Session 1
Communicating Cultural Values of a Sacred Forest
In-Ae Kim, UBC
This research analyzes strategies that address non-visible losses of culture (i.e., “invisible losses”) using the case of a sacred mountain in Sts’ailes traditional territory in the Fraser Valley, British Columbia in Canada. Many First Nations communities and provincial governments face challenges when they disagree on natural resource management plans and practices. I undertook a community-based participatory case-study with the Sts’ailes, one of 610 aboriginal communities in Canada. Sts’ailes people are salmon and cedar people. Despite having been colonized, the Sts’ailes have been persisting a strong salmon and forest-related culture and a worldview of ‘harmony with nature’. Ethnography and secondary documents (such as maps) were used to generate an in-depth understanding of communication between Sts’ailes and the BC Ministry of Forest and Range about Kweh-Kwuch-Hum, a sacred mountain. The Kweh-Kwuch-Hum is a place that is used extensively by Sts’ailes spiritual practitioners to practice their cultural and spiritual traditions, particularly these associated primarily with the Winter Dance Ceremonial. In 2005, severe logging practices on the mountainside facing the Chehalis community resulted in the Sts’ailes proclaiming Kweh-Kwuch-Hum a ‘Spiritually Sensitive Designated Area’ in July 2006. Through extensive negotiations, between the Chehalis Indian Band and the Ministry of Forests and Range, an understanding was reached whereby a 5 kilometer square area of Kweh-Kwuch-Hum was designated a protected area for aboriginal cultural and spiritual practices, with limited areas designated for timber production. The negotiations between Sts’ailes and the Chilliwack Forest District were implemented as a ‘policy pilot project’ from January 2007 to March 2008. During the process, Sts’ailes and the Chilliwack Forest District produced confidential reports, participated in cultural ceremonies, designated culturally important areas on a map, and hired a neutral facilitator. Turner et al. (2008) suggested that communication process that alleviates invisible losses can be divided into six steps: 1) focusing on what matters; 2) describing what matters in meaningful ways; 3) making a place for invisible concerns in decision-making; 4) using a historical baseline for evaluating losses and gains; 5) recognizing culturally derived values as relevant; and 6) creating better alternatives. The six steps were used by Sts’ailes and the Chilliwack Forest District and the step 1, 2, and 3 were repeated. Prior steps of recognizing cultural values of the sacred mountain are critical in creating better alternatives.
Climate-growth relations for white spruce in southwest Yukon, Canada: instability related to the PDO
Raphael Chavardes, UBC
Dendroclimatology was used to quantify inter-annual to multi-decadal climatic variation effects on white spruce radial growth in southwest Yukon, Canada. Local climate is cold and dry, such that tree growth was primarily moisture rather than temperature limited, although the mechanisms varied temporally. Over recent decades temperature and precipitation have regionally increased, in part due to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation shift from negative to positive phase. The cool, dry negative phase (1946- 1976), yielded positively correlated ring widths with previous growing season precipitation. Warm temperatures had a negative growth impact, exacerbating dry year moisture limitations. The warm, wet positive phase (1977-2007), yielded weakly negative correlations with previous growing season precipitation and consistently positive correlations with previous year fall and winter precipitation and with current year July and August temperatures, although not statistically significant. These changes suggest precipitation and temperature increases over recent decades benefitted white spruce growth. Climate projections for this region include further temperature and precipitation increases. Such changes may promote white spruce growth; however, specific impacts will depend on the seasonality and magnitude of climatic changes. This study demonstrated the complexity of potential responses.
The Potential of Forest derived Bioenergy in China’s Future energy and transportation fuel requirements
Ling Li, UBC
As one of the emerging economies in the world, China’s GDP rate has continued to grow at a high level over the last decade. China surpassed Japan and became the second largest economy in 2010, while Canada ranked fourteenth. The industrialization and urbanization of China are two of the main driving forces behind its rapid energy growth. In comparison, Canada’s energy use has remained relatively stable. The exception has been the transportation sector, which, as in most developed countries, continues to grow. While Canada has reduced its dependency on coal, substituting it mostly by increased use of oil and natural gas, it is very likely that coal will remain the largest energy source for China’s industrial sector and for power/electricity generation. However, oil demand is expected to grow rapidly due to China’s booming automobile market which is expected to soon overtake the US as the world’s biggest producer and user of vehicles.
