AIR-Co links

On this page please find a list of links relevant to AIR-Co.

Partner Sites
		Alterra Wageningen Wageningen University and Research Centre (Wageningen UR) provides education and generates knowledge in the field of life sciences and natural resources. Wageningen UR aims to make a real contribution to our quality of life. To us, quality of life means both an adequate supply of safe and healthy food and drink, on the one hand, and the chance to live, work and play in a balanced ecosystem with a large variety of plants and animals.
		The Biology Department, University of Leicester The University of Leicester is a leading UK University with a proud past and an exciting future. The University of Leicester is committed to delivering high quality undergraduate, postgraduate and professional education and to creating research that is of international significance
		The University of Mulawarman
		Tropical Rainforest Research Center - University of Mulawarman Established as PUSREHUT by a joint project between JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) and Indonesian Government in the early 1980' as a research center, PPHT is continuing its role to conduct research in cooperating with various agencies of regional, national, and international. The research project that was mainly focus on rehabilitation is now extended to cover a broader area of forest management. Recent environmental problems involving neighboring countries in Asia such as forest fire, illegal logging, decrease in forest productivity has positioned PPHT in a greater challenge to be a research center in providing a necessary information and recommendation for the enhancement of forest and natural resources management. PPHT is rich in experimental facilities, scientific instruments, and human resources.
		The University of Jambi
Projects & Organisations
		Asia-Link The Asia-Link Programme is an initiative by the European Commission to promote regional and multilateral networking between higher education institutions in EU Member States and eligible countries in Asia. The programme aims to promote the creation of new partnerships and new sustainable links between European and Asian higher education institutions, and to reinforce existing partnerships. The objective of the Asia-Link Programme is to promote regional and multilateral networking between higher education institutions in Europe, South and South East Asia and China.
		The International Peat Society The International Peat Society (IPS) is a international, non-governmental and non-profit organization with approx. 1,400 members from 37 countries. It is dedicated to fostering the advancement, exchange and communication of scientific, technical and social knowledge and understanding for the wise use of peatlands and peat. Scientific, industrial and regulatory stakeholders of all areas related to peat and peatlands are represented in its Commissions, National Committees and other bodies. To achieve its goals, the IPS regularly organizes conferences, symposia and workshops, publishes finding from science and industry and serves in general as a forum to bring together experts from different fields of business, science, culture and regulatory bodies dealing with peat and peatlands.
		The Mangrove Project The EU Sixth Framework Program: MANGROVE Project began in 2005 and will run until 2008. It is a collaboration between seven partner organizations from six countries. The project aims to improve understanding of mangrove ecosystems, communities and conflicts and to develop knowledge-based approaches to reconcile the multiple demands on mangroves and adjacent coastal zones in South East Asia. This website will contain information about the status of the project, each of the work programs, deliverables and other publications and media arising from the project. Please access the site frequently for an update on the project.
		Peatwise - New Educational Tools for Sustainable Management of Peatlands in the Humid Tropics The overall objective of the project is to develop a curriculum on the sustainable development of peatlands by the introduction of innovative educational methods and tools, in order to promote the wise use of the resource and to enhance sustainable economic development, particularly in the areas of Sarawak and Central Kalimantan, Borneo (Malaysia and Indonesia).
		Restorpeat Implementation of the project will involve a range of measures including blocking of channels and drains, restoration of hydrology and ecological functions, rehabilitation of peat swamp forest and its biodiversity, identification of alternative funding mechanisms to promote sustainable livelihoods and formulation of guidelines for sustainable agriculture and forestry. These will be linked to a better understanding of the socio-economic base of local people and their communities by determining the nature and degree of their dependence on renewable natural resources and how this has been affected by major land development projects and fire. The problems of fire and inappropriate land use planning will be addressed by developing a model fire hazard warning and control system based upon remote sensing and operated by local communities through promotion of fire awareness, prevention and suppression. Stakeholder platforms and skills transfer to the DCs will be focal activities to provide ownership of the project outputs to the bottom levels and, through partnership with local governments, empower local people to become guardians of their own environment and its resources.
		Strapeat Large areas of globally important tropical peatland in Southeast Asia are under threat from land clearance, degradation and fire jeopardising their natural functions as reservoirs of biodiversity, carbon stores and hydrological buffers. Many development projects on tropical peatlands have failed through a lack of understanding of the landscape functions of these ecosystems. Utilisation of this resource for agriculture or plantation crops requires drainage which, unavoidably, leads to irreversible loss of peat through subsidence, resulting in severe disturbance of the substrate and creating problems for cultivation. The STRAPEAT project aims to promote wise use of tropical peatlands by integrating biophysical, hydrological and socio-economic data within strategies for sustainable management. It specifically seeks to implement the strategies once they have been formulated for practical use in critical peatland areas in Borneo. Local research capability will be strengthened enabling peatland managers to better understand and address the different, interrelated processes operating in tropical peatlands. The project will contribute positively to poverty alleviation, protection of the environment, improvement of the quality of life and diminishing health risks.