Posts Tagged ‘urbanization’

Spotlight #59 – Shifting forest development discourses

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Conservation provides employment for local inhabitants at Dzanga Ndoki National Park, Central African Republic. ©Peter Prokosch, http://www.grida.no/resources/1516

Many centuries ago, a Greek philosopher noted that change is the only constant in life.

And change is brought about, in many instances, through discourse.

Discourse has been described in part as: “an ensemble of ideas, concepts and categories through which meaning is given to social and physical phenomena…”

According to this definition, discourse refers to a particular set of related ideas, which are shared, debated and communicated using different formats.

Through various discourses, we can discover fresh information and be introduced to new and different perspectives. We are able to gain experience and insight. As a result, our thinking, our attitudes, and our approaches toward various issues can evolve and change.

Certainly the ways in which forests are viewed, managed and developed have changed as the discourses concerning them have evolved. Read more…

Interview with Professor Makoto Yokohari Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Japan

Keynote speaker at the IUFRO Regional Congress for Asia and Oceania – Forests for Sustainable Development: The Role of Research


The Role of Forests in Urban Green Spaces

interview-keynote-yokohari-portrait

Professor Makoto Yokohari, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Japan

Professor Yokohari, landscape and urban planning, urban ecology, and ecological landscape design are at the core of your academic interests. The IUFRO Regional Congress for Asia and Oceania draws attention to the particular role that forests play for the sustainable development in urban and peri-urban areas and has identified “Urban forestry for human health and community well-being” as one of its key themes.

Q: Urban green spaces have significantly gained in importance worldwide in view of rapid urbanization of society and the development of megacities. What are the major benefits of urban green spaces in general?

A: Three clusters of ecological functions, or benefits, can be listed, which are “human comfort”, “conservation of physical environment” and “conservation of biological environment”. The first cluster includes functions as landscape conservation and recreational uses, the second includes microclimate control and water retention, and the third includes conservation of ecosystems and biodiversity. Read more…

IUFRO - The International Union of Forest Research Organizations