ISSN:1054-9811    

DOI:10.1300/J091v08n03_01

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:1998

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

A combination of social, economic and physical factors contribute to a decision to migrate for a peasant farmer. Seventy percent of Panamanian land comprises steep topography with low soil fertility. Campesinos (peasant farmers) must perpetually migrate when the land they have settled in the forest loses fertility. This process of continual migration results in deforestation and conversion of forest land to pasture land, which then becomes degraded and subsequently abandoned. Also, government policy has not favored the activities of small land owners, but loans from national banks have financed the promotion of large-scale cattle ranches.

ISSN:1054-9811    

DOI:10.1300/J091v08n03_02

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:1998

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

Saccharum spontaneum(L.), one of two species of wild sugarcane, is a highly variable species ranging broadly in its native Asia and competing vigorously on extreme and disturbance-prone sites. The species has also become invasive throughout the tropics on agricultural soils degraded by fire and overuse. In the Republic of Panama,S. spontaneumis locking vast stretches of deforested lands in an arrested succession monoculture with apparently little or no value for agriculture or native wildlife. Despite the extent of the problem, surprisingly little research has been undertaken on the species or its control. Several reforestation projects underway in Panama have proven effective in controlling the grass but operate at a small scale. However, control efforts used for other invasive species such asImperata cylindricaandDicranopteris linearissuggest lower cost approaches for facilitating natural forest regeneration. For example, mimicking the natural colonization of old fields by woody plants, islands of fruit-bearing trees could be planted to attract animal dispersers and gradually expand into the surrounding grasslands. OnS. spontaneumfields adjacent to remnant forests, forest plantations can produce timber while also catalyzing the natural regeneration of native tree species in their understory.

ISSN:1054-9811    

DOI:10.1300/J091v08n03_03

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:1998

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

Finding sustainable land-use systems within the Panama Canal Watershed will be necessary for future management by the Panamanian government. Agroforestry is a land-use option for small-scale farmers living within the Watershed that can help achieve the goals of both conservation and productivity. This case study qualitatively evaluates current agroforestry projects in the Canal Watershed using an analytical framework based on other evaluations of agroforestry systems in Central America. Designated criteria for the analysis include: management objectives, project life span, incentives, technology, economic feasibility, community involvement, and extension. These factors can present obstacles to wide-scale adoption of agroforestry systems by small-scale farmers, thus preventing the realization of associated benefits of agroforestry. The analysis of the three field sites visited in March 1998 is followed by recommendations for expanding agroforestry practices among farmers in the Watershed.

ISSN:1054-9811    

DOI:10.1300/J091v08n03_04

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:1998

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

Carbon sequestration projects are currently being explored as a method for offsetting carbon emissions and addressing global concerns over climate change. This paper examines the potential for carbon sequestration projects in the Panama Canal Watershed, an area with increasingly fragile forest ecosystems. The maintenance of forests in the Watershed has economic and ecological value for operating the Canal, providing drinking water to Panama City, and protecting wildlife habitat and diversity. Land conversion to agriculture and pasture has led to widespread deforestation; predicted population growth threatens the Watershed further. Compounding the problem is the lack of funding for protected areas in the Canal Watershed Area. Carbon sequestration projects are being promoted as an economically efficient way to reduce harmful greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and increase forest cover in developing countries. Forests, acting as sinks for carbon, can reduce emissions produced elsewhere. Many concerns have been raised by developing countries, and uncertainties relating to carbon storage and carbon trading remain to be resolved. Despite these drawbacks, carbon sequestration projects offer an economically attractive strategy for furthering Panama's goals of protecting and expanding forest cover in the Watershed.

ISSN:1054-9811    

DOI:10.1300/J091v08n03_05

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:1998

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

The Panamanian government is currently negotiating with the United States to determine the extent of the cleanup of US military bases along the Panama Canal. The withdrawal of the US will be completed December 31, 1999. At present, there is no mechanism to ensure that the US will fund, assist with, or assume liability for environmental hazards left on former US Department of Defense lands. Known contamination consists of unexploded munitions on former firing ranges used by the US Army, Navy, and Air Force. Most of these areas are forested with forests of varying age, type, and structure. Complete cleanup could involve complete deforestation of the former bases and firing ranges. The Nature Conservancy has evaluated the ecology of the lands using their “Rapid Ecological Assessment” protocol. The US plans for the lands to become protected areas with warning signs and jersey barriers to protect the public. Panama wants assurance that future cleanup and potential legal damages will be paid for by the US. This paper attempts to summarize the current situation and recommends a potential strategy to both conserve the most biologically diverse forest while maximizing the level of rehabilitation of the areas. It is based on observations and interviews made during a ten-day trip to the Panama Canal Watershed, as well as on news articles, fact sheets from a peace advocacy organization, and primary sources such as correspondence between the US and Panama and minutes from meetings.

