Public Engagement in Social-Ecological Systems Management: An Application of Social Justice Theory

Public engagement is important for improving outcomes of social-ecological systems management. We used a social justice theoretical framework to measure residents’ attitudes toward public engagement processes and satisfaction with outcomes of a restoration project in Western Montana. We predicted process control and decision control domains of procedural justice would significantly predict stakeholder satisfaction, with decision control partially mediating the relationship between process control and satisfaction. We tested these predictions using a path analysis of intercept survey data collected from residents within the project area. We found process control had a significant and positive effect on satisfaction but was fully mediated by decision control, suggesting that successful engagement requires opportunities for stakeholders not only to participate but to clearly shape decisions and outcomes. We discuss implications for public engagement, human dimensions research, and social monitoring of social-ecological systems.     

干旱区内陆河流域荒漠河岸林群落生态过程与水文机制研究

干旱区内陆河流域生态水文过程研究已成为当今地理学、生态学研究的焦点,是开展生态恢复研究的重要内容。塔里木河下游断流河道的生态恢复是以沿自然河道生态输水为主要形式的,因此,有必要加深对塔里木河下游荒漠河岸林群落生态过程与水文机制的认识。在对塔里木河下游荒漠河岸林植被生态退化及其退化原因分析的基础上,综述了塔里木河下游典型植物生态水位的研究进展,阐述了植物适宜生态水位、胁迫地下水位和临界地下水位研究的阶段性成果,并进一步展望了未来研究的焦点问题。指出了群落生态水位、植被群落与土壤水分、盐分异质性的关系,提出植物水分利用机制是群落生态过程与水文机制研究的核心问题。     

Applying Resilience Thinking to Natural Resource Management through a “Planning-By-Doing” Framework

Natural resource management (NRM) organizations are increasingly looking to resilience thinking to provide insights into how social and environmental systems interact and to identify points of intervention. Drawing on complex systems analysis, resilience thinking emphasizes that landscapes constantly change from social and ecological interactions, and focuses NRM planners’ attention on identifying key variables, feedbacks, and thresholds that can help improve intervention strategies. More deliberative approaches are being developed to use resilience thinking in ways that engage and build human capacity for action. This article documents experiences shared with NRM agencies in rural Australia as we developed new approaches to link resilience thinking with collective learning principles. We present an emerging framework through which heuristics associated with resilience thinking is being used as part of a planning-by-doing process. The framework is being tested to assess whether and how it can enable change agents to advance their capacities for adaptation and transformation.     

Field Experience through Community Engagement: A Model and Case Study

A crucial element in the foundation of geographic training is field experience and the opportunity to learn how to interpret the landscape. This element of the geographer's background provides a link between theory and reality. To enhance that experience, a place-based project focusing on civic engagement increases the student's understanding of geographic concepts, tools, and techniques while providing a service to a local community. This research proposes a model for developing classroom field experience that engages the student-researchers with a local community to address a community-based issue. A case study examining downtown parking in Laramie, Wyoming, is presented. The case study demonstrates how field experience, civic engagement, and collaborative learning can be incorporated into a classroom     

Geographical knowledge and policy: the positive contribution of discourse studies

The 'discursive turn' has been blamed for a lack of engagement between geographers and policymakers. This paper argues that such a view is fundamentally flawed. It ignores the positive contribution that discourse analysis has made to policy studies and the particular role that geographers have played in developing such analyses. It is based on a misconceived view of the policy process and how knowledge can contribute to policy outcomes. A closer attention to policy discourses reveals exactly how knowledge is constructed within the policy process and can help identify how policy may be improved through discursive means.     

Ethnography, space and politics: interrogating the process of protest in the Tibetan Freedom Movement

This paper examines the ability of ethnographic research methods to effectively study spatially extensive political activity. It argues that traditional ethnographic methods of sustained engagement with spatially bounded sites are not adequately suited to dealing with contemporary spatially extensive political movements. It argues that contemporary attempts to bridge this impasse have emphasised a dichotomy between global and local that ignores the connections, disconnections and process that occur between places. The paper argues for a critical ethnography that is based on a relational understanding of space emphasising Gillian Hart's conception of the interconnected nature of the 'site'. Taking a single demonstration against the Beijing 2008 Olympics conducted by UK-based Tibet supporters, it examines how the site of protest was closely linked to a variety of other places. Interrogating the processes of connection and disconnection brought about through the protest creates an ethnographic account that, while partial, develops an engagement with the heterogeneity of contemporary political action.     

