The Cap and Water Trading in Australian Murray-Darling Basin for Wetlands Protection:The Possible Lessons for China

As the consequence of climate change, water that is received in Australian Murray-Darling Basin wetlands is declining and agricultural water demands are increasing. In order to keep the water use balance between environment protection including wetland protection and irrigation water use, the Australian government adopted a series of reforms in Murray-Darling Basin to address the environmental water shortage problem and encourage irrigators to use water more efficiently and plant high economic value crop. The water trading and cap are two major reforms in this process.In order to match up the environmental water demand such as wetland water use, based on the seasonal rainfall, dam level and environmental water demand, the cap system seasonally allocate how much water the irrigators can access as per water licenses. As the cap dramatically reduced the water access for irrigators, the water trading is aiming to use limited agricultural water more efficiently. The water trading scheme separate the water use right from the land property right and allow Australian farmers to trade their water licenses in the market. Water trading encouraged farmers who plant low value crops such as wheat and canola transfer their water entitles to farmers who plant high value crops such as grape. In the drought seasons, The Australian government can purchase the water licenses from irrigators to increase the environmental flows.This Australian water management system represents the most complicated and effective environmental and agricultural water use management in this world. There are possible many lessons that will help China to better manage the water use for wetland protection and farming practices.     

Rights or Containment? The politics of Aboriginal cultural heritage in Victoria

Aboriginal cultural heritage protection, and the legislative regimes that underpin it, constitute important mechanisms for Aboriginal people to assert their rights and responsibilities. This is especially so in Victoria, where legislation vests wide-ranging powers and control of cultural heritage with Aboriginal communities. However, the politics of cultural heritage, including its institutionalisation as a scientific body of knowledge within the state, can also result in a powerful limiting of Aboriginal rights and responsibilities. This paper examines the politics of cultural heritage through a case study of a small forest in north-west Victoria. Here, a dispute about logging has pivoted around differing conceptualisations of Aboriginal cultural heritage values and their management. Cultural heritage, in this case, is both a powerful tool for the assertion of Aboriginal rights and interests, but simultaneously a set of boundaries within which the state operates to limit and manage the challenge those assertions pose. The paper will argue that Aboriginal cultural heritage is a politically contested and shifting domain structured around Aboriginal law and politics, Australian statute and the legacy of colonial history.     

Water policy,trust and governance in the Murray-Darling Basin

Concerns for river health in the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) area and shifting priorities for water use have led to a significant process of water reform over the last decade. The MDB area, also known as the food bowl of Australia, produces much of the country's food and is home to a significant portion of the population. A long-term drought, historical over-allocation of water for irrigation and climate variability have led to mounting concerns about the long-term viability of the rivers. While the reform process has resulted in the Commonwealth government taking control of the rivers from the States, it has also been influenced by changes in governments and consequent shifts in water allocation priorities from a privileging of agriculture to a broader approach encompassing economic, environmental and social concerns. This had led to uncertainty for the people and communities in the Basin and some confusion between the various layers of governance structures. This paper presents the results of exploratory research conducted with key, high-level stakeholders involved in water reform to examine their perceptions of the evolving water policy process. Despite agreement amongst stakeholders that returning water to the environment to ensure river health is critical, our research reveals significant tensions between stakeholders concerning the evolving process, particularly centred on the potential social outcomes and fairness and equity. This suggests the need for more integrated and transparent governance structures, attention to levels of trust between partners and a common vision that incorporates environmental, economic and social goals.     

The Getting of the Nganabbarru: Observations and reflections on Aboriginal buffalo hunting in northern Australia

Nganabbarru , or water buffalo ( Bubalus bubalis ), is frequently hunted by Aboriginal men, and buffalo meat is an important food source for many Arnhem Land Aboriginal communities. The experience of buffalo hunting trips with Aboriginal men who reside at Korlohbidahdah outstation in central Arnhem Land is used as a point of departure to consider the relationships between Aboriginal people and megaherbivores in the past and the present, and to explore the complexity of feral animal management in cross-cultural settings. This enquiry raised the question of the cultural conception of feral animals and demonstrates that there is no simple answer to the question: what is a buffalo? Buffaloes have been the focus of a colonial economic industry and are iconic of the Territorian way of life. However, they spread economically significant livestock diseases and cause widespread environmental damage. In the 1980s feral buffalo populations were the target of the Brucellosis and Tuberculosis Eradication Campaign (BTEC) control program. The failure to continue control programs following the cessation of BTEC program and inadequate consultation with Aboriginal landowners has meant that today's land managers are once again faced with conflicting views about controlling feral buffalo populations on Aboriginal land and within National Parks like Kakadu. It is concluded that there are genuine, previously overlooked opportunities for cross-cultural collaboration in managing feral buffaloes. Cross-disciplinary research involving ecologists, anthropologists, linguists, economists and environmental historians is required to help develop sustainable and culturally appropriate feral animal control programs.     

