.
Síntesis y aplicaciones.
Este estudio subraya la importancia de que las estrategias de gestión de las lianas B. caapi sometidas a recolección antropogénica den prioridad a la supervivencia de las lianas de mayor tamaño y de los individuos reproductores vegetativos, particularmente en sistemas de recolección creciente a menudo propensos a múltiples factores de estrés. Desde una perspectiva de conservación aplicada, nuestros resultados ilustran la importancia de los análisis prospectivos y retrospectivos de las perturbaciones en las tasas de crecimiento de la población para comprender la dinámica de la población de lianas en general en respuesta a las perturbaciones inducidas por el hombre.
The latest advancements in cellulose and its derivatives are the subject of this study. We summarize the characteristics, modifications, applications, and properties of cellulose. Here, we discuss ...new breakthroughs in modified cellulose that allow for enhanced control. In addition to standard approaches, improvements in different techniques employed for cellulose and its derivatives are the subject of this review. The various strategies for synthetic polymers are also discussed. The recent advancements in polymer production allow for more precise control, and make it possible to make functional celluloses with better physical qualities. For sustainability and environmental preservation, the development of cellulose green processing is the most abundant renewable substance in nature. The discovery of cellulose disintegration opens up new possibilities for sustainable techniques. Based on the review of recent scientific literature, we believe that additional chemical units of cellulose solubility should be used. This evaluation will evaluate the sustainability of biomass and processing the greenness for the long term. It appears not only crucial to dissolution, but also to the greenness of any process.
With the reduction of traditional tariff and non-tariff trade barriers, trade facilitation measures, such as improved port efficiency and the customs environment, have become increasingly important ...for improving the structure of export growth and exploring the trade potential of forest products. Our research divided China’s export growth of forest products into extensive margins (variety), quantity margins (quantity), and price margins (quality), and discussed how trade facilitation impacted China’s forest product export growth structure from the perspective of ternary margins. An evaluation system of trade facilitation was constructed, and principal component analysis was used to measure the levels of trade facilitation of 13 countries which had large trade flows of forest products with China along the “Belt and Road”. In addition, we used transnational panel data and the extended gravity model to analyze the impact of their trade facilitation on the ternary margins of China’s export growth. In order to overcome the endogeneity of the model, the 2 stage least squares (2SLS) method was used and the first-order lags of trade facilitation indicators were selected as instrument variables. The decomposition results of ternary margins showed that the “low price and high quantity” export growth pattern had remained in China’s forest products trade, and the 2SLS regression results indicated that the improvement of trade facilitation had a significantly positive impact on the quantity margins and price margins, but no significant impact on the extensive margins. It is suggested that China should make differentiated investments to countries along the “Belt and Road” based on their different levels of trade facilitation, in order to promote constant improvement of product quality and optimization of export growth structure in the forest products industry.
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