Two PhD positions available in forest productivity and insect biodiversity
in boreal mixedwood forests of Northwestern Quebec.
Ecosystem management has often been advocated as a means to maintain
healthy, productive forests while protecting forest biodiversity. Much of
this approach relies on partial cutting, whereby trees are left after
harvest to maintain canopy cover, provide a future supply of deadwood and
protect biodiversity which may be otherwise lost through more intensive
clearcut harvesting. In the boreal context, partial cutting has also been
advocated as a means to accelerate forest succession and introduce
old-growth attributes in managed forests. However, whether partial cutting
achieves these ends and is capable of maintaining forest biodiversity over
extended periods has yet to be verified.
We are looking for motivated candidates for two PhD positions examining the
effects of partial cutting 20 years post-harvest on forest productivity and
biodiversity in boreal mixedwood forests of Northwestern Quebec. The work
will take place at project SAFE in the Lac Duparquet Research and Teaching
Forest. SAFE is a replicated experiment designed to test novel silvicultural
approaches across a variety of boreal stand types which has amassed 20 years
of detailed data on recovery of forest structure, productivity and insect
and plant communities.
PhD 1 will focus on evaluating forest productivity and stand structure 20
years post-harvest. Candidates for this position should have experience in
forest ecology and soil science. This position will be based at the
Institute for Forest Research (IRF) at Université of Québec à
Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT) in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec. UQAT offers financial
aid to international students. Rouyn-Noranda has ready access to outdoor
activities (canoeing, camping, skiing) as well as a cultural center of
northwestern Quebec hosting such events as the World Guitar Festival and the
Emergent Music Festival.
PhD 2 will focus on evaluating long-term recovery of litter arthropod
biodiversity (beetles and spiders) 20 years post-harvest. Candidates for the
position should have experience with taxonomy of ground beetles, spider or
rove beetles. Experience in multivariate community analysis is also
desirable. This position will be based at the Université of Québec à
Montréal (UQAM) in Montreal Quebec. UQAM is among the largest universities
in Quebec and has recently been ranked 6th in the world for research in
forestry and forest ecology. UQAM also offers financial aid to international
students. Montreal is culturally rich yet one of Canadas most affordable
cities.
Both candidates should have strong writing skills and the capacity to work
independently and in teams. Both positions will enjoy benefits as members of
Chair in Sustainable Forest Management ( <http://chaireafd.uqat.ca/>
http://chaireafd.uqat.ca/) and the Center for Forest Studies (
<http://www.cef-cfr.ca/> http://www.cef-cfr.ca/) These organizations
provide opportunities for inter-university collaboration, travel funds and
access to research professionals in GIS, advanced statistics and database
management.
Both positions come with a stipend of 20,000$/year for three years.
To apply please send a CV, letter of motivation, transcripts and names of
two references to Benoit Lafleur ( <mailto:benoit.lafleur@uqat.ca>
benoit.lafleur(a)uqat.ca) or Tim Work ( <mailto:work.timothy@uqam.ca>
work.timothy(a)uqam.ca) before 15 March, 2018.
**********************************************
posted on behalf of Tim Work by Brigitte Burger, IUFRO Headquarters
De la part de Center for International Forestry Research
Envoyé : jeudi 18 janvier 2018 12:34
Objet : News: Protected areas most threatened by overexploitation and human
activity
<http://mailchi.mp/cgiar.org/1rbdb00kgr-446513?e=42d7655f34> View it in
your browser.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Protected areas threatened by overexploitation and human activity, study
finds
<https://gallery.mailchimp.com/68cb62552ce24ab3c280248d7/images/a7528eca-bb7
4-411f-bad5-9e6f338a546c.jpg>
Hunting instruments seized by forest guards in the village of Pona in the
Tumba–Lediima Reserve, Democratic Republic of Congo (Photo: Ollivier
Girard/CIFOR).
Bogor (Indonesia) – January 18, 2018
Protected areas across the world are most threatened by unsustainable
resource use and human disturbance,
<https://cifor.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=68cb62552ce24ab3c280248d7&i
d=2ad38f1e52&e=42d7655f34> a new study has found.
