A Review of “Knowledge Externalities,Innovation Clusters and Regional Development”

Land use information over large areas is increasingly important for many studies related to environment in general and global change in particular. Yet there is a dearth of methodological knowledge in this area, especially regarding the practical task of producing land use maps. In this article, a systematic land use mapping approach is developed, based on land cover maps that in turn are produced through remote sensing. The concept is based on the recognition of varying strengths of land cover (LC) – land use (LU) relationships, from the thematic and spatial points of view. Several categories of relationships are identified, ranging from direct (case 1) to multiple/complex (case 4), and appropriate mapping strategies are discussed for these cases. Using a mapping study in Lebanon, it is shown that the principles embodied in this approach correspond to issues and conditions in real mapping situations. Finally, the concepts are translated into a series of steps through which the method can be applied to large areas, taking into consideration the specific requirements and constraints of each case. The final land use map represents an acceptable compromise between accuracy, level of detail, and cost.     

“A Salute to the Bandido”: A Political Ecology of Voice Exploration into Peru’s Freedom of Voice Surrounding Hydrocarbon Development

This paper sets out to evaluate the freedom of voice for Peruvian stakeholders affected by hydrocarbon development. This occurs through the utilization of a political ecology of voice (PEV) theoretical framework based upon the theory of voice by Albert Hirschman and political ecology. PEV can be defined as the study of economic, political, social, and geographical factors over a specific time period and their impact upon the use of voice by stakeholders. Peru’s case study was focused on its main oil-producing Loreto Region and incorporated evaluation of hydrocarbon voice mechanisms (prior consultation and environmental impact assessments) supported by interview testimony of stakeholders and state officials. PEV analysis reveals a political environment which is dangerous, inflexible, and intolerant of Peruvian stakeholders voicing over hydrocarbon development. This is due to the state’s zealous pursuit of its “selva (rainforest) hydrocarbon and development vision” which severely undermines Peruvian stakeholder’s freedom of voice.     

Teachers’ Concepts of Map-Skill Development

Maps are an increasingly used source of information and it is therefore essential to develop map skills in students. A fundamental factor affecting the choice of map skills and the way they are developed is the teacher and his/her concept of map work. Based on the results of a survey and semi-structured interviews among Czech teachers, this study identifies three basic conceptual types of teachers: “Navigators” and “Problem-Oriented” and “Source-Oriented” teachers. Similarities with teachers’ concepts of map-skill development identified in previous studies are discussed together with means of improvement.     

Supporting the Development of Homestay Tourism in the Yangtze River Delta: A Study based on Tourists’ Perceived Value

Homestay tourism has begun to flourish throughout the country, becoming a model of tourism innovation and upgrading, and attracting increasing amounts of capital. Through the collection and analysis of tourist questionnaire data for key cities in the Yangtze River Delta, and based on the theory of tourists' perceived value,18 factors related to the perception of homestay tourism are examined. Through exploratory factor analysis, three main factors of facilities and environment perception, cultural experience perception and service value perception are extracted. Then, from the perspectives of each of these perceptions, this study determines the degree of support for homestay tourism development in the Yangtze River Delta, obtains the key factors that affect the development of homestay tourism, and constructs a structural equation model of tourist perception and the degree of homestay tourism support. By calculating the regression path of the structural equation, the standardized path coefficients of the facilities and environment perception, cultural experience perception and service value perception are found to be 0.724, 0.813 and 0.692, respectively. These three factors have a significant impact on the development of homestay tourism agglomeration. Positive facilities and environmental perception can effectively support the development of homestay tourism, while the cultural experience perception provides its basic condition, and the service value perception constitutes an important factor of homestay tourism development. To better guide the development of homestay tourism, attention must be paid to developing the tourism facilities and environment, to cultivating tourism cultural experiences, and to improving of tourism service value.     