Morphodynamic river processes and techniques for assessment of channel evolution in Alpine gravel bed rivers

Over the past 10 years many restoration projects have been undertaken in Austria, and river engineering measures such as spur dykes and longitudinal bank protection, which imposed fixed lateral boundaries on rivers, have been removed. The EU-Life Project “Auenverbund Obere Drau” has resulted in extensive restoration on the River Drau, aimed to improve the ecological integrity of the river ecosystem, to arrest riverbed degradation, and to ensure flood protection. An essential part of the restoration design involved the consideration of self-forming river processes, which led to new demands being imposed on river management.This paper illustrates how model complexity is adapted to the solution and evaluation of different aspects of river restoration problems in a specific case. Point-scale monitoring data were up-scaled to the whole investigation area by means of digital elevation models, and a scaling approach to the choice of model complexity was applied. Simple regime analysis methods and 1-D models are applicable to the evaluation of long-term and reach-scale restoration aims, and to the prediction of kilometre-scale processes (e.g. mean river bed aggradation or degradation, flood protection). 2-D models gave good results for the evaluation of hydraulic changes (e.g. transverse flow velocities, shear stresses, discharges at diffluences) for different morphological units at the local scale (100 m–10 m), and imposed an intermediate demand on calibration data and topographic survey. The study shows that complex 3-D numerical models combined with high resolution digital elevation models are necessary for detailed analysis of processes (1 m–0.01 m), but not for the evaluation of the restoration aims on the River Drau. In conclusion, model choice (complexity) will depend on both lower limits (determined by the complexity of processes to be analysed) and upper limits (field data quality and process understanding for numerical models).     

黄河三角洲刁口河流路湿地恢复遥感监测与评价

利用卫星遥感技术对生态调水及湿地恢复进行实时动态监测, 不仅可以及时掌握宏观地表的快速变化, 还可以为长期的区域生态效应评价提供支持。基于国产自主环境一号小卫星遥感数据, 对2010 年黄河三角洲生态调水暨刁口河流路恢复过水试验进行动态监测和初步评价。研究表明, 刁口河流路恢复过水后, 原废弃河道过流条件得到提高, 部分被开发利用的河滩地得到恢复, 水文条件好转, 河流水面面积总体上增加了526 hm², 有利于河道生态条件的改善。通过对湿地引水修复, 自然保护区试验区块共有437 hm²的退化湿地得到了较大程度的改善。同时, 湿地景观多样性提高, 对维持区域景观多样性、改善鸟类栖息地质量具有重要意义。研究结果表明, 国产环境一号卫星遥感数据能提供丰富的地面信息, 其数据具有较高的时间分辨率, 可以作为中国湿地调查和监测的重要数据源。考虑到大尺度调水和湿地恢复对区域生态环境的影响是一个长期的过程, 今后应进一步挖掘环境一号卫星现有波段的光谱信息, 对湿地恢复进行长期跟踪监测, 为湿地恢复生态效应综合评估提供技术支撑。     

Beyond water, beyond boundaries: spaces of water management in the Krishna river basin, South India

As demand and competition for water resources increase, the river basin has become the primary unit for water management and planning. While appealing in principle, practical implementation of river basin management and allocation has often been problematic. This paper examines the case of the Krishna basin in South India. It highlights that conflicts over basin water are embedded in a broad reality of planning and development where multiple scales of decisionmaking and non-water issues are at play. While this defines the river basin as a disputed "space of dependence", the river basin has yet to acquire a social reality. It is not yet a "space of engagement" in and for which multiple actors take actions. This explains the endurance of an interstate dispute over the sharing of the Krishna waters and sets limits to what can be achieved through further basin water allocation and adjudication mechanisms – tribunals – that are too narrowly defined. There is a need to extend the domain of negotiation from that of a single river basin to multiple scales and to non-water sectors. Institutional arrangements for basin management need to internalise the political spaces of the Indian polity: the states and the panchayats. This re-scaling process is more likely to shape the river basin as a space of engagement in which partial agreements can be iteratively renegotiated, and constitute a promising alternative to the current interstate stalemate.     

