Forest communities around the world are becoming increasingly involved in sustainable forest management and intellectual capital view can orient the outcome. This paper aims to identify the principal components of intellectual capital, in its three dimensions; human, structural and relational (internal and external) capital, and their relationships in the governance of communal forests. Focusing on Galician communal forests, in north-west Spain, a survey was conducted among community representatives, analysing using principal components how they structure their intellectual capital, and based on these, through an oblimin (0.5) rotation. Linear correlations among these components were assessed to determine the relationship of the components with each other. Galician communal forests present a composition of intellectual capital components which differ from those of for-profit firms and are closer to those of other social entities. The complex interrelations between the different elements of intellectual capital suggest different typologies of forest communities.

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into participatory forest management (PFM) is emerging as a promising strategy for promoting sustainable forest management in developing countries. Using a case study approach from Kenya involving 85 respondents from the Nairobi City Park Community Forest Association, this study explored the potential for AI implementation in PFM to improve community roles in data acquisition and management. The study results show that the current data management system for executing community roles in PFM is inefficient, time-consuming, and susceptible to errors. However, there are substantial gains and opportunities in implementing community roles through AI. AI utilization could be fostered through the existing Information Communication Technology (ICT) resources such as smartphones for efficient and transparent data processes. Notably, 90% of respondents express confidence in AI’s potential to enhance PFM efficiency. Despite this optimism, 67.1% emphasize the necessity of a comprehensive AI policy that emphasizes continuous community engagement and adaptation of AI to local contexts.

This study estimated stumpage, Social Responsibility Agreement (SRA) and carbon revenue loss from Ghana’s informal timber sector. Secondary data on confiscated timber were collected from 13 District Forest offices from 2020 to 2022. The timber species volumes were computed with their corresponding stumpage, SRA, and potential carbon revenue. The results indicate that US$ 14,670.73 was lost as stumpage revenue between 2020 and 2022 in the study Forest Districts. SRA revenu e of US$ 733.54 originally destined for the development of forest fringe communities was also lost. For the study period, the highest potential carbon revenue loss (US$ 37,572) was recorded in the year 2020. The findings have implications for the country’s forest sector emission reduction target under the nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and the realization of carbon revenue from the mandatory and voluntary markets. One key way to improve the forest revenue system is to address illegal logging as it is widespread in the country and contributes to the decline in stumpage revenue, which is one of the main sources of revenue for forest management and development at the local level.

The scientific identification of natural fallen trees in tropical forests is complex due to the lack of fertile material in field collection. The study evaluated the use of near-infrared spectroscopy with Fourier-transform (FT-NIR) in the discrimination of wood from fallen trees of the Lecythidaceae family. Seven trees were collected in the Central Amazonian region (Brazil), from which 63 specimens were prepared from the wood, and NIR spectra were obtained on different wood surfaces (total 756 spectra). Chemometric models were developed with a spectral data set, and the Mahalanobis algorithm was applied. The discriminant model with 2nd derivative spectra improved the identification capacity, resulting in errors < 5% in the identification of genus Couratari (3 ssp.), Eschweilera (2 ssp.), Holopyxidium (1 sp.) and Lecythis (1 sp.). The comparison of the spectral signatures of samples of fallen trees and wood library revealed that even when wood was exposed to environmental weathering, around 50% of the original bands were preserved, favouring discrimination at the genus level. The accuracy of the chemometric models developed indicates the applicability of FT-NIR spectroscopy integrative in identifying fallen trees from the Lecythidaceae family in the tropical forests.

Pests and diseases have been reported by Myanmar foresters and plantation owners as significant challenges to the quality and quantity of wood supply from natural and planted forests. As part of a FAO project on strengthening local capacity in forest health, questionnaire surveys on pests and diseases and a needs assessment were conducted among companies/organizations involved in growing forests. Thirteen and 12 participants responded to the two surveys, respectively. Respondents grew 10 different tree species, namely Tectona grandis, Acacia mangium, Acacia hybrid, Eucalyptus spp., Gmelina arborea, Swietenia macrophylla, Paulownia kawakamii, Xylia xylocarpa, Bruguiera sexangula and Rhizophora apiculata. Growers recognized pests of teak but were less familiar with pests of the other tree species. Diseases were only reported from teak and A. mangium. Weeds were reported only from mature plantations. Workers were mostly educated only up to primary school level. None were trained in pest and disease management and most did not know about invasive alien species (IAS) and integrated pest and disease management (IPM). Based on the needs identified from the surveys, three workshops were conducted for over 100 local participants.