ISSN:1054-9811    

DOI:10.1300/J091v08n03_06

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:1998

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

Research on sedimentation rates in water supply reservoirs of the Panama Canal Watershed is reviewed. Factors that influence sedimentation rates are discussed, including topography, climate, precipitation intensity, land use (e.g., conversion from forest to agriculture), and certain rare events (e.g., landslides). Land use is the most significant factor affecting regional and global variations in sediment yield. This discussion focuses on Alhajuela Reservoir, which supplies water to the Panama Canal. Insufficient data are available for accurate predictions of storage loss rates by sedimentation in the Alhajuela Reservoir, in large part because of the evolving land use in the region. Moreover, experience shows that inference of storage loss rates from supposedly similar reservoirs elsewhere is unreliable due to the complex and poorly understood multivariate dependence of the problem. Two methods were used to estimate sediment yield, as correlated with reservoir size and watershed area. Predictions obtained by these methods diverge, so their general reliability is therefore questionable. Ongoing studies should facilitate reliable predictions of sedimentation rates.

ISSN:1054-9811    

DOI:10.1300/J091v08n03_07

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:1998

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

US government land along the Panama Canal, known as the Inter-Oceanic Region, will revert to Panamanian control on December 31, 1999. The Inter-Oceanic Regional Authority (ARI) was established to allocate land use and encourage development within the region. ARI produced both general and regional plans that were adopted by the government as law in 1997. While Panama has created a model that tries to balance economic development and natural resource protection, the plans lack clarity and specificity about how the natural resource protection efforts will be implemented and evaluated. In particular, the plans should be specific about who will manage the newly protected areas and what the management goals for these areas will be. An evaluation mechanism must be established to determine if the plans are achieving these goals. Because ARFs plans are deficient in these areas, Panama will be significantly hindered or rendered unable to achieve its goal of natural resource protection within the Inter-Oceanic Region. There is still time before the land reversion occurs to remedy these problems. This can be done by increasing the specificity of the regional plan as it relates to protected areas. At the same time, evaluation procedures need to be established to examine both biophysical changes within the protected areas and the function of agencies involved with natural resource management in the Inter-Oceanic Region. If these measures are taken, Panama will be in a good position to achieve its goals of protecting its natural resources within the Inter-Oceanic Region.

ISSN:1054-9811    

DOI:10.1300/J091v08n03_08

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:1998

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

Ecotourism has been used successfully in many countries to promote economic well-being, conserve natural resources, and promote community development. A thorough examination of the factors that make a successful and unsuccessful ecotourism program was conducted in this paper. This analysis was performed in order to formulate recommendations for the development of an ecotourism program in the Panama Canal Watershed that will meet these objectives. A careful look at the conservation of natural areas, community development, and the economics of ecotourism fleshed out the good and the bad of existing programs. Case studies from other developing countries were used in order to set up criteria that should be used in Panama's blossoming ecotourism industry. Panama has a vast array of natural and cultural resources that can benefit from a carefully planned ecotourism program. When planning this initiative it is very important to take the politics of the country and communities into consideration, make sure the project is scaled to the carrying capacity of the natural resources and community involved, use existing infrastructure, train a skilled local work force, and maintain monitoring programs that ensure that an unsuccessful program be either improved or terminated.

ISSN:1054-9811    

DOI:10.1300/J091v08n03_09

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:1998

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

The Panama Canal Watershed and the Inter-Oceanic Region support a large percentage of Panama's economic productivity. Much of the management of the area is driven by singular perspective goals, leading to conflicting strategies and actions that benefit special interests over the common interest. This paper discusses how myth or normative views of the world often drive narrow problem definitions and preclude broad participation. It describes how trends and conditions in the conservation movement in Panama have shaped perspectives, and then poses several alternatives to achieve a more inclusive natural resource management decision process in the region.

ISSN:1054-9811    

DOI:10.1300/J091v08n03_10

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:1998

数据来源: Taylor