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Forestry and Conservation Module Appendix D: Forestry Module Forestry and Conservation Introduction to Forestry and Conservation Welcome to the Forestry and Conservation portion of the Research Integrity in International Collaborative Contexts course. Please read this brief background as to the importance of this topic before exploring the 4 areas of content. Collaborative Research Conflicts of Interest Publication Practices and Responsible Authorship Data Management: Access, Sharing, and Exchange Additional Resources 1 Appendix D: Forestry Module Introduction to Forestry and Conservation This module emphasizes issues important in Forestry and Conservation, an area of research that is increasingly collaborative, both nationally and internationally, and that changing with advances in the capacity to generate data and to rapidly communicate results and share data. This module will introduce you to some of the current issues in developing interdisciplinary and/or inter-institutional research collaboration in the general area of forestry, which include conservation sciences and natural resource management. Ethics is the concept of balancing the benefits and risks of choices and decisions. The underlying heritage of ethics is present in all cultures and religions in the world. Research integrity includes (National Institutes of Health, 2013) : • the use of honest and verifiable methods in proposing, performing, and evaluating research • reporting research results with particular attention to adherence to rules, regulations, and guidelines, and • following commonly accepted professional codes or norms Ethical considerations in international research contexts are vast and complex, especially in forestry and the natural sciences. First, forestry and natural sciences research is multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary, encompassing different disciplines, countries, cultures, and social and political identities and beliefs. Second, there are various stakeholders involved in forestry and natural science research, including governmental agencies, healthcare providers, corporations, administrative personnel, and the various communities of study. Scientific research shou ld always encompass the values of honesty, accuracy, efficiency, and objectivity. Researchers working in international contexts and with international collaborators must understand the different re search, cultural, and socia l norms of that country, as well as the differences in guidelines, regulations, and policies. Upon the successful completion of this module, participants will have the knowledge and skills to help: • Negotiate ambiguity with an understanding of a cu lture's range of power differences to achieve goals appropriate to the research project, specifically o Develop cultural se nsitivity to information that an international collaborator may not be willing to share, even when it is vital to the research project o Consider various factors in assessing what is attributable to cultural differences and what are individual attributes • Develop clear, binding agreements for a collaborative research project to deal with funding sources and distribution, work responsibilities, data collection, management, and sharing, and determining and avoiding possible conflicts of interest • Consider and weigh broader societal outcomes of resea rch, including the impacts on ecological, economic, and social conditions of the communities involved 2 Appendix D: Forestry Module Collaborative Research Goals When you have finished reading the information in this section, you should be able to: • Understand recent trends in international collaboration in Forestry • Describe some of the factors that have contributed to those trends • Understand some of the cha llenges of international collaboration in terms of rules and regulations You will review a case study and complete a short exercise to demonstrate your understanding of collaborative research in Forestry. Collaborative Research in Forestry Collaboration about foresters and natural scientists is increasing because of environmental issues that can only be understood through comprehensive international and interdisciplinary research. Fire, climate change, and deforestation are all current research trends in Forestry. There are numerous international collaborative networks aimed at understanding global environmental issues, including climate change. These collaborations can involve shared ideas and data but also access to complex equipment, research samples, or other resources. Collaborations aimed at understanding complex issues can be small in scale, involving just a few researchers from different countries, or global in scope, involving researchers from around the world, who provide data in specific formats for use by network members, and in many cases, the general public. With the technological advances that make email, phone ca lls, video conferencing, and electronic data sharing a possibility, direct communication among co llaborators is increasingly easy. Natural scientists can travel to different parts of the world with relative ease and then ship their samples to lab in other parts of the world for analysis. Trends in Forestry Collaborations Collaboration in forestry research is crucial to understanding national and global forests. Currently, Forestry resea rch is driven by political and global concerns. Political debates and campaigns focus on the globa l climate change and the effect it has on the environment. A specific focus is on the impact of global climate change on the global forests and the sustainability of our global forest s. The increased prevalence and destruction of forest fires has also lead to investment in fire research. Collaborative research in forestry can potentially influence the international forest policies. According to the Center for International Forestry Research (Bose 2003), the challenges of collaborative research internationally are: • Interpreting the impact of collaborative research 3 Appendix D: Forestry Module • Implementation hindrance in working with partners Interpreting the impact of collaborative research is difficult because people understand impact differently. Different stakeholders have different needs when it comes to their forests, and they expect the research to meet these needs. Working with different groups with different expectations can present many challenges collaborative research. According to the International Forestry Resources and Institutions (Themes, 2014), the current natural resource research themes include biodiversity, livelihoods, institutions, and forest carbon. Biodiversity Biodiversity means the diversity or variety of plants, animals, and other living things in a particular area or region. Tropical forests are the most diverse habitat on the planet, but human activities within these tropical forestry impact this biodiversity, usually negatively (Themes, 2014). Current research evaluates the relationships between humans and the forests they use to determine the effects of use on biodiversity and how changing certain practices can help maintain biodiversity in the habitats. Livelihoods With over a billion people, or 20% of the world's population, depending on forests for either subsidence or income (Themes, 2014), resource depletion from overuse, forest degradation, and forest cover depletion are all growing concerns. Natural scientists are currently looking at how people collect food, medicine, and materials for their everyday lives and construction. According to Themes (2014), people living near or within the forests are among the world's poorest populations, and access to resources subsidizes their livelihoods, provides income, and often provides financial and physical safety fowling environmental and economic changes. Institutions Institutions are defined as "the formal and informal mechanisms that shape social and individual expectations, interactions, and behavior" (Themes, 2014). Institutions ensure that natural resources are sustainably managed, especially in communities where many people use the same forest resources. Local communities have vested interest in the health of their forests over time, but many end-users of the forests and their products are unaware of the effects their use has on this valuable and limited resource. Using local knowledge to create rules for use and governmental enforcement of these rules, forests can be successfully and sustainably managed. Forest Carbon The study of forest carbon is a large part of the current climate change resource, for the following reasons (Themes, 2014): • Forests are stores of carbon, locked within above- and below-ground biomass; • Forests can also be huge sources of atmospheric carbon emissions when cleared or burned; and • Forests act as carbon sinks when left standing and intact. Research into the forest cover maintenance strategies and depletion mitigation are key components of climate change research in forest science. 4 Appendix D: Forestry Module U.S. Forest Service: An Example of International Collaboration at Work The U.S. Forest Service is working with global forest management partners to protect our forests. Participating in international collaboration is important in working with others to protect our forests. Forests all over the world have different issues and concerns, and these could all potentially occur in US forests. In this article, Haack and Petrice (2009) discuss how international collaborations assist in helping to protect our forests. Guidelines for Successful Collaboration In order for collaboration
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