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Management decisions on appropriate practices and policies regarding tropical forests often need to be made in spite of innumerable uncertainties and complexities. Among the uncertainties are the lack of formalization of lessons learned regarding the impacts of previous programs and projects. Beyond the challenges of generating the proper information on these impacts, there are other difficulties that relate with how to socialize the information and knowledge gained so that change is transformational and enduring. The main complexities lie in understanding the interactions of social-ecological systems at different scales and how they varied through time in response to policy and other processes. This volume is part of a broad research effort to develop an independent evaluation of certification impacts with stakeholder input, which focuses on FSC certification of natural tropical forests. More specifically, the evaluation program aims at building the evidence base of the empirical biophysical, social, economic, and policy effects that FSC certification of natural forest has had in Brazil as well as in other tropical countries. The contents of this volume highlight the opportunities and constraints that those responsible for managing natural forests for timber production have experienced in their efforts to improve their practices in Brazil. As such, the goal of the studies in this volume is to serve as the foundation to design an impact evaluation framework of the impacts of FSC certification of natural forests in a participatory manner with interested parties, from institutions and organizations, to communities and individuals.

This CIFOR Occasional Paper presents research results on challenges experienced by proponents in their efforts to establish REDD+ subnational initiatives in Brazil, Peru, Cameroon, Tanzania, Indonesia, and Vietnam. On the basis of in-depth interviews with 23 organizations collaborating in CIFOR’s Global Comparative Study on REDD+, it was found that the biggest challenges are tenure and the (currently) disadvantageous economics of REDD+. The study observes several patterns connected with these challenges. Performance-based conditional incentives are judged important but are not as central as once envisioned. Although most organizations are forging ahead with REDD+ in spite of the difficulties, some are drifting away from the label “REDD+.” Most of the organizations rely heavily on “integrated conservation and development” as a mode of operation, which enables them to move forward in anticipation of more favorable conditions for REDD+, but raises questions about whether REDD+ will fulfill its promise as an innovative and more effective form of conservation. The study proposes some options for overcoming the main challenges, and observes that there are some grounds for hope that REDD+ can eventually turn the corner and fulfill its potential for greatly reducing deforestation and forest-based carbon emissions.

The often-claimed environmental and social benefits of forest certification remain to be empirically evaluated. Despite numerous publications on the impacts of tropical forest certification, virtually all are based on secondary sources of information and not on field-based measurements. This paper proposes an empirical research framework for a carefully designed field-based evaluation of the ecological, social, economic, and political impacts of tropical forest management certification taking into account location-specific contextual factors which shape certification outcomes. The paper also suggests that solid methodological quantitative and qualitative approaches be used to build proper counterfactuals on which to base the comparisons for inferring impacts, all informed by a thorough theory-of-change and through processes that bring stakeholders together. The proposed research framework represents a first step towards the design and future implementation of evaluation research in the context of tropical forest certification on a global basis. It is hoped the research framework proposed contributes to learning from past mistakes, building on lessons learned and enhancing decision-making towards the maintenance of forest values over the long term, and for the benefit of society as a whole.

From the genealogy of the Bach family to a complete listing of team mascots, here are some of the most surprising and quirky facts about people ever. Find out who topped the music charts most, which U.S. president liked to swim nude, and who the worlds greatest philosophers are.

What are the 5Ws? WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, and WHY. Five classic questions...five classic collections. Everyone will want these unique compilations of fact and trivia--perfect gifts and great entertainment. Theyre engagingly designed, packaged in a small appealing format, and are written with a lighthearted tone in a beautiful text design that will draw browsers in again and again.

A captivating and inspiring portrait of legendary actress Meryl Streep and her work, Queen Meryl explores the fearless icon's trailblazing roles in film, her feminist activism, and the indelible mark she's left on pop culture. Meryl Streep is the most celebrated actress of our time. She's a chameleon who disappears fully into each character she plays. She never tackles the same role twice. Instead, she leverages her rarified platform to channel a range of dynamic, complicated women--Joanna Kramer, Karen Silkwood, Julia Child, Margaret Thatcher, Katharine Graham--rather than limit herself to marginal roles for which other actresses must settle: Supportive Wife. Supportive Mother. Supportive Yet Utterly Disposable Love Interest. Streep will have none of that. The once-awkward, frizzy-haired suburban teen blossomed into a rising ingénue on the stage at Vassar College and the Yale School of Drama. She came of age during the women's movement of the '60s and '70s, and has worn her activism on her sleeve even when it was unfashionable. When she reached 40, the age when many leading ladies fade away, Streep plunged forward, taking her pick of parts that interested her and winning a pile of awards along the way. Meanwhile, she remained an unlikely box-office draw, her clout even managing to grow with age: The Devil Wears Prada, starring Streep as the Anna Wintour avatar Miranda Priestly, scored $326 million worldwide. Journalist and author Erin Carlson documents all of Streep's Oscars, accents, causes, memes, friendships, and feuds; also exploring the "off-brand" forays into action-adventure (The River Wild) and musicals (Mamma Mia!), and how Streep managed to sneak her feminism into each character. In the spirit of nontraditional bestsellers like Notorious RBG and The Tao of Bill Murray, Queen Meryl is illustrated by artist Justin Teodoro and filled with fascinating lists and sidebars, delivering joy in homage to its unique and brilliant subject.

Many constraints upon REDD policies' ability to reduce forest loss are common across settings, inherent in the fact that agents making key choices respond also to other factors that influence the overall incentive to clear or to degrade a forest instead of conserving it. The record is mixed, at best, with regard to past public interventions to reduce forest loss, signaling the need to disseminate and to improve conceptual models of policy responses. We summarize 3 distinct models employed by economists to assess policy effectiveness: (1) producer profit maximization in choosing spatial extent and distribution of land uses, given complete markets; (2) rural household optimization given both incomplete markets and varied household assets and tastes; and (3) public optimization within interconnected choices about concessions, corruption and decentralization, all important for degradation ('D ' in REDD). Each model's perspective on impact leads to a review of the evidence. We consider the impacts of forest-conservation and forest-relevant-development policies for the settings and decisions, and at the scales, for which each of the models best applies. Theory and evidence suggest options to increase the impacts of domestic REDD policies.

It's time for a magical mystery tour.... Explore new worlds of enchantment in this special boxed set of paranormal cozies from USA Today and national bestselling authors! This collection features more than half a million words of cozy goodness, with everything from talking cats to crime-solving witches, sleuthing psychics, and much, much more! This set includes the following books: Caffeine Before Curses - Christine Pope High Noon - S.E. Biglow Mystic Pieces - Ada Bell Of Potions and Portents - Nyx Halliwell Pawsitively Poisonous - Melissa Erin Jackson Dead Even - Patti Larsen The Guest Is a Goner - Carly Winter The Psychic Cat Mysteries - SM Reine Adventures of a Vegan Vamp - Cate Lawley Hazard in Hawaii - Heather Silvio