Bioenergy is currently the world’s biggest source of renewable energy, with much of the developing world using biomass for cooking, charcoal production, etc. with forest based bioenergy playing a primary role. Currently, the contribution of forest based bioenergy to China’s renewable energy is seen in three forms: a) forest residues combusted for electricity generation (combined heat and power (CHP), b) pellet fuel use for heating and cooking in rural areas, c) and biodiesel production from oil tree plantation (Jatropha, Chinese pistachio and tung oil tree) on marginal lands. China’s annual forest residues production is about 126 million tonnes with little currently used and approximately 100 million tonnes potentially available for heat and power generation. This material can also be used as a possible feedstock for cellulosic ethanol production as the technologies become more fully commercialized in the coming years. The potential marginal land for pellet fuel feedstock plantation is 82 million hm2 which is equal to 264 million tonnes coal equivalent (Mtce). The potential area for biodiesel feedstock plantation is 13 million hm2, which equals 24 Mtce. In the short term, forest based bioenergy in China will likely contribute more to heat and power generation. However, with the finite supply of oil and China’s huge growth in vehicle use, forest based biofuels are also expected to contribute to China’s bioenergy matrix with biodiesel seen in the medium term and cellulosic ethanol in the longer term.
A Research Agenda for Tribal Lands in the United States: Integration of Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Western Science
Chris Beatty, UW
Tribal natural resource management deals with complex issues in a world where conditions are changing. Research is of fundamental importance in providing tribal resource managers with the knowledge and tools for adapting to changing conditions and better meet their management objectives and responsibilities. Tribes are intergenerational repositories of traditional ecological knowledge that has guided Indian resource use for thousands of years. Contemporary environmental challenges require contributions of knowledge from both worlds.
This paper will present the results of a national survey sponsored by the Intertribal Timber Council (ITC), an organization of tribes dedicated to advancing the management of forest and other natural resources on Indian lands. ITC recognizes that research activities involving forest and fire management, traditional ecological knowledge, and social/economic factors are vital to improving natural resource management in Indian country. In turn, improved resource management will reduce risk of loss and significantly contribute to the local economies of Tribes and their members. The potential benefits from research activity in Indian Country can be substantially enhanced by strategic, sustained coordination. The survey results will help to prioritize research needs identified by tribal communities, develop recommendations for strategic research plans and initiatives, identify and disseminating information to ITC’s membership regarding opportunities to participate in relevant research activities, increasing awareness of research results that are applicable to tribal resource management, encourage and supporting the training and involvement of Native Americans in research to improve the management of Indian natural resources.
The survey was conducted in the first semester of 2011. Participants in the survey included tribal CM/EO, BIA and tribal staff and students. The top research topics of tribal concern were water quality, fish and wildlife, integration of TEK with western science, mechanisms to improve knowledge sharing among researchers and practitioners, and invasive species. Several obstacles to conduct research were identified and concrete recommendations were made. The survey results were presented at a research workshop during the 35th Annual National Indian Timber Symposium in Carlton, MN, June 14-16, 2011. The major findings of the workshop were: Collaboration in research and the research infrastructure between Tribes, Federal Agencies, Universities and Tribal Colleges is essential to integrating traditional knowledge and practices with modern science; The support of Tribal colleges provides a critical link in encouraging tribally relevant research; There is a need to create tribally driven research and experiences provide valuable opportunities for students pursuing natural resource degrees.
Smallholder Eucalyptus Plantation Forestry in Eastern Paraguay: a Case Study of Silvicultural, Economic, and Environmental Context
Jake Grossman, UW
Smallholder farmers in Paraguay´s eastern region are increasingly turning to eucalyptus (Eucalyptus sp.) forestry to meet home wood consumption needs and supplement household income through commercialization. Non-native eucalyptus exceeds all other exotic imports and native trees in terms of its speedy growth and tolerance of wet soils. However, plantation forestry of eucalyptus, even at the smallholder level, may alter local hydrology, inhibit the growth of native vegetation and crops, and supplant natural ecosystems. Furthermore, adequate technical extension related to these risks and the proper care of smallholder eucalyptus plantations is lacking in rural areas.
Through semi-structured interviews and field visits with smallholder farmers in four departments in eastern Paraguay, I will characterize the silvicultural methods used by these families and the economic context of their investment in eucalyptus plantations. Furthermore, I will explore the question of the environmental impacts of smallholder eucalyptus forestry, and specifically how, as a form of land use, it complements, replaces, or discourages other forms of land use such as row-cropping, cattle ranching, and conservation of the native Alto Paraná Atlantic forest. These questions about land use speak to the larger issue of whether or not plantations ´´save´´ native forests.