Management Challenges for Aboriginal Cultural Heritage in Peri-urban Queensland

It is often assumed that places of cultural significance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are protected under cultural heritage legislation such as the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003 in Queensland. Such Acts are improvements on previous policies, which all but neglected Aboriginal cultural heritage. Nevertheless, the aims of policies developed at wider geographic scales, such as States within the Australian system, continue to be disconnected from the experiences of some local Traditional Owners. In this paper, we examine conflicts between non-local policy and on-ground management decisions for Aboriginal cultural heritage in peri-urban Queensland. We focus on the challenges of local Traditional Owners in peri-urban landscapes, basing our discussion on recent experiences conducting research on Indigenous land management in southeast Queensland. We examine three case studies: one in which colonial heritage values were prioritised over existing Aboriginal cultural heritage values, a second where local government failed to support a private landholder’s attempt to identify and protect a cultural heritage site, and a third where a cultural heritage site was protected but in a way that restricts the continuation of cultural practices. Developing more productive and equitable relationships between Traditional Owners and non-Indigenous decision makers, with regards to Aboriginal cultural heritage, requires new locally developed processes for engagement and we suggest how this could be achieved.     

黄河流域生态系统服务权衡协同关系时空异质性

探究流域生态系统服务的权衡协同关系及其尺度效应对合理制定生态环境政策和有效配置环境资源具有至关重要的意义。以黄河流域为研究对象,采用1990、1995、2000、2005、2010、2018年6期数据,采用InVEST和CASA模型评估产水量、碳储量、土壤保持量、生境质量和净初级生产力（NPP）5项生态系统服务,采用Spearman相关性分析黄河流域及其二级流域各项生态系统服务间的权衡关系。结果表明：全流域尺度上产水量与碳储量、生境质量呈权衡关系,其余各项服务间呈协同关系;产水量与碳储量、产水量与生境质量、碳储量与土壤保持量、碳储量与生境质量、碳储量与NPP、土壤保持量与生境质量之间的关系8个二级流域与黄河流域全域均保持一致。产水量与土壤保持量、产水量与NPP、土壤保持量与NPP以及生境质量与NPP的关系在二级流域间出现了差异。各生态系统服务整体表现出了明显的二级流域差异且显示地域规律性。多尺度评估生态系统服务间的权衡协同关系,可为制定黄河流域发展和生态保护双赢政策提供可靠参考。     

黄河流域甘肃段地质遗迹空间区划及可持续开发利用策略

地质遗迹是珍贵的且为不可再生的自然资源。对地质遗迹的保护性开发是其可持续开发利用的前提,也是生态文明建设、脱贫攻坚、乡村振兴战略不可或缺的组成部分。基于黄河流域甘肃段地质遗迹调查数据,采用最邻近点指数和GIS空间分析法,对该区域的地质遗迹空间分布特征进行评价,提出地质遗迹可持续开发利用建议。结果表明：（1） 黄河流域甘肃段地质遗迹调查共发现地质遗迹点1046处,其中具有重要价值的有153处。研究区地质遗迹空间分布广泛,类型多样,内涵独特,以碎屑岩地貌、地层剖面、古生物遗迹化石为主;其不均匀分布的特点,与当地气候分带、地貌分区、水系分布、地质构造发育等存在一定的相关性。（2） 根据赋存环境、发育特征等将研究区地质遗迹划分为2个地质遗迹区、6个分区和15个小区。（3） 以国家自然保护地整合优化为契机,建议通过地质公园、研学旅行基地、特色小镇、地质文化村建设等多层次、多样化的开发利用路径,推进黄河流域甘肃段地质遗迹的可持续开发利用。     

