Cocoa is important for the economy and rural development of Ghana. However, small-scale cocoa production is the leading agricultural product driver of deforestation in Ghana. Uncertain tree tenure disincentivizes farmers to retain and nurture trees on their farms. There is therefore the call for structures that promote tree retention and management within cocoa farming. We examined tenure barriers and governance for tree resources on cocoa farms. Data was collected from 200 cocoa farmers from two regions using multistage sampling technique. Information was gathered on tree ownership and fate of tree resources on cocoa farms, tree felling permit acquisition and associated challenges and illegal logging and compensation payments on cocoa farms. Results suggest 62.2% of farmers own trees on their farms. However, these farmers may or may not have ownership rights over the trees depending on the ownership of their farmlands. More than half of the farmers indicated they require felling permits to harvest trees on their farms, indicative of the awareness of established tree harvesting procedures. Seventy percent of the farmers have never experienced illegal logging on their farms. There is however the need to educate the remaining 30% on their rights and build their compensation negotiation powers for destructions to their cocoa crops. This study has highlighted ownership and governance issues with cocoa farming and it is important for the sustainability of on-farm tree resources and Ghana’s forest at large.

The major objective of this research paper is to assess the management effectiveness of Sheikh Badin National Park District Dera Ismail Khan Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan with respect to tourist’s satisfaction. A sample size of 389 respondents (local community, wildlife staff, tourists) were selected through simple random sampling to conclude respondents’ attitude towards phenomenon investigated through three-level Likert scale as a measurement tool. Association between a dependent variable (management effectiveness) was assessed on the independent variables (tourist satisfaction) through a chi-square test. Association of management effectiveness was highly significant with tourists satisfaction from promos of park (p = 0.000), access to information (p = 0.000), roads network (p = 0.000), residential facilities (p = 0.000), trained guides (p = 0.000), safety from crimes and criminals (p = 0.000), provision of health and security services (p = 0.000), overall satisfaction of tourists (p = 0.000), recommendation of SBNP to other tourists (p = 0.000) and revisit intentions of tourists (p = 0.000). Improvement in security measures, better advertisement and improvement in park infrastructure were major recommendations considering the study.

Currently, coal resource-based cities (CRBCs) are facing challenges such as ecological destruction, resource exhaustion, and disordered urban development. By analyzing the landscape pattern, the understanding of urban land use can be clarified, and optimization strategies can be proposed for urban transformation and sustainable development. In this study, based on the interpretation of remote sensing data for three dates, the landscape pattern changes in the urban area of Huainan City, a typical coal resource-based city in Anhui Province, China were empirically investigated. The results indicate that: (1) There is a significant spatial-temporal transformation of land use, with construction land gradually replacing arable land as the dominant land use type in the region. (2) Landscape indices are helpful to reveal the characteristics of land transfer and distribution of human activities during a process. At the landscape type level, construction land, grassland, and water bodies are increasingly affected by human activities. At the landscape composition level, the number of landscape types increases, and the distribution of different types of patches becomes more balanced. In addition, to address the problems caused by the coal mining subsidence areas in Huainan city, three landscape pattern optimization strategies are proposed at both macro and micro levels. The research findings contribute to a better understanding of land use changes and their driving forces, and offer valuable alternatives for ecological environment optimization.

The cultivation of vegetables serves as a vital pillar in horticulture, offering an alternative avenue towards achieving economic sustainability. Unfortunately, farmers often lack adequate knowledge on optimizing resource utilization, which subsequently results in low productivity. Furthermore, there has been insufficient research conducted on the comparative profitability and efficient use of resources for pea cultivation. So, the present study was conducted to examine the profitability and resource use efficiency of conventional and organic pea production in Northwestern Himalayan state. Using the technique of purposive sampling, the districts and villages were selected based on the highest area. By using simple random sampling, a sample of 100 farmers was selected, out of which 50 were organic growers and 50 were inorganic growers, who were further categorized as marginal and small. The cost incurred was higher for the cultivation of inorganic vegetable crops, whereas returns and output-input ratio was higher in organic cultivation. The cultivation of peas revealed that the majority of inputs were being underutilized, and there was a need for proper reallocation of the resources, which would result in enhanced production. Further, major problems in the cultivation of vegetable crops were a high wage rate, a lack of organic certification, a shortage of skilled labour and a lack of technical knowledge.