Positions: Two Studentship opportunities in Forestry - Scotland

Source: University of the Highlands and Islands. Applications are invited for two, three year fully funded PhD studentships in the area of Forestry. The studentships will be based with Inverness College, University of the Highlands and Islands and will be part of the developing research capability at the Scottish School of Forestry.
PhD Studentship: Mapping and Repositioning Forestry Skills for the 21st Century
The aim of this PhD is to explore the ways in which conceptual and theoretical frameworks such as multi- functionality and / or ecosystem services might be combined with a ‘Systems’ approach to enhance understanding of the educational and skills requirements of forestry in the 21st Century. The PhD will commence in October 2014 and the successful candidate will be based at the University of the Highlands and Islands- Inverness College (Centre for Remote and Rural Studies), Scotland. The funding associated with this project covers the equivalent of three years, full-time UK/EU tuition fees, plus a stipend (at Research Council UK levels) for three years. The project is a collaboration between Inverness College UHI and the University of Aberdeen and is funded by Scottish Forestry Commission (Scotland and GB) and the Scottish Forestry Trust. Informal enquiries about this PhD may be made to Dr Philomena de Lima: philomena.deLima.ic@uhi.ac.uk For further details and information about this studentship and how to apply go to http://www.inverness.uhi.ac.uk/research
PhD Studentship: Factors controlling the abundance of pine-tree lappet moth (Dendrolimus pini) in north-east Scotland.
This studentship is offered jointly with Forest Research and builds upon research undertaken since 2009 to investigate population densities and distribution of the newly discovered and only known breeding population of the pine tree lappet moth in the UK, The project will determine what level of risk this species may pose to pinewoods, including Caledonian Pinewood Inventory forests, both now and under future climate scenarios. In particular it will focus on the potential contribution of British native parasites, predators, and other natural control agents and climate in regulating populations of pine-tree lappet moth in north-east Scotland. The known distribution and potential spread of this moth, and incorporation of natural control measures through an integrated land management approach will also be explored The project is jointly funded by Inverness College UHI and Forest Research. Informal enquiries about this PhD may be made to Dr Melanie Smith: melanie.smith.ic@uhi.ac.uk For further details and information about this studentship and how to apply go to http://www.inverness.uhi.ac.uk/research Closing date for applications for both studentships: 25th August 2014 Please note that a further studentship opportunity in Forestry will be advertised in Autumn 2014.

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Events/Événements : 2013 Economic Revitalization Conference - Building Rural Resilience Through Entrepreneruship & Innovation

Source: The Monieson Centre.
April 8, 2013. Kingston, Ontario. Hosted by The Monieson Centre at Queen's School of Business, the 2013 Economic Revitalization Conference - Building Rural Resilience through Entrepreneurship & Innovation, showcases emerging research from communities in Ontario on forward-thinking approaches to rural economic transformation.


Presentations and interactive forums will provide strategies and best practices for how communities can use creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship to build economic resilience.

This one-day conference is a high-impact event connecting academics, policymakers, community leaders, and business people around this pressing rural economic development issue. Outcomes from real-world research collaborations between The Monieson Centre at Queen’s School of Business and over 40 rural Ontario partners will advance the agenda of rural Canada’s future.

This must-attend conference offers:

* Practical applications of new, leading-edge research from rural Ontario on how communities can encourage entrepreneurship, immigration, and business investment.

* A dynamic keynote address on “Building a 21^st Century Economy in Small Town Canada” from Dr. Ken Coates, Canada Research Chair in Regional Innovation at the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy.

* Reflections from practitioners on developing rural resilience through policy and action.

* Opportunities to network with academic researchers and economic development practitioners.

* Ability to engage in ongoing economic revitalization research projects being done by The Monieson Centre at Queen's School of Business.

* Examples of and best-practices in community-based research.

Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada through the Monieson Centre's Research Partnerships to Revitalize Rural Economies project.