Application of Participatory Development Theory in Wetland Ecotourism Initiatives——A Case Study of Baiyangdian in Anxin of Hebei Province

As one of the few ecological wetlands in North China,Baiyangdian bears multiple important ecological functions,including ①adjusting the ecological balance of North China;②safeguarding the downstream areas,especially Tianjin City,the Beijing-Shanghai Railway and Huabei Oil Field;③serving as the reservoir for the North-to-South Water Diversion Project and the emergent use of water for Beijing;④conserving biodiversity.Wetland ecotourism is a scientific and wise use pattern for wetland resources,through which,a source of financing is provided for wetland conservation,economic alternatives are generated for local people to reduce overexploitation on wetland resources and the public awareness of environmental protection is enhanced.Since wetland ecotourism can benefit the co-existence between human and nature and promote social equity between people,it enjoys broad promise for popularization and implementation.The proactive cooperation and sound interaction between main stakeholders,and the wide participation of the community residents,will guarantee the sustainable development of wetland ecotourism.Based on the analysis of current status of participation and interactive relationships of the main stakeholders in Baiyangdian tourism,this article made an attempt to apply the theory of participatory development to the ecotourism initiatives of Baiyangdian wetland,discussed and brought forward the countermeasures to improve community participation in wetland ecotourism under the guidance of this theory.     

A Review of “Villages,Women and the Success of Dairy Cooperatives in India: Making Place for Rural Development”

Conceptual advances for understanding the organization of family farms have not yet initiated parallel debates about how they might be aligned with the methods used to understand them. Customization of a novel research approach—farm life history—for an investigation of the socioeconomic organization of forty Australian farms responds to this literature gap. Individual farm life histories were initiated using farm tours (truck journeys) in which changes to the composition of land parcels prompted research conversations. The researcher and participants benefited from using motorized transport and traveling while talking, but the benefits were experienced unevenly across research encounters.     

Agriculture Development and Environment in Critical Areas of China

AgricultureDevelopmentandEnvironmentinCriticalAreasofChinaBernardSonntag,SUNHongliePublishedbySciencePress,Beijing2002ISBN7-03-010720-9,140ppThispublicationsummarizesthefindingsandrecommendationsoftheSustainableAgricultureWorkingGroup(SAWG)overitsfive-yearlife,whichwasestablishedin1996toaddressenvironmentanddevelopmentissuesintheagriculturalsector.Overthesubsequentfiveyears,theSAWGconductedfieldtoursandinternationalworkshopsinspecificregionsofChina.TheSAWGdevelopedrecommendations…     

BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT Computer-assisted Method Development for High-performance Liquid Chromatography

Elsevier Science Publishers have announced thepublication of‘Computer-assisted MethodDevelopment for High-performance LiquidChromatography’edited by J.L.Glajch,E.I.duPont de Nemours and Company,Inc.,N.Billerica,MA,USA and L.R.Snyder,Orinda,CA,USA.The book deals with the use of the     

A Retrospective of Oil and Gas Field Development in the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Gulf of Mexico, 1947–2017

Natural Resources Research - The U.S. Gulf of Mexico is a world-class hydrocarbon basin and industry has an impressive track record of advancing its capabilities in the region. From 1947 to 2017,...     

Sustainable or Not? Tourism Development in Agricultural Heritage Sites

Tourism is often considered as one of the dynamic conservation and adaptive management approaches in Agricultural Heritage Sites. It has been over 15 years since the GIAHS programme was initiated in China, and tourism developed quickly in the Agricultural Heritage Sites, to some extent because many researchers consider tourism as a significant engine of the local economy. However, this is contrary to the original intention of agricultural heritage tourism as it was proposed in the first place. Apparently, there are some overt problems during the tourism development process, which are mainly as follows: Some threats to Agricultural Heritage Systems are ubiquitous; The tourism development mode in Agricultural Heritage Sites is questionable; Community involvement is difficult to implement; And the negative environmental impacts are easy to overlook. Under the context of global development, the UNWTO sustainable tourism criteria provide some guidance for agricultural heritage tourism. Based on the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria, combined with previous survey experiences and related researches, this paper analyzes the tourism sustainability of all the 15 GIAHS sites in China, and explores the current sustainable tourism development level. On this basis, an agricultural heritage sustainable tourism development framework was built in an attempt to find the road to sustainability for agricultural heritage tourism. The framework in the global and local contexts is trying to connect all the important elements related to agricultural heritage tourism according to the UNWTO sustainable tourism criteria.     

