▶ Addresses a wide range of timely environment, economic and energy topics ▶ A forum to review, analyze and stimulate the development, testing and implementation of mitigation and adaptation strategies at regional, national and global scales ▶ Contributes to real-time policy analysis and development as national and international policies and agreements are discussed and promulgated ▶ 94% of authors who answered a survey reported that they would definitely publish or probably publish in the journal again

Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change

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Remote sensing of the environment

Remote sensing for agricultural applications: A meta-review

The results of the Forest Resources Assessment 2000 carried out by FAO are synthetically presented and discussed. The world forest coverage is estimated equal to 38.6 million km 2 . The comparison of the estimates from the period 1990-2000 with those from the period 1980-1990 points out a certain general deceleration of the rate of net deforestation, that currently involves around 9 million hectares every year. However, the annua1 loss of tropical forests is still very large, while temperate and borea1 forests are in expansion. Overall, FRA2000 produced a relevant effort to compensate the existing technical, institutional and financial constraints and shortcomings for monitoring the world forest resources. The need to increase the quality and the frequency of forest surveys, both at national and international levels, s t a stands as a major issue to cope with.

http://ojs.aisf.it/index.php/ifm/article/download/774/738

Valutazione delle risorse forestali a livello globale

We reviewed the literature on leadership in linked social-ecological systems and combined it with the literature on institutional entrepreneurship in complex adaptive systems to develop a new theory of transformative agency in linked social- ecological systems. Although there is evidence of the importance of strategic agency in introducing innovation and transforming approaches to management and governance of such systems, there is no coherent theory to explain the wide diversity of strategies identified. Using Holling's adaptive cycle as a model of phases present in innovation and transformation of resilient social- ecological systems, overlaid by Dorado's model of opportunity context (opaque, hazy, transparent) in complex adaptive systems, we propose a more coherent theory of strategic agency, which links particular strategies, on the part of transformative agents, to phases of system change.

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A Theory of Transformative Agency in Linked Social-Ecological Systems

Modeling the influence of climate change on watershed systems: Adaptation through targeted practices

A multiyear regional risk programming model was used in evaluating the impacts of different environmental policies on cropping systems, input use, nonpoint source pollution, farm income and risk. A direct expected utility maximizing problem (DEMP) objective with a Von Neuman Morgenstern utility function was used in deriving optimal cropping systems. A biophysical simulation model provided input for the optimization. Three types of policies-taxing, regulating the aggregate, and regulating the per acre level-were studied for two farm inputs-nitrogen and atazine. It was observed that policies had varied and multiple cross-effects on pollutant loads, farm income, and risk. This information is crucial in developing successful policies toward improving water quality. If an appropriate input policy is chosen, both targeted and nontargeted pollutant loads can be managed. The three policies varied in their effects on pollutant loads and involved tradeoffs in water quality and economic attributes.

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Economic and water quality impacts of reducing nitrogen and pesticide use in agriculture

Land use, land cover and climate change (CC) can significantly influence the hydrologic balance and biogeochemical processes of watershed systems. These changes can alter interception, evapotranspiration (ET), infiltration, soil moisture, water balance, and biogeochemical cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and other elements. The need to evaluate the combined effect of land use change and CC of watershed systems is a focus of this study. We simulated watershed processes in the SuAsCo River watershed in MA, USA, using a calibrated and validated Hydrological Simulation Program Fortran model. Climatic scenarios included downscaled regional projections from Global Climate Model models. The Land Transformation Model was used to project land use. Combined change in land cover and climate reduce ET with loss of vegetation. Changes in climate and land cover increase surface runoff significantly by 2100 as well as stream discharge. Combined change in land cover and climate cause 10% increase in peak volume with 7% increase in precipitation and 75% increase in effective impervious area. Climate and land use changes can intensify the water cycle and introduce seasonal changes in watershed systems. Understanding dynamic changes in watershed systems is critical for mitigation and adaptation options. We propose restoration strategies that can increase the resilience of watershed systems.

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Climate change and land use impacts on hydrologic processes of watershed systems

[1] Built components of watersheds are associated with impervious surfaces that alter hydrology, disrupt ecosystems, and affect water quality. This study focuses on the impervious factor as a tool for assessment and policy design to address water quality impacts. The empirical model uses a combination of watershed simulation and statistical regression modeling to study sediment loading at various stages of urbanization. The policy design is based on private behavior in a watershed setting to develop appropriate economic approaches. The incentives through taxes, subsidies, and cost sharing are based on water quality impacts. It was observed that nonlinearity in response functions resulted in transition effects that are continuous. This is due to gradual shifts in landscape characteristics as a result of urbanization. On a regional basis, impervious factor had a varying effect on water quality and depend on the state of urbanization and spatial characteristics. Economic policies based on a metric like impervious cover can be used to mitigate the negative effects of urbanization in watersheds through use of appropriate BMPs, urban forestry methods, and spatial targeting. While linear rules in policy are easier to implement, nonlinear rules were more effective in representing the changes in marginal social cost of impervious factor, especially initial and late stages of urbanization. There exists excellent scope in using this targeted policy to address specific problems associated with complex urban systems.

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Timothy O. Randhir

Papers

Modeling the influence of climate change on watershed systems: Adaptation through targeted practices

Economic and water quality impacts of reducing nitrogen and pesticide use in agriculture

Climate change and land use impacts on hydrologic processes of watershed systems

Watershed‐scale effects of urbanization on sediment export: Assessment and policy

Spatiotemporal dynamics of landscape pattern and hydrologic process in watershed systems