Saturday, December 1, 2012

Two additional solutions for slowing deforestation

The first is called "extractive reserves", which sounds a bit contradictory. The idea is to allow selective and sustainable extraction of certain resources while preserving the ecosystem as a whole.  Read more about extractive reserves here at World Watch Institute.

"Intercropping" is another idea that looks great. By planting certain species of trees alongside staple crops, nutrients are retained in the soil, significantly increasing yields. Read about tree intercropping here at SciDev.net.

2 comments:

Mansfield said...

The part in this article that caught my attention was the part referencing the “external forces” that contributed to the success of the Alto Jurua reserve. They describe a project that sets up a database to store specific property line information. I interpret this as a measure to reassure property rights and ownership which in turn lowers the risk involved in purchasing property thus making investment more attractive. This system will add to the security that land rights can be transferred successfully and easily. Clearly this is an example of embracing the benefits of applying property rights. I am interested to learn what the article means when it says it will put unclaimed lands “under management.”

Martin Dailey said...

I believe the idea of not completely cutting down all the trees in a particular area is a good idea. I have heard that select cutting or thinning of forests can be beneficial to both plants and animals that live in the ecosystem. I am interested to learn more about this topic.