Farmer Perceptions of Indigenous Forest Trees within the Cocoa Landscape in Ghana
Jane Atkins, UW
Deforestation and forest degradation in Ghana poses a serious threat to the livelihood of its many forest-dependent communities and to the survival of its many endemic flora and fauna species. In addition, the national economy depends heavily on cocoa and timber to provide export revenue and jobs. Throughout Ghana’s high forest zone, cocoa farmers make decisions about tree removal and tree retention based on a unique set of selection criteria. How they perceive trees plays a crucial role in daily management decisions made at the micro level, which in turn influence landscape patterns on the macro level. The research question addressed how Ghanaian cocoa farmers perceive naturally occurring forest trees within their cocoa farms, both with respect to their biophysical interactions with cocoa trees and their economic contributions to farmer livelihood.
The research data was collected using an exploratory case study approach that combined ethnographic and survey techniques, and draws on 34 farmer interviews, 34 farm surveys, and interviews with key informants representing diverse stakeholder interests in south central Ghana. The research data was analyzed to identify the important functions of forest trees as perceived by study participants, both as a biophysical component within the farm ecosystem and as an input to the rural economy.
In the most general sense, responses gathered during the interviews suggest that farmer’s perceptions of indigenous shade trees on their cocoa farms are both positive and negative. Positive perceptions reflect assumptions farmers may have with regards to the contribution of the tree towards the health of the cocoa farm and any economic value the tree may bring to the farmer, while negative perceptions reflect assumptions of harmful effects of the tree on the health of the farm. The findings from this study reinforce the need to educate farmers on the ecological and economic benefits of retaining trees on their farms. All of the farmers interviewed in this study indicated that their perceptions of trees, positive or negative, affected their management decisions. While the timber value of a tree influenced the farmers’ decisions to retain the tree, the perception that a tree was “bad for cocoa” was a more influential consideration and increased the probability that the farmer would remove the tree.
Session 2
The Role of Government in The Development of Small and Medium Forest Enterprises: Case Studies From the Gambia
Fernanda Tomaselli, UBC
Small and medium forest enterprises (SMFEs) can promote the sustainable use of forested ecosystems, while also contributing to the livelihoods of forest-dependent people. Governments have a fundamental role to play in generating the conditions necessary for these enterprises to emerge and develop. Unfortunately, the business environment in many countries is unsuitable for SMFEs. That said, The Gambia has been cited as a positive example in terms of providing an enabling environment for community forestry and as being a country where SMFEs are emerging. This qualitative research employed a multiple case study approach to examine the role of The Gambian government in catalyzing the development of SMFEs. Specifically, 16 enterprises that focus on five different activities: firewood, ecotourism, beekeeping, handicrafts, and branch-wood, were selected to shed light on the aspects of government activities that have either enabled or constrained them. Data were collected from multiple sources, such as interviews, focus groups, documents, and observations. The study was bounded to the Western Region of the country. Results indicate that the Gambian government has taken a leading role in generating opportunities for the development of SMFEs. This has been done by the transfer of land tenure to local communities, coupled with the implementation of capacity building and support activities. However, there is room for improvement as wood related enterprises revealed being affected by significant challenges such as corrupt practices, illegal activities and deficient enforcement. These represent important challenges for SMFEs, since they threaten the overall conservation of the forests upon which enterprises depend.
Carbon Credits for Cookstoves: Balancing Win-Win Benefits with Carbon Financing
Olivia Freeman, UBC
Although the main underlying motivation for supporting cookstove programs is often the large health benefits which result from access to cleaner cooking technology, the multiple benefits of cookstoves creates an opportunity to garner support and funding from initiatives with a focus on the environment or international development; carbon financing being one example of this. Carbon financing is increasingly seen as an opportunity for cookstove programs to be self-supported or profit making rather than rely on subsidies to overcome the problem of low incomes in the most affected populations. However, using the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions as the main motivator behind these cookstove programs, may result in unintended tradeoffs between the climate and health benefits as not all methodologies, markets or stoves have the same outcomes. As both are important for climate change and poverty alleviation, this study examines the tradeoffs made between climate and health objectives resulting from carbon financing of cookstove projects by comparing the different methodologies, markets, stoves and win-win benefits.
