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This social normalization of public issues may assist government policy and influence the social views, practices, and behaviors that adopt the policy (Surel [57]). This influence on social norms not only influence our daily practices, but can also influence government policy (Surel [57]) by creating a legitimacy capital for governments to pursue new solutions (Hanberger [28]). First, historical timelines not only reduce psychological uncertainty on whether the intended solutions might work, but also increase public and government confidence in the value of the policy investment. Hence, historical storylines are useful tools for government when seeking public support or stakeholder education, both being key to legitimizing government action (Dryzek et al. [16]). [Extracted from the article]

Ecotourism is developing rapidly in biodiversity hotspots worldwide, but there is limited and mixed empirical evidence that ecotourism achieves positive biodiversity outcomes. We assessed whether ecotourism influenced forest loss rates and trajectories from 2000 to 2017 in Himalayan temperate forests. We compared forest loss in 15 ecotourism hubs with nonecotourism areas in 4 Himalayan countries. We used matching statistics to control for local‐level determinants of forest loss, for example, population density, market access, and topography. None of the ecotourism hubs was free of forest loss, and we found limited evidence that forest‐loss trajectories in ecotourism hubs were different from those in nonecotourism areas. In Nepal and Bhutan, differences in forest loss rates between ecotourism hubs and matched nonecotourism areas did not differ significantly, and the magnitude of the estimated effect was small. In India, where overall forest loss rates were the lowest of any country in our analysis, forest loss rates were higher in ecotourism hubs than in matched nonecotourism areas. In contrast, in China, where overall forest loss rates were highest, forest loss rates were lower in ecotourism hubs than where there was no ecotourism. Our results suggest that the success of ecotourism as a forest conservation strategy, as it is currently practiced in the Himalaya, is context dependent. In a region with high deforestation pressures, ecotourism may be a relatively environmentally friendly form of economic development relative to other development strategies. However, ecotourism may stimulate forest loss in regions where deforestation rates are low. Article impact statement: Whether ecotourism protects forests is context dependent, and an important factor is the deforestation pressure overall on the landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, deforestation continues, and although protected areas effectively protect forests, the majority of forests are not in protected areas. Thus, how effective are different management regimes to avoid deforestation in non-protected forests? We sought to assess the effectiveness of different national forest-management regimes to safeguard forests outside protected areas. We compared 2000-2014 deforestation rates across the temperate forests of 5 countries in the Himalaya (Bhutan, Nepal, China, India, and Myanmar) of which 13% are protected. We reviewed the literature to characterize forest management regimes in each country and conducted a quasi-experimental analysis to measure differences in deforestation of unprotected forests among countries and states in India. Countries varied in both overarching forest-management goals and specific tenure arrangements and policies for unprotected forests, from policies emphasizing economic development to those focused on forest conservation. Deforestation rates differed up to 1.4% between countries, even after accounting for local determinants of deforestation, such as human population density, market access, and topography. The highest deforestation rates were associated with forest policies aimed at maximizing profits and unstable tenure regimes. Deforestation in national forest-management regimes that emphasized conservation and community management were relatively low. In India results were consistent with the national-level results. We interpreted our results in the context of the broader literature on decentralized, community-based natural resource management, and our findings emphasize that the type and quality of community-based forestry programs and the degree to which they are oriented toward sustainable use rather than economic development are important for forest protection. Our cross-national results are consistent with results from site- and regional-scale studies that show forest-management regimes that ensure stable land tenure and integrate local-livelihood benefits with forest conservation result in the best forest outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) can enhance conservation of biodiversity in North America by increasing its engagement in public policy. Toward this end, the North America Section of SCB is establishing partnerships with other professional organizations in order to speak more powerfully to decision makers and taking other actions—such as increasing interaction with chapters—geared to engage members more substantively in science-policy issues. Additionally, the section is developing a North American Biodiversity Blueprint, which spans the continental United States and Canada and is informed by natural and social science. This blueprint is intended to clarify the policy challenges for protecting continental biodiversity, to foster bilateral collaboration to resolve common problems, and to suggest rational alternative policies and practices that are more likely than current practices to sustain North America's natural heritage. Conservation scientists and practitioners can play a key role by drawing policy makers' attention to ultimate, as well as proximate, causes of biodiversity decline and to the ecological and economic consequences of not addressing these threats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the question of a conservation biologist's role between providing value-neutral science in land use projects or honoring a commitment to save biological diversity. The author proposes 10 rules of conduct to deal with the dilemma, including limiting advice to matters of scientific knowledge, conducting analyses that are transparent to an informed public, careful weighing and prioritizing of data based on their reliability and means of collection, considering time and spatial contexts, and clarifying to participants that attorney-client does not extend to data or conclusions drawn from it.

