The Journal of Environmental Science and Management (JESAM), an international refereed and Web of Science-indexed journal, published semi-annually by the School of Environmental Science and Management- University of the Philippines Los Baños (SESAM-UPLB), released its two regular issues in June and December 2016. It also published two thematic special issues in same year.

The current issue, JESAM Volume 19 No. 2 (2016), features nine full articles from five different countries and one review paper from China. Six articles discussed efforts towards conservation of natural resources using different approaches namely; evaluation of local perception and water quality for sustainable agricultural utilization; survey of local communities’ knowledge, attitude, and perception; ridge-to-reef ecosystem-based valuation approach; Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA; evaluation of the Integrated Water Resource Management; and development of a River Health Status Model. The first article is from Serbia while the rest are from the Philippines. Also in this issue are three articles that assessed the unfavorable effects of unplanned human activities and technological innovation, i.e., the negative impacts of human activities on famous archaeological sites in Egypt; environmental and health hazards of radioactive exposure around uranium mine sites in Namibia; and the social and environmental effects of a planned advanced transportation system in Pakistan. Several issues about Cyanobacteria blooms in the eutrophic Taihu Lake in China were the focus in the review paper.

JESAM Volume 19 No. 1 (2016) consists of ten articles from the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Myanmar. Three of which focused on addressing environmental pollution, particularly on the evaluation of a natural seed gum extract using artificial neural network to treat reactive dye wastewater in Vietnam, identification of native plants with phytoremediation potential in petroleum-contaminated sites in Malaysia, and assessment of the environmental contributions of vegetable production systems in the Philippines. Another three articles discussed climate-change-related topics, and these include the vulnerability assessment of households in the Philippines using the Vulnerability as Expected Poverty (VEP) approach, the adaptation strategies of smallholder agroforestry farmers in the country, and the climate change awareness and farm level adaptation of farmers in rainfed areas in Vietnam.The rest of the articles are also from the Philippines and they dealt with the conservation of natural resources, specifically thefishery resources in a small island, freshwater fishes in Lake Taal River Systems, water resources in a watershed, and mangrove forests in a protected landscape and seascape in an island.

The JESAM Special Issue No. 1 (2016), with the theme, “Building Resilience to Climate Risk among Upland and Rural Communities in Southeast Asia,” includes seven articles and two research notes that focused on the challenges of climate change that smallholder farmers and rural communities in Southeast Asia are facing. The papers also provided recommendations on how these farmers can mitigate climate risks and how to increase their capacity to adapt to climate changes. This special issue was sponsored by the World Agroforestry Centre – Philippines (ICRAF). 

On the other hand, the JESAM Special Issue No. 2 (2016) is composed of articles selected from the papers presented during the First National Conference on Integrated Natural Resources and Environment Management (INREM), which was conducted on 16-17 October 2014 at the College of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines. This issue showcases nine articles based from studies conducted in different parts of the Philippines. Its publication was sponsored by INREM, a center managed by the UPLB Interdisciplinary Studies Center (IDSC) mandated to develop science-based technologies and solutions pertaining to natural resources management and environmental protection.   

As a leading journal in environmental science published by UPLB and supported by the CHED-Journal Accreditation Services (JAS), JESAM continues to publish pioneering papers relevant for a science- and evidence-based decision-making process. Full text of the articles in these and other issues of JESAM may be accessed via the links:  jesam-uplb.org andhttps://journals.uplb.edu.ph/index.php/JESAM. Journal copies are likewise available through subscription. Inquiries may be sent to [email protected] This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.“> (Cherry S. Padilla).