Forest Management, Food Production and Ecosystem Services - Case Study Example

PART 1 Forest management the case of Brazil and the rubber tappers Forest management puts a spotlight on the various ecosystem services derived from forests. It identifies numerous groups who benefit in different ways from the same forest. Ranchers, tappers and politicians all battle for services from a single forest. In the case study, we see how rubber trappers are victimized as a way to thwart their growing business. This conflict even leads to the assassination of Chico Mendes, the person who was fighting for the preservation of the forest. Rubber trappers want to be allowed to continue trapping while ranchers need to feed their cattle. The forestry board gave a ranching company the right to clear rubber plantations. Trappers saw this as victimization as their rights were infringed. The livelihood of the trappers is affected as they have no other source of income. This makes them take action and the uprising starts. The government does nothing to help as the situation gets volatile. The report gives a possible cause of the problems which escalated to high levels. The government is also identified as being a player in the same conflict as it requires these forest resources. The report indicates that there is need for limited resources to be shared in an equitable manner. Food production and ecosystem services: a world without bees This case tries to show how the ecosystem services assist in food production. The availability of bees in the ecosystem forms the base of this case study. They are identified as important part of food production by the role which they play during pollination process. It reports the importance of bees to farmers. The destruction of bee colonies is quoted as something that can have adverse effects on the entire food process. The report defines this as the major problem which farmers have to handle effectively. The report identifies some farming practices which cause the death of these insects. The conflict is that the use of chemicals in farming is meant to increase produce but these chemicals also cause death of bees. It is therefore upon the farmers to define what is more important of these two variables. The report gives an estimate of the effects that may be felt due to the loss of pollinators. It also identifies agriculture unrelated causes death of bees. Leading among them is increased pathologies. Bee keeping is identified as a solution to preserving bee colonies for use in agriculture. This also has its own challenges. The biggest of them being that keeping bees along with other animals. The recommendation hereby, is that bee keeping can only be viable in arable farming system. Land use and population pressure the case of Machakos district in Kenya Land use and population pressure touches on how population increase exerts a lot of pressure to land as a resource. The livelihood of the people of Machakos puts immense pressure on the land. Pastoralism and mining are the major economic activities. They are the cause of problem in Machakos.. The disturbances experienced in this region are said to worsen the pressure on the land. The livelihoods of the people are much dependent on the land and thus this creates scarcity of land. Economic activities in which the people engage require large tracks this limited resource. The expanding aridity does not lift the burden either. These problems lead to the people adopting different uses for their land. Digging of terraces began on the slopes and this helped curb soil erosion. Farming of cash crops also served to ease the pressure. The main challenge faced in the implementation of the conservatory methods however, was lack of input. This report further identifies population increase as a variable that is complex within this case study. The report is conclusively clear that each variable ought to change with another. Population growth ought to be accompanied by innovation and conservation measures. Innovations like the farming of cash crops have helped ease the pressure on land in Machakos. Cities and sustainability- the case of Melbourne transport system Cities and sustainability looks into the transport systems employed in cities. It tries to capture the effect cities have on the ecosystem. Cities are described as occupying large tracks of land and also being a cause of air pollution. They are seen as social ecological systems in which individuals abode. The inhabitants of this city are the most affected by the negative effects of a poor transport system. These range from emissions to heavy traffic jams. The problem here is that cities are cited as causing ecological vulnerability. The transport system of this city is a major contributing factor. In an effort to show how this particular city’s poor transport system has contributed to the ecological degradation, the report provides a comparison with other cities. It goes on to suggest how an efficient system should work. It suggests that instead of using a linear road system, a squareville system would serve better. In terms of city authorities, centralized one is preferred over a fragmented type. The report gives possible reasons that might have made the city to be the way it is. The report offers a challenge to the city management. It identifies systems that are working in larger cities and questioning why they cannot work in Melbourne Estuaries and Fisheries; Fishing communities in the Philippines. This case is about the fishing communities of Philippines with the details of the methods they employ in their activities. It identifies the problems that these communities face and tries to offer some possible solutions to these challenges. The fishing communities are divided in to two; industrial and artisanal. The former is large scale done in deep seas while the latter is small scale carried out by individuals along the coastline. Overfishing is the main problem facing these two communities. Wrong kind of regulatory