[meetyeti] Fwd: Talk by Forrest Fleischman and Vijay Ramprasad on September 24, 2019 (Tuesday) at 03:45pm
- From: YETI <meet.yeti@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: meetyeti <meetyeti@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 20 Sep 2019 20:29:46 +0530
Might be of interest.
For YETI
Debabrata Phukon
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Madhavi Latha <madhavi@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2019, 4:43 pm
Subject: Talk by Forrest Fleischman and Vijay Ramprasad on September 24,
2019 (Tuesday) at 03:45pm
To: Madhavi Latha <madhavi@xxxxxxxxx>
You are cordially invited to a talk titled
I*mpacts of tree planting in Himachal Pradesh: ecological transformation in
mosaic landscapes, inequality of human impacts, and new research questions.*
by
*Forrest Fleischman*, *Assistant Professor*
*Vijay Ramprasad*, *Postdoctoral Associate*
*Department of Forest Resources. University of Minnesota.*
Date & Time: September 24, 2019 at 03:45 pm
Venue: ATREE Auditorium
------------------------------
*Abstract*
For decades, India has spent crores of rupees conducting large-scale
afforestation and reforestation programs, yet there has been little
evaluation of the impact of these programs. We do not know how many trees
survived, how the trees changed ecosystems, and how they affected people
who depend on forests. This is particularly unfortunate because global
efforts to scale up afforestation and reforestation are growing, and
India’s extensive tree-planting experience could be used to help design
better programs worldwide. Our research aims to fill this gap by collating
government records, combining remotely sensed LANDSAT time series with
contemporary field mapping of plantation sites, and surveying 2400 affected
households across 60 panchayats in Himachal Pradesh.
Our preliminary findings point to politically-driven changes in forest
management and inequalities in impacts. Based on analysis of 1500
households and 1000 plantations in 37 panchayats, we find that plantations
have dramatically shaped the Himalayan forest landscape. Plantations are
mostly composed of mixed needle and broadleaf species, with more needle
leaf species in high altitudes and more broadleaf species in lower
altitudes. *Pinus roxburghii* is by far the most common species. Livelihood
portfolios are composed of these income streams in decreasing order:
salaries and pension, wage labor, remittances, trade, livestock,
agriculture, NTFP and home production, with high altitude panchayats
relatively more dependent on plantations. Plantations that emphasize
locally useful species can increase supplies of important goods while
reportedly improving dry season water availability. In contrast,
plantations that emphasize commercially valuable pine are reportedly
associated with increased fires & invasive species and decreased water
availability, while providing few benefits. The number of new pine
plantations have decreased dramatically in recent years, both as a result
of top-down policy changes and bottom-up advocacy. Livestock herders are
particularly vulnerable to livelihood disruptions from plantations which
enclose grazing land and complicate migratory routes. Vulnerability is
mediated by livelihood strategies and the ecology of particular
plantations. Households who are wealthier and/or have livelihoods that are
uncoupled from forests experience few negative impacts from plantations.
Our research raises a host of new questions and we are looking for
collaborators to help us answer these questions by building on our existing
data or working with us to collect more: How are plantations reshaped by
local use? Which livelihoods influence plantations? How do community
institutions and local politics interact with plantations? How do
plantations change the provision of ecosystem goods and services? How do
they interact with existing savannas? Which species and planting densities
are most effective at achieving win-win situations in which political and
social situations? And how do these dynamics vary across India?
*About the speaker**s*
Forrest Fleischman is an assistant professor of natural resource &
environmental policy in the department of forest resources at the
University of Minnesota, where his research focuses on institutions for
sustainable natural resource governance in India, the US, Mexico, and
elsewhere. In particular, Forrest focuses on understanding how citizen
engagement, scientific expertise, and bureaucratic institutions interact to
influence forest management over long time frames, and how the resulting
management decisions influence the lives of vulnerable people.
Vijay Ramprasad is a Postdoctoral Associate in the University of
Minnesota's Department of Forest Resources. His research examines the
relationships between local institutions, rural livelihoods, and the
environment. He is interested in utilizing root cause analysis to
investigate social-ecological outcomes, with a focus on vulnerable social
groups and the environments they work in. He also coordinates the Kangra
Integrated Sciences and Adaptation Network (KISAN).
------------------------------
*Tea/coffee will be served downstairs at 03:30pm*
--
__________________________________________________________________
Madhavi Latha G
The Academy for Conservation Science and Sustainability Studies
Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE),
Royal Enclave, Srirampura, Jakkur PO
Bangalore 560064, India
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Phone: +91-80-23635555 Extn: 121
Fax: +91-80-23530070
E-mail: madhavi@xxxxxxxxx
_________________________________________________________________
--
__________________________________________________________________
Madhavi Latha G
The Academy for Conservation Science and Sustainability Studies
Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE),
Royal Enclave, Srirampura, Jakkur PO
Bangalore 560064, India
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Phone: +91-80-23635555 Extn: 121
Fax: +91-80-23530070
E-mail: madhavi@xxxxxxxxx
_________________________________________________________________
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