With support from:

* Leadership Team Partners: Northumberland County Economic Development; Prince Edward/Lennox & Addington Community Futures Development Corporation; Eastern Ontario Wardens Caucus; RDÉE Ontario; Rural Ontario Institute; The Monieson Centre.

* Steering Committee Partners: The Ontario Association of CFDCs; Eastern Lake Ontario Regional Innovation Network; Queen's Sustainable Bioeconomy Centre; City of Kawartha Lakes; Queen's University Office of the Vice-Principal (Research).

Details, agenda and registration are online at: http://business.queensu.ca/centres/monieson/events/2013%20Economic%20Revitalization%20Conference%20.php

WWW: http://www.economicrevitalization.ca

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Thesis/Thèse : Exploring the built environment and physical activity in rural ontario health units

Source: McMaster University.
"The purpose of this thesis was to explore how health units servicing large rural populations in Ontario are integrating the built environment into public health interventions related to physical activity for the purpose of fostering healthy and sustainable communities. Additionally, this research sought to identify barriers and/or enabling structures that rural health units face in addressing the built environment within physical activity programming aimed at chronic disease prevention."

"This exploratory research study employed a descriptive qualitative approach. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of fourteen public health practitioners and managers from participating Ontario health units serving large
rural populations. Participants were health unit staff (public health nurses, health promoters, and managers) identified as those most knowledgeable about program planning, implementation, and policy development in relation to physical activity and the
built environment."


Coghill, Cara-Lee M.(2013). "Exploring the built environment and physical activity in rural Ontario health units" (2013). Open Access Dissertations and Theses. Paper 7677.

WWW: digitalcommons.mcmaster.ca

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Thesis/Thèse : The Relationship of Landscape and Water Perceptions to Community Engagement in Rural Southern Ontario

Source: University of Guelph.
"Engagement is an essential component to community building. Among the factors which contribute to engagement is perception. Of specific interest to landscape architecture are perceptions of landscape and water as they reveal environmental attitudes. Rural Southern Ontario has experienced notable land use pressures for resource extraction and renewable energy."

"This study explores the relationship between landscape and water perceptions by rural residents and levels of community engagement in a changing rural landscape. Instruments used for this study were a photo-based questionnaire and Visitor Employed Photography. The study found that individuals who are more engaged with the community have a greater ability to interpret landscape in the context of resource extraction and are more critical in their perception of quarry rehabilitation. Findings of this study can assist rural groups by providing insight into social capital and inform landscape planning and design practices when working with rural groups to increase engagement."

Spence, Kellie (2013). The Relationship of Landscape and Water Perceptions to Community Engagement in Rural Southern Ontario. Thesis. Master of Landscape Architecture. School of Environmental Design and Rural Development.

WWW: http://dspace.lib.uoguelph.ca

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Events/Événements : The Farm Economy & Rural Resilience: Coping with Climate Change & Rising Energy Prices

Source: Ontario Farmland Trust.
February 15, 2013. There is no doubt climate change, increasingly unpredictable weather patterns and rising energy prices have become top of mind within the agriculture sector and rural communities across Ontario and around the world.

How are farmers and rural communities responding to such challenges? How closely tied are a thriving farm economy, land stewardship and rural resilience?

Join the Ontario Farmland Trust and the University of Guelph’s School of Environmental Design and Rural Development at the 2013 Farmland Forum in Guelph on Friday, February 15.

Forum Details

Date: February 15, 2013
Time: 8:30 - 3:15
Place: Arboretum Centre, University of Guelph (Click Here for directions)
Cost: $65 non-members; $50 Ontario Farmland Trust members
(includes lunch)

More information and registration.

WWW: ontariofarmlandtrust.ca

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Reports/Rapports : Tools and Recommendations for Successful Rural Sustainability Planning in BC

Source: Smart Planning for Communities, Fraser Basin Council.
Key sustainability planning issues for rural BC residents are part of a new study released today by the Fraser Basin Council’s Smart Planning for Communities (SPC) program. The study, funded by the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS), finds that communities in rural areas of the province consider protecting drinking water supplies (80%) and pursuing economic diversification (60%) as the most important aspects of a successful sustainability strategy.