approach by the government is identified as major error in correcting the negative effects of overfishing. Other than overfishing other problems identified by this report are destructive practices and low levels of well being among the communities. The report tries to identify a point where the return on the fishing activities can be achieved. This poses a huge problem in trying to combine livelihoods with conservatory measures. It tries to show the equilibrium at which the activity is going to be sustainable and therefore avoid overfishing. Several remedies are suggested by the report. Firstly, the start of fish farming as opposed to getting fish from the sea. Secondly, the introduction of community based natural conservation methods. Lastly, sensitization of the communities about the negative effects of their fishing practices. If these guidelines are followed well, they can ensure the sustainability of the industry. PART2 Resilience in the ecosystem is a concept which ingrates change and accepts it as part of the way the world develops today. Resilience helps respond to change in ways that are sustainable and enhance the development. Vulnerability is a result of steady-state resources management of an ecosystem. This method does not consider change as an integral part of the development. It, however, attempts to reduce variability in an ecosystem by mitigating change. Resilience is the modern way of ecosystem management while the latter is the traditional way from where the former is derived. Ecosystem stewardship is the management of an ecosystem to ensure that it is able to support all living organisms that are in it. It is normally done through effective and efficient leadership form within the ecosystem. It aims at trying to resolve the pressures that are exerted on natural resources when they become limited due to increase in population. The demand for these resources may increase and thus create scarcity. Sustainability can be achieved through linked social and ecological systems. These are components of a system that is chosen by a person from the ecological system. They are of a wide range in that an individual chooses that which he likes and makes it part of his/her ecology. A garden inside someone’s compound can be termed as a social-ecological system. Desired ecology can be created by utilizing these systems. In the case study, of Machakos, this approach was employed, and it helped to change the dry lands into rich farmlands. Changes that are effected in to any ecosystem are interconnected. There is none that can be termed as purely physical or ecological. The sub-properties in an ecosystem that can be changed and bring some impact are the variables of the system. When integrating these variables, futuristic approach is essential. To achieve sustainability, there is a need to understand the effects that these variables will have to the future (Walker and Salt 2006). It is a critical component of resilience-based ecosystem stewardship to understand the actions that decrease or increase social-ecological transformation. Ecosystem services are the benefits that a community receives from an ecosystem. In most places, they have been degraded as the people strain to satisfy their needs from the ecosystem. This has been the main cause of change to the systems that sustain them. The resources have been stretched to capacity due to the increase in population. They are what support the human wellbeing and livelihood in any ecosystem. Livelihood is the state of live that a group of people would live with support from an ecosystem. Wellbeing is the status of live that can be achieved when ecosystem services are not depleted. Disturbance regimes are the temporally changes that occur in an ecosystem. These changes are natural and spontaneous in nature. They may cause difficulties to the organisms there or make adaptability easier. They are part of the ever occurring changes to any ecosystem. Integration of a system can ensure that there is stability within. Feedbacks are the effects that are brought about by change in a system there are positive and negative ones. The former augments change in process rates while the latter, tends to reduce fluctuations in the same. In the case of Philippines fishing communities, overfishing led to a positive feed back. With the decline of fish stocks, an increase in fish prices was realized. To confer resilience, a mix of negative feedbacks with several disturbances will create a stable ecosystem. Sustainability can be brought about by the regime shift after a change has been implemented or occurred. This quick and fast reorganization of an ecosystem shall create a stabilizing effect after a disturbance. This shift moves to unsure that, after the change, stability of an ecosystem is still maintained. In the case of Machakos, the people dig terraces and shift to cash crop farming in an effort to sustain the change. Sustainable solutions in an ecosystem must be compatible with the social and ecological status. They must also put in to consideration the impact of future changes. Sustainable stewardship must, therefore, be multifaceted. It must put into account the economic, social and cultural variables that may come about in the future. It provides a safe way for an ecosystem to reduce vulnerability to hazards. Assessment of known hazards is indispensable in creating sustainable hazard prevention system. There are several challenges to attaining sustainability. These vary from region to region. In the developing countries, inadequate education and poverty are the greatest challenges to attaining sustainability. Therefore, by overcoming these challenges sustainability will be achieved easily. References Gunderson, L., and C. Holling, editors. (2002). Panarchy: Understanding Transformations in Human and Natural Systems. Washington: Island Press. Walker, B., and D. Salt. (2006). Resilience Thinking:Sustaining Ecosystems and People in a ChangingWorld. Washington: Island Press. Read More