conservation

Carter et al. translate key themes from scenario narratives into spatial representations using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). They apply this technique to a Tasmanian case study exploring future scenarios for biodiversity in a predominantly privately-owned agricultural landscape, enabling land managers to explore outcomes from potential interventions and identify strategies that might mitigate the impact of future issues of environmental concern.

El-Hajj Rita, Khater Carla, Tatoni Thierry, Ali Adam and Vela Errol present a review of ecological and socioeconomic indicators globally used to orient conservation planning on the global and national levels. Their paper suggests a set of suitable, relevant, and practical set of indicators, adapted to Mediterranean-type continental environments.

Amitangshu Acharya and Alison Ormsby explore devithans—Nepali sacred groves—in the eastern Himalayan state of Sikkim, India. Given that historically the Buddhist Lepcha-Bhutias’ cultural association with Sikkim’s sacred landscape has been celebrated, while that of Nepali ethnic groups has been largely invisibilized, they argue that devithans have emerged as a potential political instrument for the latter to validate political and cultural claims to Sikkim’s sacred landscape.

Sudeep Jana Thing, Roy Jones, and Christina Birdsall Jones investigate the recent participatory turn in nature conservation policy and practices through an ethnographic investigation of the experiences of the marginalised Sonaha (indigenous people of the Bardia region) in relation to the conservation discourses, policies, and practices of the Bardia National Park authorities in the Nepalese lowland.

Alice B. Kelly Pennaz traces the complex history of the United States (US) Park Ranger through time to show how the Ranger as an outward embodiment of state power has been contradicted by administrative and practical logics directing rangers to educate, welcome, and guide park visitors.

This issue of Forest Voice, a publication of the Native Forest Council, showcases the work of the NFC, of other activist groups, and of citizens to investigate legal action on forest plans. It focuses on Congress efforts to sneak unlimited “salvage” logging past the law and the people. Victor Rozek draws a connection between inflammatory rhetoric and violence. In his column, Howie Wolke reflects on the large-scale grassroots “uprising” as a strategy for conservation groups dealing with politicians.

This issue of Mendocino Environmental Center Newsletter features stories on the fraud surrounding a Habitat Conservation Plan, an update on Mendocino Environmental Center court actions, and the Eel River Diversion Plan.

This Austin Earth First! publication titled “End Corporate Dominance!” features topics like the menace of the Endangered Species Act, the global gathering of indigenous people fighting the oil industry, Mexican Zapatismo, Austin’s transportation and land use infrastructure, Freeport McMoran mining in West Papua, Indonesia, and the children’s march to save Sierra Blanca.