Shaping and Sharing Responsibility: Social Memory and Social Learning in the Australian Rural Bushfire Landscape

Responding to increased frequency and severity of bushfires, Australian governments called for “shared responsibility” for bushfire preparation and mitigation. This requires engagement between all sectors of community—government agencies, businesses, not-for-profit, and residents. Fire management agencies remain concerned about whether all communities in fire-prone landscapes are equally equipped to participate in sharing responsibility. A related question is how experience of bushfire influences subsequent community fire management practices. This paper addresses social learning and social memory in a landscape that has experienced repeat bushfires between 2006 and 2013. It examines the relationships between memory, learning and practice among a farming community in western Victoria and government agencies with bushfire management responsibility. Findings suggest that social learning and social memory interact and new practices emerge as the participants embrace “shared responsibility.” However, ambiguities remain about “what” is being shared and what being “responsible” means at different points in preparation and response.     

Can Distrust Enhance Public Engagement? Insights From a National Survey on Energy Issues in Canada

Research examining the relationship between trust, public engagement, and natural resource management asserts that trust fosters positive behavior and enhanced cooperation. Yet some scholars are finding that certain kinds of distrust are helpful in achieving democratic outcomes by providing would-be participants with the motivation to engage in issues of public concern. This article seeks to clarify this apparent disjuncture in the trust literature by examining the multidimensional nature of trust as it relates to public engagement on energy-related issues in Canada. Based on a national online survey (n?=?3000) we use a binary probit model to explore the connections between trust, knowledge, and public engagement. About 70% of respondents had participated in at least one form of public engagement over the last 3 years. Drawing on a two-dimensional conception of trust, we find that general trust on its own is not positively linked to public engagement. A combination of general trust and skepticism, however, is positively associated with public engagement and confirms our hypothesis that at least some concern regarding credibility, bias, and vested interest can motivate public engagement. In this sense, trust is not uniformly good for public engagement. These results signal a need to further refine our assumptions about the relationship between public trust, public engagement and environmental governance.     

国际河流水资源分配与国际水法

国际河流水资源在各水道国之间如何公平合理的分配，已经日益成为国际关系中的一个重要议题。本文指出，根据联合国宪章等国际基本法，每个主权国家对其领土上的全部水资源享有充分永久主权，这应该作为各国协商解决水争端的法律基础，同时对现行国际水法的适用性及若干国际河流水资源分配案例作出评价。     

丘区河流性湿地保护与恢复工程:以重庆濑溪河国家湿地公园为例

濑溪河国家湿地公园位于重庆市荣昌区,地处西南地区腹心地带,是集天然河流与人工湿地于一体的复合型湿地生态系统,具有典型的西南丘区河流湿地特征。濑溪河国家湿地公园实施了水质保护、水质净化、鸟类生境保护、河岸多塘系统恢复、河岸林网络系统修复、河岸廊道修复等保护与恢复工程,取得了显著的湿地保护成效,为西南地区丘区河流湿地公园的保护与恢复提供了重要依据。     

城市河流形态及稳定性演变研究进展

人为干扰导致的城市河流退化在地理科学和水文学领域引发了广泛关注, 针对城市河流形态及演变过程的研究成为退化河流生态修复的一项重要内容, 然而, 目前国内相关基础理论的系统梳理相对缺乏。本文回顾了半个多世纪以来城市河流形态及稳定性演变的研究成果, 从研究内容和方法两方面对不同城市化阶段河流形态及稳定性变化的特征和原因进行总结, 同时评述了不同研究方法的特点与局限。本文认为, 城市化进程改变了河流自然演化过程, 破坏了河流原有形态及稳定性, 其中, 沉积和径流体系变化是其根本原因。为了更好地运用河流演变机理进行河流修复, 学者们发展了河流分类体系, 主要包括形态导向法、过程导向法和综合分类法, 重点从河流退化的地貌形态、沉积和径流变化过程、河流演变的时间周期等方面概述各分类体系的优缺点, 阐述具有预测功能的河流分类体系不断完善的过程。本文通过梳理城市河流演变的研究成果, 以期为中国城市河流修复与管理提供科学依据和现实借鉴。     

基于公共价值的沙漠化治理政策绩效评价研究

首先从分析沙漠化的物理机制入手,将生态建设政策对沙漠化的作用以政策指数PIX来表示,分解为空间广度[PSS]和时间强度[PEF]两个变量,PIX=（PSS+PEF）/2,定量计算政策指数与沙漠化变化的相关性。其次以公共价值为基本框架,构建沙漠化治理政策的执行过程+生态效果的绩效评价体系,从政策过程的“公平性”、对“合作生产”主体的尊重性、政府部门管理的“效率性”、生态效果的“可持续性”、政策对沙漠化变化的相关性等方面提取指标因子,定量评价沙漠化治理政策的绩效。以宁夏盐池县草地禁牧政策为例进行研究。结果表明：禁牧政策与沙漠化面积减少显著相关,草地禁牧政策公共价值绩效得分0.378 3,效果较差。因此,提出的基于公共价值的沙漠化治理政策绩效评价指标和模型都是可行的。     

