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Abstract Tropical peat swamp forests provide many important ecosystem services, especially their function as global carbon sinks. These carbon‐rich wetlands are widespread in South America, yet few studies have examined carbon stocks or losses due to land use change. In the lower Amazon, they are being converted to pastures largely utilized by domestic water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis). We quantified carbon stocks in intact peat forests and recently converted pastures (

Abstract The Legal Amazon of Brazil holds vast mangrove forests, but a lack of awareness of their value has prevented their inclusion into results-based payments established by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Based on an inventory from over 190 forest plots in Amazon mangroves, we estimate total ecosystem carbon stocks of 468 ± 67 Megagrams (Mg) ha−1; which are significantly higher than Brazilian upland biomes currently included into national carbon offset financing. Conversion of mangroves results in potential emissions of 1228 Mg CO2e ha−1, which are 3-fold higher than land use emissions from conversion of the Amazon rainforest. Our work provides the foundation for the inclusion of mangroves in Brazil’s intended Nationally Determined Contribution, and here we show that halting mangrove deforestation in the Legal Amazon would generate avoided emissions of 0.9 ± 0.3 Teragrams (Tg) CO2e yr−1; which is equivalent to the annual carbon accumulation in 82,400 ha of secondary forests.

Kalimantan, the Indonesian portion of the Island of Borneo, has an estimated 45,000 km2 of tropical peatland and represents one of the largest stocks of tropical peat carbon. However, over the last three decades, the peatlands of Indonesia, and Kalimantan in particular, have been heavily degraded or destroyed by drainage of peatland swamps, deforestation, land cover change for agriculture, and intentional burning. Many studies have examined degradation of peat forests and the associated frequency of fires, often focusing on specific regions of Kalimantan over limited periods. Here, we present our results of a spatially comprehensive, long-term analysis of peatland fires in Kalimantan over more than two decades from early 2001 to the end of 2021. We examined the effects of changing climate conditions, land cover change, and the regulatory framework on the total burned area and frequency and severity of peatland fires over a 21-year period by combining extensive datasets of medium-resolution and high-resolution satellite imagery. Moreover, surface fire intensity was modeled for four dominant land use/land cover types to determine how land use change alters fire behavior. Our results confirm a consistent and strong spatiotemporal correlation between hydro-climatological drivers associated with El Niño conditions on peatland fire frequencies and burned peatland area. Changes in the number of fires and burn severity are visible over time and are caused by a combination of large-scale meteorological patterns and changing regulations. A significant relative increase of the “high” and “very high” severity across all peatland fires in Kalimantan was found for the latest period from 2015 through 2021 by 12.1 and 13.4%, compared to the two previous 7-year periods from 2001 to 2007 period and from 2008 to 2014, respectively, whereas the total peatland area burned decreased in 2015 to 2021 by 28.7% on average compared to the previous periods. The results underline the importance of a comprehensive approach considering physical aspects of overarching climate conditions while improving political and regulatory frameworks to mitigate the negative effects of burning tropical peatlands.

Abstract Riparian zones are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the Intermountain West, USA, and provide valuable ecosystem services, including high rates of biotic productivity, nutrient processing, and carbon storage. Thus, their sustainability is a high priority for land managers. Large ungulates affect composition and structure of riparian/stream ecosystems through herbivory and physical effects, via trailing and trampling. Bison (Bison bison) in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) have been characterized as “ecosystem engineers” because of their demonstrated effects on phenology, aboveground productivity of grasses, and woody vegetation structure. Bison have greatly increased in numbers during the last two decades and spend large periods of time in the broad open floodplains of the Northern Range of the Park, where they are hypothesized to have multiple effects on plant species composition and diversity. We sampled indicators of bison use as well as riparian vegetation composition, diversity, and structure along eight headwater streams within YNP's Northern Range. Total fecal density ranged from 333 to 1833 fecal chips and/or piles/ha, stubble heights ranged from 7 to 49 cm, and streambank disturbance ranged from 9% to 62%. High levels of bison use were positively correlated with exotic species dominance and negatively correlated with species richness, native species diversity, willow (Salix spp.) cover, and wetland species dominance. At three sites, the intensity of bison use exceeded recommended utilization thresholds to avoid degradation of streams and riparian zones on public lands. The influences of large herbivores, principally bison, on vegetation composition and structure suggest the cumulative effects of the current densities on the Northern Range are contributing to biotic impoverishment, representing the loss of ecosystem services that are provided by native riparian plant communities. In addition, contemporary levels of bison use may be exacerbating climate change effects as observed through ungulate‐related shifts in composition toward plant assemblages adapted to warmer and drier conditions. However, the resilience of native riparian vegetation suggests that sites currently heavily utilized by bison would have the potential for recovery with a reduction in pressure by this herbivore.