Providing quality planting materials is critical to sustainable forest restoration initiatives. This study aimed to analyze the tree seeding system and to evaluate and model the configuration of the tree seed supply system from the source to the growers. Primary and secondary data were collected in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. A total of 52 sample participants were selected using the snowball method and interviewed using open-ended questionnaires and Likert questionnaires. Data were analyzed using content and gap analysis methods using Atlas. ti version 8 software. The gap analysis revealed a lack of provenance trials, improved tree seeds, priority species in nurseries, and existing legislation. The model configuration was sequenced in tree seed source, procurement, and dissemination. Informal farmer suppliers covered 83 percent of the system. The decentralized-centralized-centralized and centralized-centralized-centralized were configured for the private enterprises and Amhara Forest Enterprise, respectively, as formal seed suppliers. In order to overcome the difficulties in tree seed production, those involved should work on the production of an improved tree.

Implementing sustainable island forest management policies requires categorizing the islands into groups based on key indicators and establishing a consistent management system. This study proposes a novel framework to support an ecosystem service-based approach to managing forested islands in South Korea. First, a typology of six forested island categories is established based on varying extents of natural vegetation cover (as a percentage of forest cover) and connectivity to the mainland. An analytic hierarchy process (AHP) analysis was conducted with island forest experts to identify priority ecosystem services (ESs) for the sustainable management of each island type. On connected islands, provisioning services (natural resources and natural medicines) are more important than regulatory (erosion control) or supporting services (genetic diversity). On unconnected islands, particularly those with a small proportion of natural vegetation, regulatory services (erosion control) require a greater emphasis on management. Since Type 3 islands require urgent management as connectivity to the mainland makes natural vegetation=sparse island forest ecosystems vulnerable to anthropogenic activities, the land-use scoring method was performed on Jin-do. Comparisons between the AHP-derived expert demand for key island ESs and the spatial distribution of ES supply potential revealed mismatches between supply and demand for erosion control, freshwater supply and habitat provision. The framework developed in this study can help guide policy and decision-making processes and indicate where interventions should be focused to achieve sustainable island management.

Palm oil businesses affect livelihoods and the environment, particularly forests, with land-use change and climate change impacts. This research aimed to develop a model for understanding the influences of global trade and political economy factors on palm oil sustainability and livelihoods in Indonesia. It combined systematic review with structural equation modelling through a model called POPETS (Palm Oil Political Economy and Trade Structural equation model). The study revealed that palm oil sustainability is defined by employment opportunities and no deforestation, while livelihoods are defined by household income. Trade and political economy factors (structures, institutions and actors) significantly influence the sustainability of palm oil. Trade has indirect effects on sustainability and livelihoods, while actors have a direct effect on sustainability. There is also a positive correlation between sustainability and livelihoods. These findings suggest the importance of synergizing global trade effects and national government roles to advance palm oil sustainability in the producing countries.

This study investigates the drivers and impacts of land use and land cover (LULC) changes on ecosystem services provided by the Philippine watersheds, aiming to enhance understanding of sustainable watershed management and land use planning in the country. A systematic literature review assessed LULC change studies from 2013 to 2022. Notably, among the category of ecosystem services, regulating services such as hydrologic regulation and soil erosion control received significant attention, while provisioning services, supporting services and cultural services received comparatively less attention. However, in general, considering the trend of watershed degradation in the country, the studies conducted linking the impacts of land use and land cover change on watershed ecosystem services are relatively few. Also, the impacts of land use and land cover change on watershed ecosystem services were not elaborately explored and mostly centered on either a single or selected ecosystem services. This suggests that a more holistic approach in assessing the impacts of land use and land cover change on the watershed ecosystem services can be considered for future studies. The primary drivers of LULC change were agricultural expansion, urbanization and human settlements, population factors, forest conversion, agricultural demand and profit motives. Among these, urbanization and human settlements were most frequently mentioned. The main impacts of LULC changes on watershed ecosystem services were associated with hydrologic processes. These findings have implications for future research, land use planning, and decision-making processes, aiming to advance sustainable watershed management and preserve ecosystem services.

The material relationships between nature and people are complex and rich, ranging from support to current consumption to safety nets and poverty reduction. The term 'non-timber forest products' (in many different guises) has been used for decades in attempts to group a wide range of products, such as barks, bulbs, caterpillars, leaves, and fruits, without consensus on the definition. Here we argue that a different approach to product classification would be beneficial. We propose the term 'environmental products' defined simply and eloquently as "tangible biotic and abiotic goods gathered from any biome or created through synthetic production". We propose a typology with six dimensions: product type, mode of production, purpose of production, scale of production, resource tenure, and biome of origination. The typology allows for consistent and transparent delimitation of environmental products useful to actors with varying objectives. We apply the typology to two cases, illustrating that the older terminology is no longer needed.