To examine these tradeoffs this study compares two specific methodologies for calculating carbon credits for cookstoves, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) methodology and the Gold Standard methodology. Using both of their equations, carbon credits are calculated for nine different stove switchout scenarios. Carbon credits are also calculated using these methodologies and stove switchout combinations when including a number of other greenhouse gases not included in either of the basic methodologies’ equations. The amount of reduced particulate matter (PM2.5) emitted in each stove switch out scenario is also calculated using a PM2.5 emission fraction equation for daily individual intake of PM2.5. The tradeoffs between climate and health benefits are evaluated by comparing the outcomes of each scenario. In this study, climate benefits are represented as the number of carbon credits generated and health benefits as the amount of reduced particulate matter (PM2.5) emitted.
The analysis shows that the choice of methodology, the inclusion of multiple greenhouse gases, the particular stove used and assumptions about biomass renewability all have large effects on the number of carbon credits generated. Switchout stoves must be carefully chosen to be location relevant and optimized for health benefits along with ghg reduction. As the number of carbon credit programs for cookstoves continues to annually increase it is imperative the actors involved in the decision making process consider the multitude of outcomes when designing their projects in order to achieve the highest win-win benefits possible.
The Problem of Context in LCAs: The Implications of Moore’s Law
Justin Bull, UBC
The consumption of the written word is changing. Society is in the midst of a transition from paper media to digital media. We reviewed life cycle assessment (LCA) research that contrasted the environmental footprints of media. We conducted our review with a framework developed to identify problems in the conduct of LCAs. We found that the confidence expressed in comparative LCA findings may be misplaced. Using LCA methods to compare two drastically different products (paper and digital media) requires a number of assumptions that can render an LCA a complex exercise in modeling rather than an objective scientific method. These failings, however, are not inherent to the conduct of any LCA. Instead, it is the context of these particular LCAs that is problematic. Studying digital media requires data on information and communication technology (ICT), a sector with very unique characteristics. There is a pace of innovation, best expressed in Moore’s Law, that makes high resolution and contemporaneous data difficult to obtain. ICT products are also multi-functional, and allocating burdens in the product system is an exercise in guesswork. The supply chains of the ICT industry are also hugely complex, involving hundreds of different actors producing raw materials and components. Further, ICT waste, also known as e-waste, is a poorly understood flow, but there is strong evidence that e-waste is a serious environmental and social hazard. The comparative LCAs, however, did not address these contextual issues that could potentially alter study findings. We conclude that comparative LCAs of digital and paper media demonstrate the limits of the LCA methodology, and the need to present the context of an LCA alongside LCA findings.
Forest Certification in Asia: The Changing Marketplace for Value Added Wood Product Manufacturers in China and Vietnam
Tait Bowers, UW
China and Vietnam have emerged as two key wood products manufacturers in Asia that export large volume of wooden furniture globally. As regulations and environmental awareness from countries that import these products increase, manufacturers have had to establish certification practices for continued accessibility to these markets. A study based on managerial interviews and a survey with 156 wood product manufacturing operations in China and Vietnam, asked questions on how forest certification had been implemented into their business practices and what challenge had come from the adoption of these standards. These responses were analyzed to determine the contributing factors to the commitment to certification.
Comparisons between China and Vietnam were used to identify country specific factors that may influence a company’s decision to obtain forest certification for their operations. Survey respondents indicated that acquiring certified raw material supply, market awareness, and certification costs were found to be the major constraints encountered in adding certified products to their sales mix. Lack of a domestic supply of certified wood was also a problem that led to a heavy reliance on imported wood at additional costs to the bottom line. Results revealed significant differences among the two countries regarding their perceptions of the benefits of certification, but showed that market benefits were the leading driver to a company’s commitment to certification.
Incorporating Holistic Methodologies in Assessing Wind Resource Availability for the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes of Montana
Laurel James, UW
The University of Bioresource-based Energy for Sustainable Societies, Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT- Cohort 2); worked to develop an array of renewable energy assessments for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of Montana, during the 2009-2010 academic year; which, included “Wind Feasibility Study for the CSKT”(2010). The Interdisciplinary team of PhD-track students worked in consultation with the Tribal Council, tribal staff and the cultural elders’ panel to define the portions of the landscape available for wind resource development. Specific breakdowns included: 1) Technologically available acreage, 2) Economically available acreage, 3) Environmentally available acreage; while also addressing the aesthetic, economic and siting constraints.
