Due to the cumulative effects of rapid urbanization, population growth and climate change, many inland and coastal water bodies around the world are experiencing severe water pollution. To help make land-use and climate change adaptation policies more effective at a local scale, this study used a combination of participatory approaches and computer simulation modeling. This methodology (called the “Participatory Watershed Land-use Management” (PWLM) approach) consist of four major steps: (a) Scenario analysis, (b) impact assessment, (c) developing adaptation and mitigation measures and its integration in local government policies, and (d) improvement of land use plan. As a test case, we conducted PWLM in the Santa Rosa Sub-watershed of the Philippines, a rapidly urbanizing area outside Metro Manila. The scenario analysis step involved a participatory land-use mapping activity (to understand future likely land-use changes), as well as GCM precipitation and temperature data downscaling (to understand the local climate scenarios). For impact assessment, the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) tool was used to simulate future river water quality (BOD and E. coli) under a Business as Usual (BAU) scenario and several alternative future scenarios considering different drivers and pressures (to 2030). Water samples from the Santa Rosa River in 2015 showed that BOD values ranged from 13 to 52 mg/L; indicating that the river is already moderately to extremely polluted compared to desirable water quality (class B). In the future scenarios, we found that water quality will deteriorate further by 2030 under all scenarios. Population growth was found to have the highest impact on future water quality deterioration, while climate change had the lowest (although not negligible). After the impact assessment, different mitigation measures were suggested in a stakeholder consultation workshop, and of them (enhanced capacity of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), and increased sewerage connection rate) were adopted to generate a final scenario including countermeasures. The main benefit of the PWLM approach are its high level of stakeholder involvement (through co-generation of the research) and use of free (for developing countries) software and models, both of which contribute to an enhanced science-policy interface.
To examine the REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) program as an alternative to an oil palm plantation in West Kutai district of East Kalimantan, we determined the profitability of land use and REDD+, and the land use preferences and practices of the local people, as well as their participation in and preferences for forestry programs. Our findings indicate the following: 1) the profitability of an oil palm plantation was higher than that from other land uses and the REDD+ program; 2) the local preferences for land uses were mostly consistent with the profitability of the land uses, except for oil palm plantation due to non-financial concerns; 3) the local people combined each land use in accordance with their various needs; and 4) the local people were interested in a Forest and Land Rehabilitation (RHL) program in nonforestry zones. Considering these evidences, an improved RHL program based on an intensive agroforestry system and a conservation-based REDD+ program based on existing customary conservation forest management by the local people are proposed. Given the high opportunity cost and the low preference for an oil palm plantation, designing the REDD+ program by paying attention to the non-financial benefits for a community is a way forward. To enhance the non-financial benefits, it is important to take into consideration local preferences and livelihood activities in designing the REDD+ program. This study also implies the need for a reconsideration of the position of participation of local people in the safeguards of REDD+.
This paper studied the possibility and challenge of achieving sustainable rural finance by the Dayak Peoples ,Credit Union (CU) in Indonesia , s Middle-Upper Mahakam region. CUs, self-help , solidarity and self-governance financial cooperatives, which were founded in 19th-century Germany, try to establish self-sustainable rural finance, but they do not operate according to neoclassical economics. The harmony of individualism and cooperative socialism is the key feature of CUs.CU operation is based on common bonds such as occupation, religion, ethnicity, and community relations to mitigate the threat of capitalism and provide for the economic security of small entrepreneurs and small farmers. The CU movement has been developing rapidly since democratization in Indonesia. Credit Union Petamai Urip (CUPU) was the first CU to start operating in the Middle-Upper Mahakam region. Having local people serve as employees and kolektors in the capacity of low-wage and voluntary workers helps reduce operating costs, absorbs large transaction costs, and solves the information asymmetry problem by using their local networks and making use of local employees , and kolektors , efforts and sense of social responsibility to their communities. Even though CUPU faces difficulty owing to economic hardships in the Middle-Upper Mahakam region, it is the first microfinance institution (MFI) run by local people and has operated for a relatively long term in this region. Although this study focuses on only one CU in East Kalimantan, it suggests that ongoing expansion of the CU movement in Indonesia also has potential to contribute to sustainable rural finance development in other rural areas where existing MFIs such as banks and cooperatives supported by government do not work well or have not existed.
This chapter contributes to improve an understanding of the effectiveness of different biodiversity science-policy interfaces (SPIs), which play a vital role in navigating policies and actions with sound evidence base. The single comprehensive study that was found to exist, assessed SPIs in terms of their 'features'-goals, structure, process, outputs and outcomes. We conducted a renewed systematic review of 96 SPI studies in terms of these features, but separating outcomes, as a proxy for effectiveness, from other features. Outcomes were considered in terms of their perceived credibility, relevance and legitimacy. SPI studies were found to focus mostly on global scale SPIs, followed by national and regional scale SPIs and few at subnational or local scale. The global emphasis is largely explained by the numerous studies that focused on the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Regionally, the vast majority of studies were European, with a severe shortage of studies, and possibly SPIs themselves, in especially the developing world. Communication at the science-policy interface was found to occur mostly between academia and governments, who were also found to initiate most communication. Certain themes emerged across the different features of effective SPIs, including capacity building, trust building, adaptability and continuity. For inclusive, meaningful and continuous participation in biodiversity SPIs, continuous, scientifically sound and adaptable processes are required. Effective, interdisciplinary SPIs and timely and relevant inputs for policymakers are required
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