2013—2020年塔里木河流域胡杨林生态恢复成效评估

生态输水是塔里木河流域退化胡杨林生态恢复的主要措施,及时监测和准确评估其恢复成效是优化输水策略、完善胡杨林修复体系的关键。以2013年以来8个胡杨林区为研究对象,基于中高分辨率遥感数据监测不同胡杨林区生态输水前后植被面积、长势及植被覆盖度的时序变化,探讨胡杨林恢复与生态输水的关系。结果表明：（1） 2016年以来整个流域累计漫溢水面为2172.96 km²,占林区总面积的4.39%,主要分布在输水通道两侧及末端10 km范围内。（2） 输水前后林区植被整体呈现由退化到恢复的转变,林区生态恢复水平与年最大漫溢面积显著正相关。（3） 生态恢复成效评估表明,生态恢复最显著的区域是塔里木河中上游和叶尔羌河下游的夏马勒林场,但整个流域远离输水通道的胡杨林仍有退化趋势。合理规划输水通道建设,扩大胡杨林区的受水范围是退化胡杨林生态恢复的关键。     

Media Constructions of Aboriginality: implications for engagement with coal seam gas development in Australia

Recent neo-liberal policy frameworks in Australia advocate economic development opportunities for Aboriginal Australians as a viable strategy to redress the marginalisation and social disadvantage that appear to characterise many Aboriginal communities. In New South Wales (NSW), Aboriginal peoples are currently negotiating with industry for the chance to participate in coal seam gas (CSG) development opportunities. Based upon research focusing on CSG development in the Northern NSW region, this paper argues that certain constructions of Aboriginality inhibit successful Aboriginal engagement with the economic opportunities provided by CSG. This paper illuminates the role of the media in facilitating dominant discourse about Aboriginality and the implications of those constructions for Aboriginal engagement with the mainstream economy. Findings demonstrate that the media are complicit in constructing Aboriginal peoples in a way that could prejudice their attempts to engage in economic opportunities that do not align with the dominant constructions of Aboriginality.     

山地区域土地生态红线划定方法与实证研究——以重庆市涪陵区义和镇为例

无序和不合理的土地利用是引发生态问题的重要因素。合理划定土地生态红线,可协调土地利用和生态环境的关系,促进土地资源的合理配置,保障区域生态安全。山地区域地势起伏较大,水系密布,土地利用破碎化,作为重要的水土保持和水源涵养区域,是进行生态恢复和重建的关键地区。本文以山地区域村镇为例,运用GIS平台,基于生态敏感性和生态服务价值,对土地生态进行综合评价,据此划定刚性和弹性的土地生态红线。生态敏感性评价的指标包括坡度、植被覆盖度、水体、土壤类型和降水侵蚀力等5个指标;生态服务价值评价的指标包括食物生产、原料生产、气体调节、气候调节、水文调节、土壤保持、维持养分循环、生物多样性和美学景观9个指标。义和镇的刚性生态红线内所包含的刚性生态保护区面积为43.90 km²,占义和镇总面积的44.34%。弹性生态红线包含的弹性生态保护区面积为29.18 km²,占义和镇总面积的29.47%。义和镇的生态红线范围主要包含东北部山地区域和南部水系丰富地区,该区域的生态敏感性较高,同时也有较高的生态服务价值,因此生态红线的划定对于生态修复和生态保护具有指引作用,为生态系统健康发展提供基础保障,并可为构建生态文明安全格局提供科学支持。     

黄河流域生态环境综合评价及其演变

在定性分析黄河流域自然生态环境特点的基础上，针对黄河流域不同的地理特征与生态环境特征，从气候环境、水文环境、土地覆盖、土壤侵蚀、土地利用和地形地貌等方面选择评价指标，在遥感与地理信息系统技术支持下，首先通过一系列的模型计算与遥感影像解译，分别生成黄河流域1980年代末期与1990年代末期数值型的生态环境背景因子，而后应用主成分分析法对生态环境质量进行了综合评价，得出了不同空间尺度下的反映黄河流域1980年代末期与1990年代末期生态环境质量的分级图，并对黄河流域近10年间的生态环境演变进行了分析。     

Three Management Challenges for Protection of Aboriginal Cultural Heritage in a Tasmanian Multiple-use Conservation Area

Protected areas that are created to safeguard environmental values such as Indigenous culturescapes may in fact significantly fail in this task. This study concerns such an instance in far north-west Tasmania, where the government adopted a multiple-use resource conservation-development management model for the Arthur–Pieman Conservation Area (APCA). The model offers protection of cultural heritage values whilst permitting numerous community recreational and commercial uses. One particular objective is to protect ‘an extraordinary richness of Aboriginal cultural heritage’ in one of Earth's great archaeological regions (DPIWE, Arthur–Pieman Conservation Area Management Plan, 2002, p. iii). Yet under the auspices of multiple use, Aborigine and others report unremitting damage and loss of ancestral values. To examine how this is so in an actively managed protected area, perceptions of 16 environmental professionals and local residents engaged in APCA planning and management are used to identify three major challenges for appropriate custodianship of the Aboriginal cultural landscape: Aboriginal–Eurocentric conflicts; limited community governance capacities; and deficient regulatory provisions. It is concluded that APCA multiple-use management of heritage conservation is ineffectual and that an alternative governance model is required urgently. The management challenges examined here offer insights for problematic Indigenous cultural heritage conservation in other jurisdictions of Australia and elsewhere.     