Tribes across the United States are in unique positions with vast amounts of renewable energy resources and wind energy could possibly assist in the transformation of our countries reliance upon fossil fuels. Biomass, hydrogen, geothermal, wind, solar and especially energy conservation all play a role in creating energy responsibility and efficiency in our world energy needs. The UW IGERT aimed to explore responsible choices that tribes may consider developing on their own or with renewable energy partners? The government to government relationship allows tribes a comparative advantage to resources and relationships where other entities may have limitations. The government is creating many incentives for private wind development and hopefully tribes that are interested can create opportunities on their reservations. This project was completed in consultation with CSKT tribal staff, elders’ panel and has received full CSKT Tribal Council approvals.
History of fire at the Las Joyas Research Station in the Sierra de Manantlán Biosphere Reserve, Jalisco and Colima, México
Brooke Cassell, UW
Fire is one of the most influential factors in vegetation community and succession in the Sierra de Manantlán Biosphere Reserve in Jalisco and Colima, México. A mosaic of low, mixed and high severity fire regimes characterizes the topographically complex landscape with ecosystems ranging from mesophyllous mountain forest to higher elevation pine and oak forest. Some species, such as the culturally important Zea diploperennis maize and the rufus hummingbird rely on open stands maintained by frequent low-severity fires. Others, such as the threatened jaguar, require dense cloud forest, necessitating a careful approach to maintenance and restoration of the landscape. Increases in fuel loadings and change in vegetational structure since the reserve’s establishment in 1986 may have changed the fire regime.
We are constructing a tree-ring master chronology and reconstructing fire history from fire scarred trees at pine-dominated sites throughout the reserve, analyzing changes to the fire regime following establishment of the reserve, and examining climatic patterns and their relationship to fire occurrence and severity, allowing for inference about potential climate change impacts. This research will create a baseline of knowledge about the fire regime and historical range of variability, facilitating scientifically informed land and fire management plans. Within the reserve are several thousand indigenous inhabitants who participate in decisions about management related to their communal and ejido lands and who are directly impacted by wildfire and ecosystem alterations.
This will be only the second dendrochronologically obtained fire history south of the Tropic of Cancer in the Western Hemisphere and will contribute to Mexico’s larger goal of defining nationwide fire regimes.
Session 3
Forestry: a Strategic Avenue for Aboriginal Economic Development
Jean-Michel Beaudoin, UBC
This paper focuses on Aboriginal economic development of forest resources, with a particular interest in forestry business development. In Canada, socioeconomic conditions in Aboriginal communities are consistently lower than in the non-Aboriginal population, as demonstrated by higher levels of unemployment and incomes. With a majority of Aboriginal communities located in commercial forestry zones, they are pursuing economic development of forest resources to improve their living conditions, as well as to increase their level of autonomy and self-sufficiency.
Previous initiatives to support Aboriginal involvement in the forest sector have had limited success in improving their economic and social well-being. This situation highlights the lack of knowledge about the conditions that affect the success and failure of Aboriginal enterprises in the forest sector. There is awareness that barriers are preventing Aboriginal communities from being able to fully participate in the forest sector or take advantage of these opportunities. Communities are struggling with capacity and governance issues and resources available to them, such as financial capital and skilled personnel, are limited. Still, there is a fundamental lack of knowledge about how Aboriginal peoples can use forestry to achieve community goals as well as what collectively benefits the community and those forest-based businesses. Research on economic questions is more limited than expected given the widespread activity taking place and despite the widespread importance of forests to Aboriginal peoples and their long-standing history of resource management and land use.
In this paper, I provide the rational and theoretical setting for such a research focus. Next, I review the literature to explain the main components of Aboriginal economic development and to highlight the knowledge gap in the scientific literature.
Making the New Relationship Work: Crown-First Nations Shared Decision-Making in the Great Bear Rainforest
Laura Bird, UBC
Many of the First Nations of British Columbia, and the Province itself through the vision of the New Relationship, are seeking institutions for shared decision-making regarding land and resources. Efforts have faced numerous setbacks, including the cancellation of the proposed Recognition and Reconciliation Act in 2009. These setbacks, mirrored by slow progress in British Columbia’s treaty negotiations, leave the Province and First Nations of British Columbia still in search of an agreeable approach to planning and governing land and resource use. The framework developed between the Crown and the Coastal First Nations in the Great Bear Rainforest since 2001 is among the most advanced cases of Crown-First Nations shared decision-making and provides insight into some of the principles of First Nations consultation, accommodation and land use planning for British Columbia and Canada.
