Climate change: linking adaptation and mitigation through agroforestry

Agriculture is the human enterprise that is most vulnerable to climate change. Tropical agriculture, particularly subsistence agriculture is particularly vulnerable, as smallholder farmers do not have adequate resources to adapt to climate change. While agroforestry may play a significant role in mitigating the atmospheric accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHG), it also has a role to play in helping smallholder farmers adapt to climate change. In this paper, we examine data on the mitigation potential of agroforestry in the humid and sub-humid tropics. We then present the scientific evidence that leads to the expectation that agroforestry also has an important role in climate change adaptation, particularly for small holder farmers. We conclude with priority research questions that need to be answered concerning the role of agroforestry in both mitigation and adaptation to climate change.     

Age-related foetal sex ratio bias in Iberian red deer (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cervus elaphus hispanicus</Emphasis>): are male calves too expensive for growing mothers?

Several theories predict offspring biases towards males or females with increasing reproductive resources of the mother to maximize reproductive returns by offspring, or as a result of prohibitive cost of the most expensive sex for young mothers or those in poor condition. This study examines foetus sex of 221 harvested hinds in a food-supplemented game estate for 10 years, according to hind age class (yearlings, subadults or adults), precise age, body mass and condition, and jaw length. A logistic model showed that hinds had a greater probability of bearing a male foetus with increasing age class, but not with any other variable. The greatest bias was found in yearling hinds. After controlling for age class and mass, jaw length was smaller in pregnant compared to non-pregnant yearlings and subadults, which suggests a trade-off between reproduction and growth. The bias towards females in yearlings increased as gestation proceeded, which suggests that the bias might be a result of selective abortion of male foetuses. Although results do not exclude an investment in males to increase number of grand-offspring, they suggest that young hinds may produce daughters as a trade-off between low energetic-cost offspring and their need to grow.Communicated by S. Krackow     

Using Land-use Planning to Manage Transport Demand: a survey of Scottish experience

Recent concerns surrounding the growth of mobility and associated increases in journey length and number of motorised journeys for an increasingly diverse pattern of trips have placed demands on the planning system in terms of the need to consider the land use-transport interaction. This paper first provides a review of relevant national planning policy in Scotland in particular. It then goes on to report findings from a recent survey which highlights the attitudes held by Scottish planning professionals to managing transport demand through land-use planning. The paper outlines the trade-offs encountered in practice between competing policy objectives. In Scotland there is no planning guidance equivalent to Planning Policy Guidance Note 13, which applies to England and Wales, around which there has been much debate on its impact on development control decisions and planning strategy. Draft guidance for Scotland was produced in 1996 for consultation and again in 1998, but at the time of writing has yet to be finalised. The findings from this study are timely in that they enable an assessment of the extent to which the planning system is being used to manage transport demand. Recent local government reorganisation in Scotland has resulted in significant changes to ways in which strategic planning and development control policy are likely to proceed. The paper focuses on the extent to which local authority policy emphasises the need to reduce travel through planning.     

Urban water demand and climate change

This paper presents a methodology for improved understanding of options for managing urban water demands under the uncertainties associated with climate change. It combines a sensitivity analysis of water supply with forecasts of water demand and examines how conservation efforts may offset deficits which result from climate change. It presents a case study of Nassau County, New York State, USA, that concludes that deficits projected for warmer climate scenarios can probably be alleviated by increased conservation. For scenarios of decreased precipitation, more extreme measures (eg rationing) may be necessary, illustrating the prudence of considering climate change in planning studies for communities which already experience water supply problems.     

Substitution between biofuels and fossil fuels: Is there a green paradox?

We show that (i) subsidies for renewable energy policies with the intention of encouraging substitution away from fossil fuels may accentuate climate change damages by hastening fossil fuel extraction, and that (ii) the opposite result holds under some specified conditions. We focus on the case of subsidies for renewable resources produced under increasing marginal costs, and assume that both the renewable resources and the fossil fuels are currently in use. Such subsidies have a direct effect and an indirect effect working in opposite directions. The direct effect is the reduction in demand for fossil fuels at any given price. The indirect effect is the reduction in the current equilibrium price for fossil fuels, which tends to increase the amount of fossil fuels demanded. Whether the sum of the two effects will actually result in an earlier or later date of exhaustion of the stock of fossil fuels depends on the curvature of the demand curve for energy and of the supply curve for the renewable substitute.     

Interagency Resource Teams: a Model for Collaborative Approaches to Environmental Education

Abstract: The Undergraduate Interagency Resource Teams at the White Mountain Research Station of the University of California were created in 1994 to support resource-agency mandates and academic research objectives by providing qualified students who can learn, apply, and improve research and agency monitoring protocols. Drawing from documented elements of other successful internship programs, we identified four basic components that we believe may enhance the potential success of the interns: (1) self-directed learning methodologies, (2) multidisciplinary approaches to science, (3) reflection on and documentation of intern learning, and (4) principles of a positive work environment, including teamwork, conflict resolution, and effective communication. During a 10-week summer session, the Interagency Resource Teams expose approximately 17 students to the professional worlds of natural resource agencies and research scientists. In this environment, we have also observed that the internship program not only exposes students to resource management careers but may also help bridge the gap between resource agency specialists and academic researchers.     

Bio‐Based Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)/Thermoplastic Starch Composites as a Host Matrix for Biochar Fillers

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - Biochar is an excellent, but less-used candidate to serve as an alternative filler in poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB)-based composites. Increasing amounts of...