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Lessons from the Pikul-Pengajid Customary Forest of West Kalimantan: Insights to Strengthen Indonesia�s Social Forestry Program
(2025) Zuleika, Rizka
Forests are social and political spaces where questions of rights, access, and governance intersect with the lives of people, including Indigenous People and Local Communities (IPLCs). In Indonesia, centralized control rooted in colonial legacies has historically marginalized these communities, creating decades of tenure conflicts. The country�s Social Forestry (SF) program attempts to address these injustices through five schemes, with the Customary Forest scheme recognizing the ownership of customary forest by the customary communities. While substantial literature exists on the legal frameworks of SF, less attention has been paid to post- community recognition outcomes: how formal recognition shapes daily practices, power dynamics, and the enabling conditions for self-governance. This research addresses this gap by examining whether customary forests translate into meaningful governance outcomes. As a case study, I focused on the Pikul-Pengajid Customary Forest in West Kalimantan is managed by the Melayang Hamlet community, dominated by Dayak Bekati� Rara people. I conducted three weeks of fieldwork including interviews and participant observation with communities, government institutions, and NGOs. The findings reveal interconnected opportunities and challenges. Recognition created opportunities through tenure security, access to funding via SF Business Groups (KUPS), hybrid economic models reinforcing cultural identity, and strengthened social cohesion. However, structural capacity gaps created NGO dependency, inequitable participation persists, and weakening traditional knowledge transmission threatens future leadership. With Indonesia targeting 12.7 million hectaresto be managed under the SF program by 2030, these findings may apply broadly to other SF schemes. This research provides an example of pathways needed for recognition to achieve meaningful outcomes: adaptive policy frameworks that address structural constraints, long-term technical support beyond recognition process, and enabling conditions for exercising community self-determination. The study demonstrates that while acknowledging community rights provides a foundation, developing these pathways is essential for translating formal recognition into sustainable self-governance. This research gathered perspectives from communities, government institutions, and Non Government Institutions. However, it was only possible to gain limited access to officials in Ministry of Forestry and Forest Management Units, who support the recognition process. This is important for future investigation regarding evolution of the recognition process and multistakeholder coordination. Future research should examine community decision-making processes and internal power dynamics, dependency patterns and traditional knowledge transfer, and ethnobotanical and ecosystems assessments, to understand how both social and ecological dimensions can inform more effective Community-based Forest Management.
An Investigation of Mechanisms Driving Prolonged Droughts in Southeast Australia
(2025) Xu, Blake
This study investigates the mechanisms driving prolonged droughts in Southeast Australia (SEA), an important agricultural region that is highly vulnerable to water scarcity due to significant precipitation variability. Employing a three-stage analytical framework consisting of development (12-month pre-drought persistence period), persistence (sustained period with SPI 12 � -1.0 for at least 12 consecutive months), and termination (recovery period from when SPI 12 rises above -1.0 until reaching +1.0), this research uses 30-member GFDL_SPEAR_MED large ensemble climate model simulations (1921�2100) and 12-month Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI-12) to address five key questions examining: (1) the characteristics of prolonged SEA droughts across these temporal stages; (2-3) the behaviour of individual climate drivers including the El Ni�o�Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), and Southern Annular Mode (SAM), and their combinations during drought temporal evolution; and (4-5) the frequency, intensity, and spatial patterns of synoptic-scale weather systems throughout the drought lifecycle. SPI-12 analysis shows that droughts develop either directly, occurring in 40�60% of events with a rapid onset from normal or above-normal conditions, or gradually, emerging from below normal conditions or from an incomplete recovery after prior droughts. Persistence phases substantially exceed termination phases in duration (approximately 30 vs. 10 months), with extreme events extending beyond 200 months, whereas drought termination proceeds rapidly and consistently once initiated. Large-scale climate driver analysis shows ENSO as the dominant driver of droughts, remaining influential across all drought stages. The suppression of rainfall associated with La Ni�a events tends to be more critical than the drought enhancement linked to El Ni�o during dry periods. Notably, a return to neutral or weak La Ni�a conditions does not necessarily end droughts in SEA; relief occurs mainly during strong to extreme La Ni�a events, often alongside -IOD and +SAM phases. The IOD amplifies drought conditions during the mid-development and persistence stages, rather than serving as the initial trigger. SAM shows notable shift during development, ranking second to ENSO in overall changes in phase frequency. When considering the co-occurrence of different phases climate drivers: standalone climate driver events show the largest deviations overall, neutral-neutral combinations increase substantially during development, whereas more extreme phase pairings generally produced greater shifts. At the synoptic scale, anticyclone frequency rises and cyclone frequency declines over SEA
during drought development and persistence, with opposite trends during termination. Spatial
analysis identifies the Tasman Sea as a hotspot for both cyclones and anticyclones, with their
intensity anomalies increasing toward higher southern latitudes.
ENSO, IOD, and SAM collectively modulate prolonged droughts by altering large-scale
circulation and moisture availability, creating conditions that either favour or suppress
precipitation. Whilst synoptic-scale systems such as cyclones and anticyclones determine the
immediate precipitation patterns at regional scales. By clarifying the roles of climate drivers and
synoptic processes in prolonged drought stages, this research improves our understanding of
prolonged drought mechanisms and offers insights to enhance prolonged drought prediction and
support long-term water resource management under a changing climate.