The objectives of this thesis are two-fold. First, to provide an overview of the unique government-to-government process that conceived the land use plan for British Columbia’s North and Central Coast, and the framework for shared decision-making that is established between the Crown and the Coastal First Nations for three types of decisions: land use zones, ecosystem-based management (EBM) operating rules, and approval of operational plans. Secondly, this thesis assesses whether the Coastal First Nations have acquired a share of governmental decision-making authority regarding the three land use planning decision functions under investigation.
This thesis concludes that, due to the nature of the agreements under Canadian law, the Province ultimately retains decision-making authority on all three decision functions, but the Parties have committed to making decisions by consensus for each of the three functions. To date, the Province and the Coastal First Nations have succeeded in reaching consensus on the designation of land use zones and EBM operating rules, and are now beginning engagement on operational plan approval. Using parallel agreements by the Haida Nation for comparison, this thesis concludes that the Haida Nation, a member of the Coastal First Nations, has acquired a share of governmental decision-making authority that will stand as a closely watched case of Crown-First Nation shared decision-making in British Columbia.
First Nations Agreements and Forest Carbon Offsets
Lori Sparrow, UBC
First Nations have a complex relationship with provincial and federal governments in Canada. To explore the interaction of three different First Nation agreements in British Columbia (BC), Canada, I have selected the Haida Gwaii Reconciliation Protocol (2009), Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation Incremental Treaty Agreement (2008) and Maa-nulth Treaty Agreement (2011) to investigate which relationships have better strategies for negotiating carbon offsets with the government. From the First Nation perspective, I will suggest reasons why they appear to be better strategies. Objectives come under the focus areas: 1) To identify the cultural, social, environmental and economic criteria used by selected First Nations to evaluate potential forest carbon offset projects; 2) To assess the First Nation’s awareness of forest carbon benefits; 3) To identify the preferences for agreement for forest carbon offsets attractive to First Nations; and 4) To evaluate how different agreements will support First Nation participation in carbon offset projects. I plan to ground my research in social science methodology. My methodology will be a three-part process. The first part will include developing the research protocol, interview data collection and coding of interview data. I will use NVIVO 9 full version for my text analysis. The second part will include using the interview data and literature review to assess the criteria to evaluate strategies. The third part will use the Eightfold Path Framework for policy analysis (Bardach, 2005) to evaluate how different BC First Nation agreements will support First Nation participation in carbon offset project and to recommend policy alternatives which include the preferences for agreement for carbon offset projects attractive to First Nations. For each alternative I will propose a set of projected outcomes that I think my chosen three First Nation groups would care about based on their criterion from Part One. Only the Haida Gwaii Reconciliation Protocol was legislated so I anticipate that this First Nation group will have the strongest relationship with the provincial government with respect to carbon offsets.
Construction Professionals’ Environmental Perceptions of Lumber, Concrete and Steel in Japan and China
Daisuke Sasatani, UW
Green Building Programs (GBPs) are designed to lessen environmental impacts voluntarily to attempt for choosing more sustainable products and systems for residential and non-residential buildings. GBPs have been popular in European nations and North America, but they were just recently introduced in Asian nations, such as Japan and China. A GBP programs determine what kinds of construction materials and methods are “green”; therefore, it impacts on material choices of construction industry as the GBP become popular. Ideally, a GBP should consider a building’s entire life-cycle in terms of environmental impact. Current established life-cycle analysis methodologies are powerful tools to analyze commensurable aspect of quantifiable environmental category, but it is not possible to objectively integrate and quantify the importance of multi-dimensional complicating environmental issues of products and systems used for a building. However, individuals have different opinions on environmental issues perhaps due to their different background.
Since construction professionals, such as builders and architects, are the direct or indirect decision makers whether they adopt a GBP or not, it is critically important to know how these individuals perceive overall environmental issues and environmental friendliness of some materials. To better understand construction professionals’ perception in two Northeast Asian countries, Japan and the People’s Republic of China, we conducted a series of surveys in 2009 and 2010 at several professional trade shows. First of all, survey question was designed to investigate professionals’ perceptions of the relative importance of five major environmental attributes when they choose building materials. Overall, they perceive saving energy and saving water are relatively more important environmental categories compared to using renewable materials, low carbon footprint and using recycled materials. Also, survey was designed to gain insights into respondents’ perceptions of the relative environmental performance of the three major structural building materials (wood, concrete and steel) along five environmental categories and overall environmental friendliness. Asian construction professionals perceive lumber is the more environmental friendly materials compared to concrete and steel. Regression analysis shows energy efficiency of home built and the level of pollution generated during the manufacturing process contribute the most to the overall environmental friendliness of the material. Resource sustainability is significantly important in China. CO2 emissions and energy use during the manufacturing process do not significantly impact on the perception of overall environmental friendliness. Chinese and Japanese professionals show similar responses to environmental attributes even though their construction practices are very different.