Over one hundred local government elected officials and staff, along with academics and consultants, participated in surveys and focus group sessions as part of this research.

“The future supply and quality of water are quickly becoming critical concerns as the climate changes, even in a temperate province like BC” says PICS executive director Tom Pedersen. “The impacts now upon us impose requirements to adapt that affect rural agriculture as much as they affect municipal supplies. This report reinforces the need for regional planning in BC that firmly recognizes the climate changes that are rushing down the pipeline towards us.”

The research shows differences between rural municipalities and regional districts. In addition to protecting drinking water supplies, regional district respondents chose protecting agricultural land and preventing rural sprawl as their top priorities. Municipal respondents chose pursuing economic development and supporting higher density development suitable for a small town, as their top priorities, in addition to drinking water.

“Another strong message from the rural local governments regarding their ability to become sustainable communities is the importance of economic diversification, particularly the influence of natural resource based sectors, along with health and education - all of which are provincial jurisdiction.” says Joan Chess, lead researcher and sustainability facilitator with the Smart Planning for Communities Program.

The respondents also identified support from elected officials and community leaders (79%), access to funding (78%) and implementation costs (75%) as the most important factors for choosing actions for a sustainability strategy in rural areas.

The results of the research suggest that rural sustainability planning and the resulting processes, strategies and actions must be adapted to local circumstances to be effective.

More information

The full report with a summary of tools and recommendations for successful ICSP action for rural BC is available at http://smartplanningbc.ca/tools_resources.html.

For more information about the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS), visit http://pics.uvic.ca.

Contacts

Joan Chess, MCIP, RPP
Sustainability Facilitator
Smart Planning for Communities, Fraser Basin Council
Phone: 250 612-0282
E-mail: jchess@fraserbasin.bc.ca

Jim Martin
Regional District of Fraser-Fort George
Toll Free (BC): 1-800-667-1959
Phone: 250-960-4400
E-mail: jmartin@rdffg.bc.ca

Tom Pedersen
Executive Director
Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions
Phone: 250-853-3678
E-mail: jworsley@uvic.ca

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Announcements/Annonces : Canadian Sustainability Plan Inventory (CSPI) launched

Source: Alberta Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities.
The University of Alberta’s Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities (ACSRC) is proud to announce the launch of the Canadian Sustainability Plan Inventory (CSPI). This searchable online inventory is the most comprehensive collection of sustainability plans in Canada.

The CSPI can be accessed via www.augustana.ualberta.ca/cspi/

Sustainability in rural communities of Canada has received increased attention at the local and national scales. Canada’s Federal Gas Tax Fund (GTF) made sustainability planning a key part of infrastructure and socio-economic development of communities across Canada. Slated to ultimately invest approximately $13 billion in sustainable municipal infrastructure such as transit, waste management, water and green energy by 2015, the GTF also provided support to municipalities for the development of Integrated Community Sustainability Plans (ICSPs).

Many communities have now completed ICSPs or a provincial variant and these represent a wide range of approaches, toolkits, strategies and content within Alberta and from across the country. As such, there is no single solution or model for sustainability planning. Indeed, there is considerable variation in emphases among the targeted dimensions of sustainability and these emphases vary by region and by population size. This inventory provides a means for rural communities, researchers, and development practitioners to access how other communities from across Canada have approached sustainability planning in terms of process, content and areas of concentration.

With the launch of the CSPI, the ACSRC hopes to provide a valuable resource of previous ICSPs to rural communities, an up-to-date source of information and a mechanism that may support rural sustainability as communities shift from plans to implementation. We hope this inventory and sharing of ICSPs will foster collaboration and information exchange among the many and diverse rural communities in Canada, so that they may learn from and support each other in their quest for sustainability.