Understanding causes of arid environment under global warming： A summary of International Symposium on Arid Climate Change and Sustainable Development （ISACS）

The International Symposium on Arid Climate Change and Sustainable Development （ISACS） was held on May 23-24, 2005 in Lanzhou, Northwest China. It was co-sponsored by China Meteorological Administration （CMA）, People＇s Government of Gansu Province of China, National Natural Science Foundation of China （NSFC） and some other related organizations from Canada, USA and Australia. A total of some 200 scholars from China and across the world participated in this event. About 170 oral and poster presentations were presented and discussed during this symposium.     

A Review of “Appalachian Aspirations: The Geography of Urbanization and Development in the Upper Tennessee River Valley, 1865–1900”

This article tests the explanatory power and interactions among five alternative explanations of environmental knowledge: (1) local information availability, (2) neighborhood characteristics, (3) environmental attitudes, (4) personal empowerment, and (5) information seeking. Using random forest and conditional inference trees, the article analyzes survey responses and finds that attitudes about personal empowerment and frequent information seeking are the strongest predictors of knowledge. The study offers random forest and conditional inference trees as statistical tools for complex data sets and studies that test hypotheses generated from multiple theories. We discuss the influence of knowledge differences over inclusive sustainability discussions.     

Local Impacts of Unconventional Gas Development within Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale Region: Gauging Boomtown Development through the Perspectives of Educational Administrators

Using survey and interview data gathered from educators and educational administrators, we investigate school and community impacts of unconventional gas extraction within Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale region. Respondents in areas with high levels of drilling are significantly more likely to perceive the effects of local economic gains, but also report increased inequality, heightened vulnerability of disadvantaged community members, and pronounced strains on local infrastructure. As community stakeholders in positions of local leadership, school leaders in areas experiencing Marcellus Shale natural gas extraction often face multiple decision-making dilemmas. These dilemmas occur in the context of incomplete information and rapid, unpredictable community change involving the emergence of both new opportunities and new insecurities.     

Development of local authorities in EU-member states between 1950–2011

The aim of the submitted study was to illustrate the development of the number of local authorities in all current EU states in the long period between 1950 and 2011 comprehensively, and also by particular decades, thus demonstrating the originality and uniqueness of the topic analysed in this context. Thus, we obtain a more detailed picture of the development of the number of local authorities in EU countries, and we can monitor how local authorities within a specific country gradually developed. (The stabilisation of the number of local units and an increase or gradual or sudden drop in local units are shown, for example). A sudden drop in local units can be associated with significant administrative reforms and with the development of large units of the so-called municipalities. When it becomes necessary to merge local authorities, many countries look to other countries where extensive reforms took place in the past for inspiration. However, it must be borne in mind that in a general European context, we cannot apply a universal system of public administration reforms, and solutions in the form of these reforms inspired by other countries may not always be appropriate.     

Development of land desertification in Bashang area in the past 20 years

1 Physiographic characteristics of Bashang area In broad sense, Bashang area refers to the entire Zhangbei, Kangbao and Guyuan counties, northern part of Shangyi, northern parts of Fengning and Weichang counties of Chengde Prefecture, most part of Duolun county, entire Taipusi Banner (Taipusi County), southern part of Zhenglan and Zhengxiangbai banners (counties) and northeast of Huade in Inner Mongolia, altogether 12 counties or banners covering an area of more than 42,000 km2 with a …