Water scholars from 18 countries gathered in South Africa for the 11^th biennial Rosenberg Forum on International Water Policy. Hosted at the University of Cape Town's (UCT) Water and Production Economics (WPE) research unit, this year's forum included the most diverse group to date, in terms of discipline, geography and early-career professionals. The week-long event, Oct. 23-27, addressed water quantity and quality management, economic production and welfare implications in the Global South.

Glenda Humiston, advisory committee member and University of California...

Study highlights 4 strategies to overcome barriers to prescribed fire in the West

Prescribed fire, which mimics natural fire regimes, can help improve forest health and reduce the likelihood of catastrophic wildfire. But this management tool is underused in the fire-prone U.S. West and Baja California, Mexico, due to several barriers.

A paper from the University of California, Davis, pinpoints those obstacles and suggests four key strategies that policymakers and land managers can take to get more “good fire” on the ground in North America's fire-adapted ecosystems. The paper also provides...

More than 20,000 palms in the region have been killed by South American palm weevil

The swaying palm trees that line San Diego's streets might not be swaying much longer due to a pest that is infecting many of these iconic trees and making its way across Southern California. 

The South American palm weevil (SAPW), also referred to as the American palm weevil and black palm weevil, was first detected in San Diego County in 2011, with breeding populations found in a Canary Island date palm in San Ysidro in 2015. According to industry experts, more than 20,000 palms in the region have been killed by SAPW thus far.

While SAPW can attack a variety...

California ranks number one in the nation for dairy production, with 1,100 to 1,200 dairy farms, each with an average of 1,436 cows, mostly concentrated in Tulare County in the San Joaquin Valley. A major dairy waste is cow manure, a byproduct that can require millions of dollars for each dairy to manage.

To help manage the manure, the California Department of Food and Agriculture provides funds to California dairy farms to install dairy digesters, a technology that can break down manure and produce methane (a form of renewable energy). The digesters provide additional benefits such as capturing greenhouse gases while...