Public perceptions of foreign and Chinese real estate investment: intercultural relations in Global Sydney

Moving foreign human and financial capital through landed property is not a new phenomenon in Sydney. It is a recurring geopolitical strategy that is replete with intercultural tension and deep colonial roots. In contemporary Australia, there is an assumption in public policy and media rhetoric that there is a high level of public concern about foreign investment. However, there is little empirical data that examines public perceptions. In this study, we are interested in whether the dominant voices in this debate represent broad public views about this issue. We sought to fill this gap by conducting a survey of almost 900 Sydney residents, looking at their perceptions of foreign and Chinese investment. We find high levels of public concern and discontent about foreign investment amongst Sydneysiders, with Chinese investors being a key target of this discontent. In the context of high housing prices in Sydney, there were widely held concerns about housing affordability. Survey respondents had a sophisticated understanding of what influences house prices, but with an overemphasis on the role of foreign investment. There is a general lack of support for policy that encourages foreign investment, and a lack of confidence in how the government is regulating foreign investment. Half of our participants reported that they would not welcome Chinese foreign investment in their suburb.     

Learning about distant places through the Internet: Young students as global citizens?

The article explores how the use of the Internet in school settings influences the way young people develop as citizens in an interconnected world and the possible implications for teaching geography subject at school. First, this topic is approached theoretically through a discussion of new forms of citizenship. The issue is investigated by using interview data and observations on the use of the Internet by upper secondary school students in Norway when searching for information about distant places. During the interviews, knowledge about tropical rainforests was used as a practical example. The main finding is that although the students could access information about a large part of the world from their laptop, a distance remained between the students and the rainforests and those who live in them. The article also reveals that, although it is often argued that the national context is weakened as a frame for civic engagement, the students referred to it as a basic frame when engaging with what is distant. Thus, it may be questioned how the use of the Internet in schools contributes to the development of students as global citizens.     

Tasks,Strategies, and Cognitive Processes Associated With Navigational Map Reading: A Review Perspective*

All geographers use and may create maps in their professional activities. While perceived by some as merely tools to present spatial information, maps are actually complicated communication mechanisms. Many geographers spend tremendous amounts of time learning about verbal and written communication (how to speak, listen, read critically, and write effectively). But to many, one of the basic tools of geographic communication, the map, is a general source of unknown. Many previous papers have focused on how to create effective maps; this paper focuses on how people read and use navigation maps. Everyone completes map‐reading tasks, uses (often different) strategies, and processes information through cognitive processing. Geographers may benefit from understanding how they, as well as their map‐viewing public, process the information contained on their maps. This paper addresses terms and issues addressed in navigational map reading, specifically including tasks and strategies as well as the governing cognitive processes.     

A critical analysis of objective criteria and methods in conflict and land-use mapping

In geography, as in other types of social science, the discussion of objectivity has been a long-standing issue. This article is mainly about concept definition and analysis. It discusses the problem of objectivity in science and planning, and shows how it functions in planning activities, with a focus on conflict-mapping and land-use mapping in particular. All specific planning applications face certain meta-theoretical considerations of how to deal with different types of knowledge and how to use them in planning. Different professionals carry out planning activities, and geographers are important contributors in this field. It is argued that criteria and methods that often are taken to be objective hide value systems and conflicts. There needs to be a broader understanding that what are called facts change through time, and thus their validity cannot be taken to be absolute. There are different ways of 'knowing' the world and constructing answers to problems. Often criteria and methods are used to present definitive solutions, when different propositions should have been matters for discussion and negotiation among the different interest groups during the process.     

Broadening the teaching of development in the classroom

Abstract: A key objective in the New Zealand Curriculum, in the learning area of the social sciences, is that students are taught the knowledge and skills to enable them to explore and analyse people's values and perspectives. A specific achievement standard for the NCEA at Level 2 (year 12) concerns learning about disparities in development within or between countries. This article raises the issue of how the concept of ‘development’ is taught. It outlines some of the historical uses of the term and discusses how the concept is constructed in the curriculum. It explores what students learn about development in the classroom and possibilities for broadening how the concept might be taught.