Alberta Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities
Augustana Campus
Camrose, Alberta, Canada T4V 2R3
Tel: 780.679.1672
Fax: 780.679.1129
acsrc@ualberta.ca
www.augustana.ualberta.ca/centres/acsrc/

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Thesis/Thèse : Re-conceptualizing the redevelopment of rural communities through the lens of an ecological framework

Source: Dalhousie University.
"This research examines the redevelopment of rural communities through a lens of continuous cycles of adaptive change - based on Holling’s ecological concept of panarchy."

"By drawing on the characteristics of ecological communities, this panarchy-based theoretical framework uses a novel approach to reflect on a community’s position along its own adaptive change cycle and identifies leverage points where policy intervention may be most advantageous. This research also examines the practical application of this framework via interviews with economic development officials. Overall, the results of this research suggest that the panarchy-based framework offers constructive guidance to policy makers seeking to push or pull rural communities into positions of higher resiliency and to expedite times of economic uncertainty."

Slight, Penelope (2012). Re-conceptualizing the redevelopment of rural communities through the lens of an ecological framework. Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Environmental Studies. Dalhousie University.

WWW: http://dalspace.library.dal.ca

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Funding/Financement : Regional Agriculture and Food Systems in Southern Ontario, Request for Proposal

Source: Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation.
Canadians are increasingly consuming and seeking access to locally grown food for a variety of reasons: some feel it tastes better; others want to support family farms and local economies, ensure the food security of their region and/or they believe it is environmentally more responsible, healthier, and safer.

Demand from consumers is helping drive the response of members of the established food supply chain, be they retailers, foodservice operators, distributors, processors, and farmers.

The Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation, George Cedric Metcalf Charitable Foundation, and The J. W. McConnell Family Foundation are jointly commissioning a study to improve understanding of the impacts of regional food systems in southern Ontario. Collectively, the Foundations have provided support for building regional food systems in particular regions across the country. Examples include projects to increase market access for local and regional farmers, to investments in infrastructure, and education. Further examples of the work supported in this area can be found on each Foundation’s website.

The Foundations are interested in understanding and documenting the economic, social, and environmental impacts of regional food systems and how they relate to each other, including:
(i) Economic impacts such as quantifying the impacts on employment, tax revenues, and other economic indicators.
(ii) Social impacts such as identifying, the impact on rural communities and on human health, including in underserved communities where there is a lack of healthy, fresh food.
(iii) Environmental impacts such as identifying effects of localized transportation on pollution levels and carbon emissions and possible changes in environmental stewardship.
While other analyses, most notably on various types of economic impacts, have been conducted for other jurisdictions, we are unaware of a comprehensive study that captures and seeks to explain the interactive aspects of the impacts across all three dimensions.

While this assignment is focused on southern Ontario, it is expected that the study will serve as a model for similar work to be carried out in other regions of Canada.

Purpose and Scope of Work

The purpose of this assignment is to identify the economic, environmental, and social impacts and how they interact within the regional food systems in southern Ontario. The successful team will:
(i) Identify the appropriate methodologies (such as cost/benefit analysis and input/output modeling) to assess the economic, social, and environment impacts of locally grown food and how they interact;
(ii) Identify the impacts of locally grown food in southern Ontario, and document in three separate reports and one integrated report; and,
(iii) Assist in disseminating the study’s findings.

To achieve this purpose, we expect the consulting team to:
- Include individuals with expertise in the local food system analysis and expertise in each of the study focus areas (environmental, social, economic).
- Participate in meetings with Foundation representatives, including: (i) a kick-off meeting; (ii) a meeting to discuss the methodologies; and, (iii) a meeting to present the draft report.
- Develop a systems analysis approach that will allow for identification and consideration of environmental, social and economic impacts of the local food system and for overall integrated assessment of the impacts of the local food system.
- Outline the methodologies to be used to estimate economic, environmental, and social impacts, recognizing they are interconnected.
- Prepare background reports documenting the analysis and results for each of the three components (economic, social, environmental).
- Prepare a draft and final report on the integrated assessment, highlighting overall system impacts and the important economic, environmental and social impacts.
- Present the findings and respond as required to media inquiries.