The article presents the actions of Abraham Lincoln in trying to address the issue of slavery in the U.S. as an example of how this generation should try to establish the foundation for solving the various problems related to sustainability so that they might someday be resolved. Lincoln understood the importance of maintaining the larger framework in which the lesser problem of defining the specific issues might proceed with sufficient deliberation. Lincoln has also demonstrated the importance of the qualities of clarity, courage, humor, generosity, kindness and wisdom.

Many developing countries experience habitat degradation and unsustainable natural resource exploitation, with biodiversity and habitat conservation efforts often impeded by political instability and limited funding. Challenges in previous conservation efforts coupled with the current rate of marine habitat degradation and species declines warrant consideration of an innovative conservation approach. Co-management of protected areas addresses biological, cultural, economic, and political concerns and empowers communities through collaboration and integration in conservation efforts. It provides flexibility for adaptive practices to address underlying socioeconomic factors affecting conservation efforts and may compensate for limited or missing scientific data. The ecosystems of the Comoros Islands in the West Indian Ocean, a biodiversity hotspot with high endemism and diverse tropical marine habitats, are adversely affected by existing ecological, socioeconomic, and political conditions. Mohéli Marine Park was designed to address threats to the marine environment and is a model for co-management practices. We conducted a year-long evaluation of the park implementation process, including community and fisher participation. After 3 years of operation with 80% local community control, the park maintains a small staff to monitor sea turtle nesting beaches, reef health, fisheries, and uninhabited islets and to guide ecotourists and educate visitors. Our analysis revealed successes and shortcomings of the co-management approach. Successes included local communities empowered to participate in natural resource management, increased local involvement in conservation initiatives, and use of traditional knowledge when scientific information was unavailable. The Comoros example also illustrates that co-management is not immune to social issues, inadequate government law enforcement, or political instability and is an incomplete substitute for sound science. Lessons learned are applicable elsewhere and offer a template for effective scientific research and monitoring, policy making, and management of protected areas in developing nations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental policy makers are embracing consensus-based approaches to environmental decision making in an attempt to enhance public participation in conservation and facilitate the potentially incompatible goals of environmental protection and economic growth. Although such approaches may produce positive results in immediate spatial and temporal contexts and under some forms of governance, their overuse has potentially dangerous implications for conservation within many democratic societies. We suggest that environmental decision making rooted in consensus theory leads to the dilution of socially powerful conservation metaphors and legitimizes current power relationships rooted in unsustainable social constructions of reality. We also suggest an argumentative model of environmental decision making rooted in ecology will facilitate progressive environmental policy by placing the environmental agenda on firmer epistemological ground and legitimizing challenges to current power hegemonies that dictate unsustainable practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the aim of the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) as proclaimed by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the United Nations. It states that the scheme offers a major opportunity to mobilize action, influence decision makers, and elevate biological diversity on top of a country's political agenda. It adds that the CBD aims to increase awareness of the value of biological diversity to humans and the unpleasant consequences of its loss, but awareness is envisioned as a step toward demanding action.

The article focuses on the environmental policies characterized by regulatory thresholds in ecosystems in the U.S. The author emphasizes that ecological thresholds must not be exceeded toward the high-impact end of ecological continua to promote total environmental activities and prevent ecosystems. Additional environmental management tools are required to avoid an ecological threshold based on excessive sedimentation and profound loss of water quality. Conservation Reserves Program imposed by the Department of Agriculture offers incentive programs to achieve water quality, air quality and wildlife conservation.

The article responds to the paper "Framing Sustainability," by David Orr in this issue. It is agreed that Abraham Lincoln is an excellent example of the ways and means by which a leader causes change. It is pointed out that the issue of sustainability is best framed as a comprehensive change in people's habits, lifestyles and values. Like the issue of slavery, sustainability is concerned with the way of life and of creating wealth. Thus, it will require people to develop a new culture. This will be a difficult task because there is wide gap between the culture of growth and the culture of limits.

The article focuses on the importance of implementing the payments for reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) scheme to reduce forest loss and carbon emissions. It states that the scheme will provide financial incentives for developing countries to address the problems associated with deforestation. If implemented, it suggests that REDD could generate up to 13 billion dollars annually for the improved management and conservation of tropical forests. It also notes that a REDD mechanism could place the first widespread restrictions on tropical forest conversion.

The article responds to the paper "Framing Sustainability," by David Orr in this issue. Orr is right in claiming that the peoples of the world are now engaged in a discussion about the issues on sustainability and that no national leader has yet provided the framework for an appropriate vision of sustainability. However, this is not merely a conversation. This is a fight because many of those who are against it wield great power. The actions in the U.S. Senate regarding legislation affecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge whereby the proposal to allow oil drilling in the refuge has not been allowed to pass will reverberate throughout history.