The cost-effectiveness of biodiversity surveys in tropical forests.

The identification of high-performance indicator taxa that combine practical feasibility and ecological value requires an understanding of the costs and benefits of surveying different taxa. We present a generic and novel framework for identifying such taxa, and illustrate our approach using a large-scale assessment of 14 different higher taxa across three forest types in the Brazilian Amazon, estimating both the standardized survey cost and the ecological and biodiversity indicator value for each taxon. Survey costs varied by three orders of magnitude, and dung beetles and birds were identified as especially suitable for evaluating and monitoring the ecological consequences of habitat change in our study region. However, an exclusive focus on such taxa occurs at the expense of understanding patterns of diversity in other groups. To improve the cost-effectiveness of biodiversity research we encourage a combination of clearer research goals and the use of an objective evidence-based approach to selecting study taxa

Minimum requirements for sustainable use of forests in national forest programmes. Elements and principles developed for a study of Swiss forest policy

Both the United Nations Conference on Economic Development in 1992 and the European Union have called for the creation of national forest programmes (NFPs) as a means of ensuring the sustainable development of forests. In recent years, international organizations have also discussed and defined several elements that such NFPs should incorporate. Different concepts prevail, however, and policy experts have not yet reached a uniform and coherent understanding of the concept. In this paper, we develop minimum requirements for a Swiss NFP on the basis of a discussion and comparison of different definitions of NFPs and national environmental plans. We argue that a range of process, content and objective-oriented elements should be included. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment