Publications: Headwater EM

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Title

Headwater Deforestation: a Challenge for Environmental Management

Author(s)

Haigh, M.J., Jansky, L. and Hellin, J.

Details

Summary

This paper illustrates two aspects of headwater control in contrasting areas suffering forest conversion. The first concerns forest losses caused by transition in post-Socialist Central Europe. This study, of reservoir sedimentation in Slovakia's Western Carpathians, confirms the connection between forests and sediment yields. It also demonstrates the need for integrated watershed management and the problems that occur when headwaters are not managed by appropriate administrative structures. The second case study concerns the impacts of agricultural colonisation on marginal steep lands in the tropics of Central America. It demonstrates the role of action research in discovering the limits of environmental management technology and the significance of long-term environmental variability.