Enhancing hydraulic trait visibility in Eucalyptus pauciflora subsp. niphophila tree rings Implications for snow-gum dieback analysis in Kosciuszko National Park
(2025) Doa Roth, Sabrina
Subalpine forests in south-eastern Australia are among the most vulnerable to rising temperatures, facing the threat of collapse, yet the mechanisms by which their xylem anatomy records and responds to climate variability remain poorly understood. This study addresses two key gaps in dendrochronological research: the absence of a standardised methodology for enhancing hydraulic traits without compromising those of other xylem structures, and the lack of published studies on vessel based climate proxies in Australia. Focusing on Eucalyptus pauciflora subsp. niphophila from Kosciuszko National Park, this research developed and tested methods to improve vessel and ring boundary visibility while additionally assessing the climatic sensitivity of hydraulic traits. Results showed that low concentrations of safranin, particularly at 1%, optimally enhance anatomical xylem traits without compromising measurement accuracy. The use of wet chalk as a vessel-filling medium, produced more consistent vessel measurements and simplifies the analytical workflow. Age-dependent increases in vessel lumen area reflected hydraulic adjustments to growth, emphasising the importance of standardisation procedures for removing age-related growth trends. Moreover, the study reveals that applying traditional standardisation methods and protocols associated with signal strength indices, such as the expressed population signal (EPS), may not be suitable for vessel-based chronologies compared to ring-width series. Anatomical anomalies coinciding with droughts revealed adaptive mechanisms towards hydraulic safety, which reduced vessel formation and increased parenchyma proportions. Climatic correlations revealed that especially, vessel traits respond positively to early-spring temperatures, while vessel development might be constrained by elevated summer temperatures. These elevated summer temperatures can potentially be buffered by precipitation and cloud cover, mitigating thermal stress. Overall, this study demonstrates that vessel-based traits in subalpine E. pauciflora subsp. niphophila are sensitive to intra-annual climate variability, confirming their value as complementary proxies to traditional ring-width chronologies. The findings provide a methodological framework for future multiproxy dendrochronological research in Australia and highlight the potential of vessel anatomy to improve climate reconstructions and early detection of hydraulic stress in subalpine forests.
Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Lightning-caused Fires Across Different Climates in New South Wales, Australia
(2025) Zhou, Ruogu
The wildfires caused by lightning have caused great natural damage to the ecosystem of New South Wales, Australia (NSW). However, people's comprehensive understanding of the temporal and spatial patterns of such fires under different climatic conditions is still limited. This study investigates the fire dynamics caused by lightning strikes in the temperate, semi-arid steppe and arid desert climate zones of NSW from 2016 to 2019, aiming to fill the key knowledge gap in the relationship between regional fires and climate. Using the proximity matching algorithm, 3,414 lightning-caused fires were identified from 6,086,319 lightning strikes and 4,593 fire records, with a matching rate of 74.33%. The spatial analysis of lightning-caused fires shows that lightning-caused fires in temperate areas are extremely concentrated. Although they only cover 32.16% of the research area, account for 79.37% of the total number of lightning fires and 95.91% of the fire area. Lightning ignition efficiency (LIE) analysis shows that lightning ignition efficiency in temperate areas shows a significant year to-year growth trend, from 0.05% in 2016 to 0.16% in 2019, a triple increase. The time pattern of lightning strikes shows obvious seasonal concentration in the summer (December to February), and there are obvious differences in lightning strikes in different climate zones. The examination of environmental variables found that there was a statistically significant difference in the weather conditions between fire-causing lightning and non-fire lightning in all the analyzed climate zones. The lightning that causes fire is associated with reduced rainfall, increased maximum temperature, reduced relative humidity and reduced moisture in combustibles. Spearman correlation analysis of fire and environmental variables caused by lightning strikes shows that the relationship between weather and fire varies from climate zone to climate zone. Temperate areas show strong correlation, semi-arid areas show moderate correlation, and arid areas show limited predictability based on the environment. The analysis of the biological regions of the fire caused by temperate lightning strikes has identified seven high ignition biological regions. The South Eastern Highlands, Sydney Basin, and NSW South Western Slopes show the highest ignition efficiency, reflecting the complex interaction between altitude, topography, vegetation characteristics and fires caused by lightning strikes. The results of the study provide a quantitative threshold for fire risk assessment and show that the correlation between lightning and fire changes with the climate gradient, suggesting that fire management strategies for specific areas should be formulated under changing climatic conditions.
Towards Sustainable Plastic Waste Management in Tuvalu
(2025) Tima, Tilia
Plastic waste poses an escalating challenge for Tuvalu, a small island developing state with limited landmass, fragile ecosystems, and virtually limited domestic plastic recycling infrastructure. In Funafuti, the capital, plastic waste particularly single-use packaging and disposable nappies constitutes a significant share of household and institutional waste, exacerbating pressure on the already saturated national dumpsite and contributing to marine pollution. This study investigates the types of plastic waste, behavioural and systemic drivers of disposal practices, and opportunities for integrated waste management in Tuvalu through national, regional, and international lenses. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, including household surveys, interviews with key stakeholders from government, healthcare, business, and communities, and an observationalstudy for the hospital. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) was used to interpret behavioural factors. Key findings reveal that public awareness of plastic waste issues is high, but structural barriers such as irregular collection, policy gaps, and fragmented institutional responsibilities undermine effective action. Although many residents� express willingness to reduce plastic use, this is often constrained by cost, lack of alternatives, and weak policy enforcement. Regional initiatives led by SPREP, such as Pacific Waste Management (PacWastePlus), and Pacific Ocean Litter Project (POLP), have provided technical and financial support. Yet, the sustainability of donor-driven programs remains uncertain. International frameworks, including the Basel Convention and the ongoing International Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution, including in the marine environment, offer potential pathways for Tuvalu to access support and strengthen national responses. The study recommends a multi-tiered strategy combining local behaviour change, improved inter-agency coordination, and stronger engagement with regional and international mechanisms to ensure long-term sustainability in plastic waste governance.