Tropical Forests, Agroforestry and Complex Socio-Ecological Systems

Abstract

The course will focus on integrated landscape approaches for the management of tropical forest landscapes, by addressing the complex interactions between ecological processes, stakeholders´ strategies and public policies. Dedicated tools such as games and simulation models to improve knowledge and foster collective decision-making processes will be explored.

Objective

Through the course the students will learn: Section 1: Concepts and Methods 1. To master definitions and concepts: SES; Vulnerability; Resilience, Environmentalist Paradox. 2. To gain exposure to methods for assessing stakeholders perceptions/practices/knowledge. Section 2: Recognising diversity & Interdisciplinarity 1. To understand points of views/normative views and how these shape management objectives and practices. 2. Gain familiarity with major schools of thought on Natural Resources Management - Theory of the commons, Political Ecology, Vulnerability, Resilience. 3. To explore interdisciplinary approaches to natural resources management. Section 3: Topics and Arenas 1. To understand links between Forest, Trees and Livelihoods - poverty, food security & well-being. 2. Gain familiarity with drivers of deforestation; degradation; reforestation. 3. Knowledge of global arenas affecting the international forest regime, and their impact at the local level. 4. To recognise and understand trade-offs between conservation and development in a forest/agroforest context; A major objective of the course is to encourage students to develop a critical analysis of existing conservation and development narratives within the frame of agroforestry and forested agricultural landscapes. The course will also provide students with methods and tools to assess stakeholders perceptions/practices and knowledge, that will be of use in their professional life.

Content

The course will address: 1- Definitions of forests and agroforests, deconstructing the rigid historical divisions between these two, and showing the complexities and implications legal definitions will have on the management systems. We will also address the definitions of Social and Ecological System (SES) and Resilience, useful for the entire course. We will provide insights on how to describe the SES using the ARDI methodology (Actors, Resources, Dynamics and Interactions) 2- Methodological frameworks to understand drivers and coping strategies of stakeholders (Sustainable livelihood framework & Vulnerability; Ecosystem Services & trade-offs; Companion Modelling and Adaptive Management; Surveys and Participatory Appraisals) Building upon this, and introducing the Forest Transition curve as guiding framework for the course, a series of case studies will be presented, highlighting the different drivers and issues at each stage of the transition curve (Kanninen et al. 2007). 1- Tropical Forestry - including Reduced Impact Logging, Forest Certification, and International Timber Market. 2- Secondary forests and Agroforests - landscape mosaics, forest fragments, non timber forest products, slash and burn systems, small holder production systems. 3- Conversions and Deforestation: Global trends, Biofuel extensions . 4- Reforestation and Agroforestry : Plantations. 5- Conclusion - Future trends; Global Arenas and Local Governance. The course will tackle new and emerging topics such as the role of forests and trees in adaptation to climate change, the links between forest, poverty and food security, and the need to mainstream conservation of biodiversity outside protected areas. The course will draw from diverse disciplines, from ecology, economy, sociology, political sciences and legal studies as the most preeminent ones. The course will enlarge the scope of the students from the ecological process to the social and political components of tropical social and ecological systems. It will address topics and case studies that the students will have little opportunity to address elsewhere, linking them to issues of global relevance in environmental sciences.

Resources