Deliverables

The consulting team will be expected to provide the following deliverables:
- Final project work plan
- A description of the methodology
- A draft report for each area of investigation - economic, social, and environmental.
- Draft final report with the integrated analysis.
- Final report incorporating input from Foundations.
- Presentations of key findings to 5-10 organizations as identified by the Foundations.

Proposal Requirements

We are interested in receiving proposals in the range of $75,000-$90,000.

Proposals should include the following information:
- a CV for each team member of the proposed multi-disciplinary consulting team that clearly outlines their qualifications relevant to this assignment;
- up to 3 references and at least one sample of work relevant to this assignment for each team member;
- a description of your understanding of the assignment, your proposed approach to successfully implement the scope of work, and may include suggestions to improve the quality/effectiveness of the assignment;
- a work plan for performing the assignment, including estimated dates for deliverables;
- a time/task breakdown by project team member; and,
- a proposed budget including reimbursable expenses as applicable.

We reserve the right to choose any or none of the vendors responding to this request for proposals.

Proposals should be emailed no later than November 19, 2012 to: Heather Dunford, hdunford@metcalffoundation.com

If you have any questions with respect to this RFP, please email the following:

Mary MacDonald
Environment Program Director
George Cedric Metcalf Foundation
mmacdonald@metcalffoundation.com

Kathy Macpherson
Vice President, Research and Policy
Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation
kmacpherson@greenbelt.ca


WWW: www.greenbelt.ca

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Reports/Rapports: Rural towns facing climate change, Australia

Source: Centre for Housing, Urban and Regional Planning, University of Adelaide.
"Across Australia many of rural communities are already under threat, and climate change will put extra pressure on them, which will lead to extinction" said Professor Andrew Beer, University of Adelaide.

"The cost of dealing with extreme weather events will rise to the point where people will wonder whether it's worthwhile staying in these places," he said.

This report considers the impact of climate change on Australia’s country towns out to the year 2050 and the capacity of this component of Australia’s settlement system to adapt. This report is the first output from this project and presents the findings from the initial stages of the investigation. Later reports will present a fuller picture as the outputs of additional stages of analysis are presented.

Read full report.

Watch an interview of Professor Andrew Beer about climate change and the effect it has on rural Australian communities.

WWW: www.adelaide.edu.au/churp

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Webinars : The Role of Central Governments in Sustaining Municipalities

Source: Memorial University's Leslie Harris Centre.
Rural towns and communities across Canada are responding to the vagaries of external influences, and their own internal changes, in different and sometimes innovative ways. The public policy question facing central governments – Federal and Provincial – is: how much should they do for these communities versus how much should the communities do for themselves to ensure their ongoing sustainability?

This question is also on the Australian public policy agenda. In attempting to gain some insight into how Canadian communities are responding Prof. John Martin travelled (by bicycle) across Canada this summer visiting many small communities. In this presentation, John will discuss these places and ideas about what makes for a sustainable rural community.

Webinar: The Role of Central Governments in Sustaining Municipalities: Reflections While Cycling Through Canada.
By Prof. John Martin, Director, Centre for Sustainable Regional Communities,La Trobe University’s, Australia.
When: August 24 from 12:00 – 1:30 pm (NDT)

Click here to register (free).

WWW: www.mun.ca/harriscentre

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Reports/Rapports : What's on Your Plate? The Hidden Costs of Industrial Animal Agriculture in Canada

Source: WSPA.
WSPA has released a report that discusses the impacts of intensive livestock operations (ILO) on health, the environment, animal welfare and rural Canada.

"The viability and liveability of rural communities is put in jeopardy as ILOs proliferate, especially for those families who rely on farming as their chief source of income. ILOs drain money from communities as more tax dollars are needed to address the associated health, environmental, social and traffic problems. In spite of the significant costs ILOs bring to the host community, they are typically taxed at the same rates as the traditional family farmer."

Read report.

