Eastern Kentucky University

How Effective Are Deforestation Mitigation Strategies? Case Studies in Three Rain Forests

Institution

Eastern Kentucky University

Abstract

The diverse applications of geographic analysis to modern issues is highlighted in two projects at different scales – one focusing on small communities, the other at the scale of the world’s rainforests. The first compares the “growth readiness” of five communities along Kentucky’s I-75 corridor using Committed Lands Analysis” – a technique developed specifically to help small towns make long-range planning decisions at relatively low costs. The communities of Georgetown, Richmond, Berea, London, and Corbin are different in many respects, including size, physical and economic characteristics, and sources of their growth demands. The study will determine whether committed lands analysis can be used in all small Kentucky towns, or if it is appropriate only for communities with particular growth patterns or socioeconomic or demographic characteristics. The second study compares the mitigation strategies currently employed in several nations to combat tropical rainforest deforestation. Deforestation is widely recognized as a hindrance to scientific progress, a hazard to natural ecosystems, and a potential contributor to global warming. But while the dangers are widely known, deforestation continues – often for very logical social and economic reasons, including stabilizing agricultural and timber industries in many countries, and providing much-need income for their citizens. The mitigation strategies of nations in Amazonia, Indonesia, and the Congo River Basin will be compared. The researchers will identify the policies that appear to be strongest and most effective, but will also examine the social, economic and political factors that may explain why some nations’ policies are weaker than others.

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How Effective Are Deforestation Mitigation Strategies? Case Studies in Three Rain Forests

The diverse applications of geographic analysis to modern issues is highlighted in two projects at different scales – one focusing on small communities, the other at the scale of the world’s rainforests. The first compares the “growth readiness” of five communities along Kentucky’s I-75 corridor using Committed Lands Analysis” – a technique developed specifically to help small towns make long-range planning decisions at relatively low costs. The communities of Georgetown, Richmond, Berea, London, and Corbin are different in many respects, including size, physical and economic characteristics, and sources of their growth demands. The study will determine whether committed lands analysis can be used in all small Kentucky towns, or if it is appropriate only for communities with particular growth patterns or socioeconomic or demographic characteristics. The second study compares the mitigation strategies currently employed in several nations to combat tropical rainforest deforestation. Deforestation is widely recognized as a hindrance to scientific progress, a hazard to natural ecosystems, and a potential contributor to global warming. But while the dangers are widely known, deforestation continues – often for very logical social and economic reasons, including stabilizing agricultural and timber industries in many countries, and providing much-need income for their citizens. The mitigation strategies of nations in Amazonia, Indonesia, and the Congo River Basin will be compared. The researchers will identify the policies that appear to be strongest and most effective, but will also examine the social, economic and political factors that may explain why some nations’ policies are weaker than others.