The authors of this paper,
<https://cifor.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=68cb62552ce24ab3c280248d7&i
d=cd40a535a7&e=42d7655f34> published this week in Conservation Letters,
looked at data from nearly 2,000 terrestrial protected areas to identify the
most common threats they face. Unsustainable hunting and negative impacts
from recreational activities were the most commonly reported threats by
protected area managers, occurring in 61% and 55% of all protected areas
considered in the study.
There were distinct geographical differences in where these threats occur
between developing and developed countries. Protected areas also reported
higher risk from threats if they were in countries that suffered from
corruption and had a lower Human Development Index (HDI) score.
Threats from overexploitation, in particular hunting, were most prevalent in
developing countries, where local communities in and around protected areas
depend on hunting and resource collection for their livelihoods.
“Wildmeat hunting has provided an important source of food and income for
local communities for millennia. However, in many areas hunting levels are
now unsustainable, negatively impacting biodiversity and the rural
communities which depend on it,” remarked Lauren Coad, one of the authors of
the paper and a Research Associate at CIFOR. This has been a result of
increasing human populations, demand from urban centers and improved access
to once remote areas, Coad pointed out.
According to Coad, potential solutions may include reducing the demand for
wildmeat in cities, where it is not generally an essential component of
diets; the provision of alternatives to wildmeat in provincial towns, such
as domestic chicken and other livestock; and the sustainable management of
wildmeat use and trade in rural areas. “Around protected areas, it will
often involve collaborative co-management of wildlife resources between
local communities and protected area managers.”
In developed countries, threats were more likely from human disturbance
through recreational activities, such as off-road vehicle access,
cross-country skiing, mountain biking or hiking. These geographically
distinct threats highlight the need for different solutions on the ground,
including ensuring sustainable livelihoods for local communities and better
management of visitor activities in protected areas.
Assessing threats at eye level
The paper highlights that the most serious threats to protected areas are
difficult to monitor using remote sensing techniques, such as satellite
images, and reinforces the importance of collecting information from
managers of protected areas and other experts.
Neil Burgess, an author of the paper and Head of the Science Programme at
the UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC),
highlighted the importance of monitoring biodiversity on the ground.
“While advances in technology have led to important steps forward in our
knowledge of the human impacts on global biodiversity, such as forest loss
or changes in the extent of sea ice, it cannot replace the experience of
managers of protected areas and local communities, who have in-depth
knowledge of local threats to biodiversity and how these can be managed,”
Burgess explained. “We need to make sure that this knowledge and experience
is collated and used alongside more easily accessible data such as satellite
imagery.”
_____
RELATED RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS:
Schulze K, Knights K, Coad L, et al. An assessment of threats to terrestrial
protected areas. Conservation Letters. 2018;e12435.
<https://cifor.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=68cb62552ce24ab3c280248d7&i
d=eaae89cca3&e=42d7655f34> https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12435
INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES:
Lauren Coad, Research Associate, CIFOR
FOR MORE INFORMATION, OR TO ARRANGE INTERVIEWS, CONTACT THE MEDIA TEAM:
Rodrigo Ordóñez, Media Outreach, CIFOR. <mailto:r.ordonez@cgiar.org>
r.ordonez(a)cgiar.org, +62 82124935323
ABOUT CIFOR:
The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) advances human
well-being, equity and environmental integrity by conducting innovative
research, developing partners’ capacity and actively engaging in dialogue
with all stakeholders to inform policies and practices that affect forests
and people. CIFOR is a CGIAR Research Center, and leads the CGIAR Research
Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA). Our headquarters are in
Bogor, Indonesia, with offices in Nairobi, Kenya; Yaounde, Cameroon; and
Lima, Peru.
<https://cifor.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=68cb62552ce24ab3c280248d7&i
d=03ce077908&e=42d7655f34> www.cifor.org
This research is supported by USAID, Villum Fonden and Danmarks
Grundforskningsfond.