WWW: www.wspa.ca

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Studies/Études : Second homes, amenity migration and rural exclusion in Washington State

Source:Landscape and Urban Planning.
"Our research explores second-home owners as contributors to processes of amenity migration. (...) second-home owners’ desire for privacy and escape is reflected in patterns of spatial isolation among second homes in the study area. These patterns have potentially significant ecological effects."

"Second-home owners also seek to protect their investments by supporting regulations which support their version of a rural idyll. Therefore, policy-makers should be wary of strategies to promote regulations which promote aesthetic rather than social and ecological function."


Michelle C. Kondoa, Rebeca Riverab, and Stan Rullman Jr. (2012). Protecting the idyll but not the environment: Second homes, amenity migration and rural exclusion in Washington State. Landscape and Urban Planning. Available online 29 March 2012.

WWW: www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01692046

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Presentations/Présentations : Rural Communities in Alberta and Canada: The Three Pillars of Sustainability

Source: University of Alberta, Calgary Centre.
Rural communities play an important role in Canadian society. With booming economic conditions in some communities and long-term decline in others, the social, ecological and economic contexts of rural areas are increasingly complex.

While rural communities face diverse and unprecedented challenges, they have not received the prominent and sophisticated research and policy consideration as have major cities in recent years. At the University of Alberta, groups such as the Alberta Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities and the Alberta Family Business Institute fill the gap for research and policy in rural areas by fostering constructive dialogue, promoting interdisciplinary and collaborative research, and developing partnerships in rural communities in Alberta and beyond.

Download Presentation.

WWW: www.calgary.ualberta.ca

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Studies/Études : Increasing The Resilience of BC’s Rural Communities to Natural Disturbances and Climate Change

Source: BC Journal of Ecosystems and Management.
"Rural forest-based communities are especially vulnerable to changes in natural disturbance regimes influenced by climate change because their economic, social, and cultural aspects of life are closely linked to the local environment and climate."

"In this article, we discuss the impacts of wildfires on communities as an example of how natural disturbances impact humans. The impacts to humans of wildfire is indicative of the type of effects that other natural disturbances such as widespread insect infestation, landslides, floods, drought, storms, avalanches, permafrost melt, forest diseases, erosion, and gradual ecosystem change can have on communities. First Nations communities may be significantly and uniquely impacted by natural disturbances and climate change due to their remote location, strong connection, and heavy reliance on the environment for subsistence and in preserving their culture and their unique and often vulnerable economic situation."

Krishnaswamy, A., Simmons, E., & Joseph, L. 2012. Increasing the resilience of British Columbia’s rural communities to natural disturbances and climate change. BC Journal of Ecosystems and Management 13(1):1–15.

WWW: www.jem.forrex.org

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Events/Événements: 2012 Economic Revitalization Conference - Sustainable Economies, Sustainable Communities

Source: The Monieson Centre at Queen's School of Business.
April 11, 2012, Radisson Hotel Kingston Harbourfront. Building on the success of the Monieson Centre's 2008-2011 KIS Showcase annual conferences, the 2012 Economic Revitalization Conference is a high-impact event connecting academics, policymakers, community leaders, and business people around pressing rural economic development issues. This year's theme - Sustainable Economies, Sustainable Communities - will foster discussion of community resilience, showcasing innovative approaches to rural economic transformation.

Researchers, policymakers, business leaders and Queen's School of Business students will advance the agenda of the future of rural Canada. Presentations and interactive forums will provide strategies and best practices for how communities can build long-term sustainability through business and economic growth.

This free conference offers:

-Valuable networking opportunities with academics and community leaders engaged in rural development
-Leading-edge research and case studies in business sustainability, with key real-world applications for rural communities
-Opportunities to engage in ongoing economic revitalization research projects with The Monieson Centre at Queen's School of Business
-Access to researchers from Queen's University and partnering academic institutions
-Examples of and best-practices in community-based research

Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada through the Monieson Centre's Research Partnerships to Revitalize Rural Economies project.

