Effects of industrial plantations on ecosystem services and livelihoods: Perspectives of rural communities in China

This paper addresses the current research void on local community views of changes in ecosystem services associated with rapid land use transformation in the context of plantation-based forestry. This interview-based study, conducted in southern China, aims at assessing the perspectives of local communities of: 1) the effects of Eucalyptus industrial plantations on selected ecosystem services and on local development; and 2) opportunities for future community livelihood development, based on the relations with the government and with forest industry operating locally. We analysed data from semi-structured interviews with 70 villagers for their views on changes in ecosystem services after the establishment of plantations, and their future expectations on the local livelihood development. Most interviewees mentioned some negative development on environmental quality after the establishment of the industrial plantations, especially on soil and water. Furthermore, the reduced productivity of cropland surrounding industrial plantations, coupled with other financial drivers, induced several villagers to switch from agricultural crops to household plantations. In the absence of destructive typhoons, household plantations can provide owners more free time, higher income, while industrial plantations provided some employment opportunities. Interviewees’ expectations for the future included receiving financial support and capacity building for household plantations and crops, support to local roads and schools, and higher employment opportunities. Some interviewees suggested that solutions should be implemented for improving degraded water quality, while others suggested reducing forestry operations. Even though being highly context-specific, our findings open up the discussion about the further community development opportunities in the context of plantation forestry. In particular, the potential of value sharing mechanisms between the private sector and the local communities should be further studied.     

“We'll turn your water into Coca‐Cola”: The atomizing practices of oil palm plantation development in Indonesia

This article discusses land control strategies and practices for development of large‐scale oil palm plantations in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. In oil palm and “land grab” literature, much attention is paid to potential contributions of free, prior, and informed consent procedures. However, this article demonstrates how “atomizing” practices obstruct such procedures. Some practices stand out: During a preparatory phase of plantation development, companies remain in the background and leave actual land acquisition to local authorities and villagers, thus obscuring their agenda for plantation development. Second, rather than negotiating land transfer in public meetings, companies use a combination of promises, bribes, and threats to gain support or to enforce acceptance. Third, companies gain support by “wedging” themselves into communities, exacerbating disparities within communities. Analysis of this atomized process of plantation development is crucial for a critical understanding of oil palm conflicts.     

Contribution of associated trees to long-term species conservation,carbon storage and sustainability: a functional analysis of tree communities in cacao plantations of Central Cameroon

In Central Africa, most cacao is still cultivated in low-input agroforests where cacao associated trees are traditionally valued by farmers. These systems are sustainable on the long run, support biodiversity conservation and carbon storage. Yet, little knowledge exists on the contribution of tree community management to explain such results. In Central Cameroon, we investigated cacao agroforest associated tree community contributions to the long-term (i) maintenance of tree species encountering a conservation issue and (ii) carbon storage. We further simulated the simplification of these systems by checking for the effect of tree density decrease on community functional groups or traits. Finally, we linked farmers’ use of associated trees to their functional features and conservation status. Cacao agroforestry systems were able to combine high levels of species richness with long-term conservation abilities and carbon storage. Simplification emphasized consistent shifts of functional traits/groups that will change the way they function and alter the existing balances between different associated tree uses. Since traditional agroforests are now foreseen as providers of timber/non-timber forest products, our study argues that this paradigm change in such low-input systems - if carried improperly - is likely to impair the provision of the services they currently provide as well as their sustainability.     

Local regulatory responses during a regional housing shortage: An analysis of rezonings in Silicon Valley

Scholars have partially blamed high housing prices in many metropolitan areas on residential density restrictions. Santa Clara County is the geographic heart of California’s Silicon Valley and is one of the most expensive counties in the U.S. for renters and homebuyers. This research answers two questions about how municipalities change their zoning. First, how common are rezonings? Second, what are the determinants of density-increasing “upzonings” and density-decreasing “downzonings”? This is the first study to analyze rezonings across neighboring municipalities and expands our limited explanations of rezonings. The three largest cities in Santa Clara County are analyzed using a parcel dataset with zoning at two time periods: 2006–2016 for San José and Sunnyvale, and 2012–2016 for the city of Santa Clara. Multinomial logistic regression models are used to compare the relative risk of a parcel being upzoned or downzoned compared with no zoning change. Little land was upzoned in the three cities. San José increased allowable residential densities on 0.6% of its parcel land area on average per year, while Santa Clara averaged 0.3% and Sunnyvale averaged 0.1% per year. Downzoning was less common and tended to involve small reductions in allowable density. San José decreased allowable residential densities on 0.5% of its land area per year, and Santa Clara and Sunnyvale engaged in almost no downzoning. The main findings are: (1) regulatory changes were more likely in San José, the central city, than in the neighboring smaller municipalities; (2) there was little upzoning or downzoning, regardless of a neighborhood’s homeownership rate; and (3) rezonings tended to be small-scale and initiated by property owners rather than through large-scale municipal actions.     

Transmission of price shifts in the context of structural adjustment: An empirical analysis for staple food after the devaluation of the franc CFA in Ivory Coast

This article analyses price shifts after currency devaluation in the Ivory Coast using a time‐series modelling approach. Model results identify the liberalisation of the import‐rice sector as the key factor for the transmission of price effects. Fixation of the imported rice price as a social compensatory measure hindered the adjustment of prices in the first year after the devaluation. As soon as the price controls on imported rice were lifted, prices changed in favour of tradable goods. The findings in this paper hint at a possible trade‐off between the protection of vulnerable groups during the process of adjustment and the intended incentive effect.