Practical Exploration of Ecological Restoration and Management of the Mountains-Rivers-Forests-Farmlands-Lakes-Grasslands System in the Irtysh River Basin in Altay,Xinjiang

The Irtysh River Basin refers to a water conservation area and a vital ecological barrier in Xinjiang and also partially in Central Asia. Here, the technical solution for the ecological protection and the restoration of the Mountains-Rivers-Forests-Farmlands-Lakes-Grasslands system (MRFFLGs) pilot project in the Irtysh River Basin is refined, by complying with the core concept, i.e., “mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes and grasslands are a community of life”. The solution stresses the specific characteristics of ecologically protecting and restoring MRFFLGs in the Irtysh River Basin, which aim to reduce ecological water use, soil erosion, forest and grassland degradation, the ecological destruction of mines, water environment pollution and other issues. With overall protection, system restoration, district policy, and problem orientation as the overarching ideas, 162 sub-items of 44 major items with seven categories have been designed and implemented in the project. In addition, some highlights of the management experience that are worth promoting when the pilot project is being implemented are also summarized (e.g., the use of laws to solve historical problems, scientific argumentation and third-party evaluation, proactive guidance for the engagement of people, modern information technology support, and integration with local sustainable development). Lastly, four policy suggestions are proposed: (1) Building a model of systematic protection and restoration by using basins as the basic geographic unit; (2) Establishing and optimizing key weak links of systems and mechanisms; (3) Focusing on remedying the shortcomings of regional talents, technology and capital; and (4) Promoting the MRFFLGs project to integrate “industry, city, people, and tourism” for carrying out a large-scale system project.     

A Plan to Push Limits? Investigating the ecologically sustainable development dimensions of Melbourne's Central Region sustainable water strategy

Drawing upon theory from the field of urban political ecology, we analyse a major strategic water plan for Melbourne, Australia—the Sustainable water strategy for the Central Region, published in 2006. We assess the extent to which the strategy identified and addressed ecological sustainability in terms of: cultural frames; ecological context; social equity; and engagement processes. We identify that the strategy's framing of water was largely separate from its social and ecological context. This framing resulted in the importance of issues such as environmental flows, social equity and cultural values being diminished, thus avoiding the inevitable confrontation with environmental limits needed to ensure long-term ecological sustainability. Our analysis shows that the discursive dominance of economics limited the response to persuasive scientific arguments for greater ecological consideration in the strategy. Our findings suggest that broadening engagement with the diverse ways in which water is valued is likely to contribute to more equitable and ecologically sustainable water futures.     

Spatio-temporal Analysis of Water Supply Services in the Li River Basin

The water supply services of the Li River are essential for the ecological environment and local social development. Based on the InVEST model, we quantitatively analyzed the spatial and temporal distribution patterns of water supply services in the Li River Basin from 2000 to 2018 at multiple scales, including the raster, sub-basin, and regional scales, clarified the differences in water yield among different land use types, and explored the different stages of changes in the characteristics of water services. The results revealed four key aspects of this system. (1) The water supply service of Li River Basin showed a spatial distribution pattern of high in the north and low in the south, and the water yield gradually decreased from north to south. (2) Among the various land use types in Li River Basin, the average water supply capacity decreased in the following order: artificial surface, unused land, grassland, forest, cropland and wetland. (3) The average amounts of water services in the 18 sub-basins varied widely, with four sub-basins belonging to the high-value area for water supply services, eight in the middle-value area, and six in the low-value area. (4) From 2000 to 2010, the regions with large fluctuations in water supply services include the midstream region, Lipu River region, and the northern region of Gongcheng River; while from 2010 to 2018, the areas with large fluctuations were in the midstream region and Gongcheng River region. The results of this research increase our understanding of the water supply services in the Li River Basin and provide a critical scientific basis for the reverse compensation of a regional ecological compensation mechanism.     

