This research was carried out in a dense tropical forest region with the objective of improving the biomass estimates by a combination of ALOS-2 SAR, Landsat 8 optical, and field plots data. Using forest inventory based biomass data, the performance of different parameters from the two sensors was evaluated. The regression analysis with the biomass data showed that the backscatter from forest object (σ°forest) obtained from the SAR data was more sensitive to the biomass than HV polarization, SAR textures, and maximum NDVI parameters.

Conceptual advances in niche construction theory provide new perspectives and a tool-box for studies of human-environment interactions mediating what is termed anthropogenic biomes. This theory is useful also for studies on how anthropogenic biomes are perceived and valued. This paper addresses these topics using an example: “old cultural landscapes” in Scandinavia, i.e., landscapes formed by a long, dynamic and continuously changing history of management.

Drawing on a survey of large-scale ecological restoration initiatives, we find that managers face contradictory demands. On the one hand, they have to raise funds from a variety of sources through competitive procedures for individual projects. These projects require the specification of deliverable outputs within a relatively short project period.