With support from:
- Leadership Team Partners: Northumberland County Economic Development; Prince Edward/Lennox & Addington Community Futures Development Corporation; Eastern Ontario Wardens Caucus; RDÉE Ontario; Rural Ontario Institute; The Monieson Centre
- Steering Committee Partners: The Ontario Association of CFDCs; Eastern Lake Ontario Regional Innovation Network; Queen's Sustainable Bioeconomy Centre; City of Kawartha Lakes

For free registration and a full agenda, visit: http://business.queensu.ca/centres/monieson/economic_revitalization/economic_events/economic_revitalization.php

WWW: http://business.queensu.ca/centres/monieson/index.php

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Thesis/Thèse : An Application of the Resilience Assessment Workbook on the Town of Caledon

Source: University of Waterloo.
"This research involves conducting a resilience assessment on the Town of Caledon in southern Ontario, Canada, through the use of the Resilience Assessment Workbook authored by the Resilience Alliance."

"The purpose of the research is to develop a comprehensive understanding of Caledon, and identify ways to enhance its resilience as a linked social-ecological system in the context of urban growth."

Wai. T. Liu. 2001. An Application of the Resilience Assessment Workbook
on the Town of Caledon, Ontario, Canada: Resilience of What? Resilience to What? Resilience with What?. Master of Environmental Studies.

Read the full document.

WWW: www.uwspace.uwaterloo.ca

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Reports/Rapports : A performance-based approach to agri-environmental policy in Canada

Source: LEARN, University of Alberta.
"This study evaluated: 1) the social context of performance-based policy instruments for water quality implemented elsewhere; 2) the perceptions of agricultural property rights and responsibilities related to water quality from the perspectives of agricultural producers, rural residents and urban residents in southern Alberta, Canada; and 3) the feasibility of implementing a performance-based approach to agri-environmental policy within the study area."

"The environmental effects of agriculture are becoming more apparent to the public. As societal values change over time, there will likely be a corresponding shift in agri-environmental policy. Performance-based agri-environmental policy has been identified as a mechanism to provide payments to agricultural producers for the production of ecosystem goods and services (EG&S). This mechanism bases payments on environmental outcomes (i.e., EG&S), rather than inputs or adoption of specific practices. The payment structure assumes that agricultural producers can ‘rent’ EG&S to the public and that the public are willing to pay for these benefits and is based on a perception that agricultural landowners hold strong property rights to the land."

Read full report. A performance-based approach to agri-environmental policy in Canada: Development and comparative assessment. Julia Baird, Kenneth Belcher and Michael S. Quinn. School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan.

WWW: www.ales.ualberta.ca/rees/learnnetwork/

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Studies/Études : Rural sustainability and the built environment

Source: Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy.
"The purpose of this paper is first, to assess the applicability of the ideal of mixed-use nodal development to a small town and rural setting. Second, it aims to model the patterns of density of the built environment, distribution of amenities and associated variations in travel distances and to show how all three have changed over the last decade in Antigonish town and county (Nova Scotia, Canada)."

"Findings – The trend in Antigonish has generally been away from nodal development and towards increased commercial sprawl and increased distances between residences and amenities. However, there are realistic opportunities for reversing this trend."

Read study. Rod Bantjes, (2011) "Rural sustainability and the built environment", Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, Vol. 5 Iss: 2, pp.158 - 178

WWW: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?issn=1750-6204

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Reports/Rapports : Socioeconomic Impacts of Climate Change on Rural Communities in the United States

Source: USDA.
This report is a compilation of four briefing papers based on literature reviews and syntheses, prepared for USDA Forest Service policy analysts and decision makers about specific questions pertaining to climate change.

Potential social impacts of climate change are discussed in terms of health effects on rural communities and climate change sensitivity of indigenous communities. Potential economic impacts on rural communities are discussed for agriculture, forestry, recreation and tourism, fisheries, water resources, and energy. Salient findings from the literature are summarized in the synthesis of the literature, along with identified research needs.

Read report.

WWW: http://www.fs.fed.us/

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