Indigenous Land Management in Peri-Urban Landscapes: An Australian Example

This article examines roles, opportunities, and challenges for Indigenous land management in rapidly developing landscapes through a case study of Bunya Bunya Country Aboriginal Corporation, a not-for-profit organization on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. An analysis of data collected through semistructured interviews, participant observation, and analysis of secondary sources reveals that Aboriginal land managers work in a variety of roles to manage issues affecting the local environment and cultural heritage sites. These efforts are challenged by the absence of Native Title and colonial land management policies, which restrict Aboriginal involvement in land management. We conclude that there is a need for alternative pathways to engage with Aboriginal land managers who cannot, or choose not to, proceed with Native Title. Decolonized decision-making tools and sustainable enterprises are viable opportunities that partially address these challenges and could deliver tangible socio-economic and cultural benefits to local Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.     

Spatially constrained clustering of ecological units to facilitate the design of integrated water monitoring networks in the St. Lawrence Basin

Water monitoring networks are generally classified into surface water, precipitation, groundwater or water quality monitoring networks. The design of these networks typically occurs in isolation from each other. We present a regionalization approach to identify homogeneous subregions of large basins that are suitable as areas for the optimization of an integrated water monitoring network. The study area, which comprises a portion of the St. Lawrence Basin, was spatially divided using ecological units. For each ecological unit, 21 attributes were derived including both environmental and hydrological indicators. A spatially constrained regionalization technique was applied to define the final regions. A scree plot was used to determine the number of regions. The sensitivity of the technique to the correlation in the attribute data was removed by utilizing principal component analysis to reduce correlation between attribute data. During regionalization, the component values were weighted by their proportion of the total variance explained. The four regions in the final configuration had areas from 19% to 31% of the total area, 63,597 km². For the St. Lawrence Basin, this approach is effective for defining homogeneous regions that can be used in further research on the optimization of integrated water monitoring networks. The approach is portable to other regions and can incorporate any set of attribute data that is valuable to the regionalization objective.     

Globalisation,contest and paradox in a continuing cultural landscape: Land reform in the New Zealand High Country

Geografisk Tidsskrift—Danish Journal of Geography 109(2):161–179, 2009

A key feature of globalization is the way that local landscapes are progressively opened up to the influence of global markets, consumers and capital. The transformations that result are frequently politically contested, and can profoundly and quickly affect cultural landscapes that have evolved slowly over long periods. The contests over policy direction may draw upon long established ideals of occupancy and ownership, and such ‘policy myths’ may paradoxically serve to undermine the very landscapes from which they are drawn. The New Zealand South Island High Country is a distinctive continuing cultural landscape that is currently undergoing radical change as a result of land tenure reform. The unarticle demonstrates the way that cultural and political narratives and ideals are critical factors in mediating the relationship between globalization and local landscape change in this iconic landscape.     

基于相对风险模型的土地利用变化生态风险定量评价——以石羊河流域为例

土地利用是否合理是推进国民经济发展的关键,也是生态环境变化的风向标。通过理论研究和实地调研,构建了土地利用生态风险定量评价体系,借助相对风险模型（RRM）对石羊河流域的生态风险及其影响因素进行研究。结果表明：（1）在划分的3个评价单元中,中部绿洲生态保护区在土地利用中面临的生态风险最大,北部盆地防沙治沙区次之,南部山地水源涵养区生态风险最小;（2）在3大风险单元的6类不同风险源中,工程建设对石羊河流域的生态风险影响最大,其次是作物种植和畜牧养殖,且在自然环境相对较好的区域表现得尤为明显。     

黑河流域植物物种多样性对土地利用变化的响应北大核心CSCD

黑河流域土地利用变化严重影响植物物种多样性。为了解自然、社会经济因素对黑河流域土地利用变化影响下植物物种多样性的变化趋势,本研究使用Dyna-CLUE模型,预测2050年土地利用变化,揭示多因素影响下黑河流域土地利用变化,及土地利用变化与草本、灌木物种多样性间的关系。结果表明:降水、GDP、与自然村距离等因子共同驱动土地利用变化,2050年林地、草地和水域面积的增加和未利用地面积的减小,提高了灌木、草本植物的多样性,并使之均匀度更高,种间优势度减小。耕地面积的扩张和耕地集约化导致植物分布不均、多样性减少。将模拟结果和植物物种多样性发展趋势相结合能够对未来的土地利用规划、政策及生态保护决策提供依据。应针对不同区域土地利用变化情况,制定相应的生物多样性和生态环境保护政策,促进黑河流域生态环境的恢复并支持流域可持续发展。