Convention on Biological Diversity: Understanding Domestic Implementation
Sebastian Tramon, UW
In 2002, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) established goals for 2010, which was an attempt to have performance criteria provided by the Convention. Each country would adopt these goals for their National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. At the global level, it is certain that these goals were not met, but at the country level, the situation is not as clear.
Economic activities regarding natural resources, such as agriculture and forestry, cause habitat loss and ecosystems fragmentation which are the primary cause of biodiversity loss. How do these activities influence implementation of the CBD and the achievement of the 2010 goals? This paper tests the domestic adjustment model as a way to explain variation in biodiversity conservation performance across countries. According to this rational model, if there are costs imposed on domestic stakeholders, then the implementation of CBD is reduced. The CBD requires a reduction of negative impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services, reduction that affects directly activities related to natural resources.
A cross-sectional analysis was conducted on 180 CBD signatory countries for which information was available. The model measured four variables regarding a country’s biodiversity conservation performance. These variables were: progress toward 10% conservation of each terrestrial biome, rate of deforestation, regulation of genetic resources, and the percentage of protected marine areas.
The key independent variable was percentage of GDP from natural resources. Considering that measuring biodiversity is quite complex, it is necessary to control for other domestic factors that might influence the implementation of CBD. The model controls for GDP per capita, population, and governance factors (political stability, regulatory quality, corruption control, effectiveness of institutions, and rule of law). The dependent variables in the model will utilize ordinary least squares (OLS) and binary logistic regression based on the type of data measurement. Integrating biodiversity conservation in productive sectors is a goal of the CBD. Through a global analysis of trends related to conservation, the implementation of this international regime will be explored. This integration will provide additional evidence to the viability of the domestic adjustment model.
The Impact of Export Policies on the Development of the Forest Products Sector in the Russian Far East
John Simeone, UW
With the European Union’s approval of the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan in 2003 and the United States’ amendment to the Lacey Act in 2008, the global supply of forest products is under increasing scrutiny. The Russian Federation contains the largest area of natural forests in the world, exceeding the combined forest area of Brazil and Canada –approximately 23% of global forests. Yet, a large percentage of illegal logging occurs in Russia. Two of Russia’s regions, Siberia and the Russian Far East, are particularly problematic (Krkoska and Korniyenko 2008). Significant obstacles to development of a successful forestry sector, including aging infrastructure, poor transportation, and widespread corruption, have been well documented (Newell 2004). “The wood processing capacity in Russia lags far behind the available resource and in only two regions, the Northwest and Siberia, does the processing capacity exceed 25 percent” (Eastin and Turner 2009). With the lack of processing capabilities it is no wonder that Russia has become the world’s largest net exporter of roundwood. The demand for unprocessed timber has grown since 1992 with China, Finland and Japan being the most significant importers of Russian logs (Solberg et al. 2010).
Recently, Russia has adopted two policies that aim to support the development of a domestic timber processing industry: an export tax on roundwood and a subsidy on investments in processing infrastructure in the forestry sector. My research seeks to understand if these policy instruments could create an incentive structure to encourage the development of institutions, property rights, and better forest management practices in the Russian Far East (RFE). The research questions for this paper include: 1) What are the effects of various export tax rates and subsidies in the forestry sector in the RFE? 2) Is there an optimal export tax rate for roundwood in the RFE? and 3) Are there potential of outcomes to (1) and (2) that provide incentives for better forest management?
I propose answering question (1) by conducting a sectoral analysis using input-output models. In answering question (2), I will rely on trade data from UN Comtrade and FAOSTAT to derive whether Russia has monopoly power on timber exports in the Asian market. In order to answer question (3), I will rely heavily on methodology used in the field of political economy to analyze forest management in the RFE.
Climate-growth relations for white spruce in southwest Yukon, Canada: instability related to the PDO