Families are critical partners in addressing chronic absenteeism. Drawing from research, authors Thomas J. Capretta, Jingyang (Max) Zhang, and Barbara J. Boone present four throughlines and six strategies for schools to improve attendance by building trust and partnering with families. In view of chronic absenteeism's association with negative academic and life outcomes and disproportionate impact on underserved student populations, addressing absenteeism with families as partners is essential in building shared expectations and identifying unique solutions to unique barriers. The authors outline practical, accessible, and research-informed guidance for schools to tackle the persistent challenge of student attendance in education through high-quality partnerships with parents and community members.

This essay summarizes the literature on the differences in perceptions between adolescent students and parents of parental involvement in education and discusses how such different perceptions are linked to students' academic achievement and other outcomes. We present psychological research on why students' perceptions of parental involvement are stronger predictors of academic outcomes than parents' perceptions. We then highlight empowering student voice as a strategy to improve parental involvement and school-family partnership practices, programs, and policies. Research on student-led parent-teacher conferences is discussed as a real-world example of students actively engaging in school-family interactions. We recommend evidence-based strategies that school leaders and teachers can use to support students in playing an active role in improving school-family partnerships. We conclude by describing gaps in existing research that will benefit from future research on the topic.

Riparian ecosystem restoration has been accomplished through exclusion of livestock using corridor fencing along hundreds of kilometers of streams in the western United States, for the benefit of riparian-obligate wildlife and endangered fishes. Yet, there are limited scientific studies that have evaluated more than short-term shifts in vegetation composition and diversity at a single location or handful of locations following grazing. We sampled riparian vegetation composition along 11-paired grazed and ungrazed (exclosed) stream reaches in northeastern Oregon. Exclosure ages ranged from 2 to >30 years and grazing treatments varied from light grazing every one out of three years to heavy season-long grazing. Species richness and diversity was higher in the ungrazed reaches (p = 0.002). The abundance of native sedges (Carex spp.) and broad-leaved forbs were also significantly (p ≤ 0.05) greater in ungrazed areas. In contrast, exotic species adapted to grazing such as Poa pratensis and Trifolium repens were more abundant in grazed stream reaches. The prevalence of hydrophytic species significantly increased (p ≤ 0.01) in ungrazed reaches, (based on wetland species indicator scores), indicating that wetland-dominated communities within the ungrazed stream reaches were replacing ones adapted to drier environments. The increased abundance of facultative and wetland-obligate species in ungrazed reaches compared to grazed reaches suggests that livestock grazing exacerbates those climate change effects also leading to warmer and drier conditions. Further, riparian-obligate shrub cover along the streambank was higher in 7 of 8 exclosures that were older than 5 years (p = 0.05). As a restoration approach, the inherent resilience of riparian ecosystems exhibited in ungrazed riparian zones suggest positive feedbacks to other beneficial ecosystem processes such as increased species and habitat diversity, increased carbon sequestration, enhanced allochthonous inputs and greater sediment retention, that would affect the aquatic and terrestrial biota, water quality, and stream morphology.

Abstract The structure and composition of sagebrush‐dominated ecosystems have been altered by changes in fire regimes, land use, invasive species, and climate change. This often decreases resilience to disturbance and degrades critical habitat for species of conservation concern. Basin big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. tridentata) ecosystems, in particular, are greatly reduced in distribution as land has been converted to agriculture and other land uses. The fire regime, relative proportions of shrub and grassland patches, and the effects of repeated burns in this ecosystem are poorly understood. We quantified postfire patterns of vegetation accumulation and modeled potential fire behavior on sites that were burned and first measured in the late 1980s at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon, USA. The area partially reburned 11 yr after the initial fire, allowing a comparison of one vs. two fires. Repeated burns shifted composition from shrub‐dominated to prolonged native herbaceous dominance. Fifteen years following one fire, the native‐dominated herbaceous component was 44% and live shrubs were 39% of total aboveground biomass. Aboveground biomass of twice‐burned sites (2xB; burned 26 and 15 yr prior) was 71% herbaceous and 12% shrub. Twenty‐six years after fire, total aboveground biomass was 113–209% of preburn levels, suggesting a fire‐return interval of 15–25 yr. Frequency and density of Pseudoroegneria spicata and Festuca idahoensis were not modified by fire history, but Poa secunda was reduced by repeated fire, occurring in 84% of plots burned 26 yr prior, 72% of plots burned 15 yr prior, and 49% in 2xB plots. Nonnative annual Bromus tectorum occurred at a frequency of 74%, but at low density with no differences due to fire history. Altered vegetation structure modified fire behavior, with modeled rates of fire spread in 2xB sites double that of once‐burned sites. This suggests that these systems likely were historically composed of a mosaic of shrub and grassland. However, contemporary increases in fire frequency will likely create positive feedbacks of more intense fire behavior and prolonged periods of early‐successional vegetation in basin big sagebrush communities.