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Dear all
As announced already the call for session is open. Then the best way to
begin the year is planning to attend a great IUFRO Conference in Argentina
in forested landscapes
Get ready then to be next October in Posadas!
Please visit the website with the preliminary information:
<http://iufro2018posadas.com/> http://iufro2018posadas.com/
October 1-5 Posadas, Argentina
Please spread the news in your networks!
This conference will highlight accelerated changes imprinted in our planet
within the Anthropocene. Transformation of forest use that is occurring in
response to the pressures of globalization, population growth, resource
scarcity and ecological degradation are part of the BIG challenges ahead.
Biodiversity is essential to human well-being, but people have been reducing
biodiversity throughout human history. Loss of species and degradation of
ecosystems are likely to further accelerate in the coming years.
Nonetheless, global goals to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss have
mostly not been achieved. It is essential to take into account ecological,
economic and functional values of the landscape to improve planning and
decision-making. Operational solutions are needed to reconciling
biodiversity conservation in the light of increasing demands of natural
resources and land.
Within the framework of this Conference will focus on key topics to assess
problems but also to find solutions towards a better future of forested
landscapes
Call for sessions and Forums is open NOW
http://iufro2018posadas.com/call-for-sessions-and-forums/
Please see information attach. and visit the site for further details
Call for abstracts will be launched end of February
Please note also the call for discussion forums on "Challenges of
sustainable development: implications for the future of forests and forested
landscapes" Looking forward for original ideas on knowledge sharing!
See you all this year in Argentina!
My warmest wishes
Sandra Luque for the Scientific Committee
IUFRO Officer
***************************
Sandra S. Luque (PhD, HDR)
Director of Research at IRSTEA
UMR TETIS Land, environment, remote sensing and spatial information
500 rue JF BRETON
Montpellier 34000, France
https://www.teledetection.fr/
Looking forward to see you: <http://iufro2018posadas.com/>
http://iufro2018posadas.com/
New Virtual Special Issue, here:
http://explore.tandfonline.com/page/est/tbsm-vsi-ecosystem-services-nexus-th
inking/
Dear colleagues and friends,
As you know I will be leading Division 8 along with Jean Michel Carnus,
Alexia Stokes from France and Shirong Liu from China. It will be a huge
challenge to keep the Division as active as it has been over the years with
the great commitment from Jean Michel and the experience from Shirong. I
take this responsibility as a great honour and I will do my best to ensure
success and joy for our IUFRO community.
It seems that in 2018 will strengthen connections with South America which
is great in order to be better prepared for our next IUFRO WC in Curitiba
(2019).
This year we have already a conference on forest and water in Valdivia,
Chile and a conference on
<https://www.iufro.org/download/file/27852/3483/posadas18-flyer_jpg/>
Adaptive Management for Forested Landscapes in Transformation in Posadas,
Argentina. Moving towards the North of the Americas will have the
<http://www.cef-cfr.ca/index.php?n=Colloque.NAFSC-ISFS2018> North American
Forest Soils Conference - for details:
https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-8/80000/activities/
I take the opportunity to remind everybody to keep the secretariat updated
if you are planning an event so it can be listed at the "IUFRO activities
and events" and also promoted by our social media channels.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you do have questions, concerns but
also ideas that can enhance our community. I am looking forward working with
you all, wishing you a great 2018 full of personal and professional
success.
My warmest wishes
On behalf of IUFRO Division 8,
Sandra Luque
*****************************
Dr Sandra S. Luque
Director of Research at IRSTEA
National Research Institute of Science and Technology for Environment and
Agriculture
UMR TETIS Land, environment, remote sensing and spatial information
500 rue JF BRETON
Montpellier 34000, France
https://www.teledetection.fr/
ES Virtual Special Issue:
http://explore.tandfonline.com/page/est/tbsm-vsi-ecosystem-services-nexus-th
inking/
New books accessible in pdf format for free:
The biodiversity sourcebook: GEO BON website:
<http://geobon.org/products/books/> http://geobon.org/products/books/
Mapping Ecosystem services: <http://ab.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=12837>
http://ab.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=12837