Thomas J. Capretta, Jingyang (Max) Zhang, Eric M. Anderman, and Barbara J. Boone revisit Joyce Epstein's 1995 Kappan article on overlapping spheres of influence and family-school partnerships. They highlight one idea from the article that has been largely overlooked -- the role of student voice and leadership. To refocus researchers' and practitioners' attention to the role of students in family and community partnership, they synthesize existing research to elaborate on Epstein's original models and ideas. They provide three levels of research-based, practical recommendations for districts and schools to elevate student roles and cultivate student leadership in family-school engagement efforts. Finally, they illustrate what these practices look like in schools using an Ohio school district as an example.

Abstract Background A large proportion of the world’s tropical peatlands occur in Indonesia where rapid conversion and associated losses of carbon, biodiversity and ecosystem services have brought peatland management to the forefront of Indonesia’s climate mitigation efforts. We evaluated peat volume from two commonly referenced maps of peat distribution and depth published by Wetlands International (WI) and the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), and used regionally specific values of carbon density to calculate carbon stocks. Results Peatland extent and volume published in the MoA maps are lower than those in the WI maps, resulting in lower estimates of carbon storage. We estimate Indonesia’s total peat carbon store to be within 13.6 GtC (the low MoA map estimate) and 40.5 GtC (the high WI map estimate) with a best estimate of 28.1 GtC: the midpoint of medium carbon stock estimates derived from WI (30.8 GtC) and MoA (25.3 GtC) maps. This estimate is about half of previous assessments which used an assumed average value of peat thickness for all Indonesian peatlands, and revises the current global tropical peat carbon pool to 75 GtC. Yet, these results do not diminish the significance of Indonesia’s peatlands, which store an estimated 30% more carbon than the biomass of all Indonesian forests. The largest discrepancy between maps is for the Papua province, which accounts for 62–71% of the overall differences in peat area, volume and carbon storage. According to the MoA map, 80% of Indonesian peatlands are

Tropical peat swamp forests provide many important ecosystem services, especially their function as global carbon sinks. These carbon‐rich wetlands are widespread in South America, yet few studies have examined carbon stocks or losses due to land use change. In the lower Amazon, they are being converted to pastures largely utilized by domestic water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis). We quantified carbon stocks in intact peat forests and recently converted pastures (<10 years) at the Lago Piratuba Biosphere Reserve (LPBR) in the lower Amazon of Brazil. The soils of intact forests were typified by shallow organic (peat) horizons at the soil surface. The mean total ecosystem carbon stock (TECS) in intact forests was 354 ± 28 Mg C ha−1. In contrast, the TECS of disturbed sites was significantly lower (p = 0.02) with a mean of 248 ± 17 Mg C ha−1. We estimated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from water buffalo (due to enteric fermentation and manure deposition) to be 7.5 Mg CO2e ha−1 year−1. Considering GHG emissions from this land use, the social carbon costs (SCCs) arising from the degradation of coastal Amazon peatlands are as high as US$2742 ha−1 year−1. The SCC of meat produced from this land use is as high as US$100/kg of meat produced, which far exceeds the economic returns from livestock. Based on the estimated numbers of water buffalo for the southern portion of the LPBR and the time since initial disturbance, the annual GHG emissions from this land use are estimated to be 602,846 Mg CO2e year−1 with an SCC as high as US$111,526,524 million year−1. This land use also eliminates opportunity values and services of carbon storage and biodiversity that would be possible from a regenerating biosphere reserve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]