Progress in the Research on Benefit-sharing and Ecological Compensation Mechanisms for Transboundary Rivers

Transboundary rivers have important geopolitical and geo-economic connotations, but riparian states of transboundary rivers are often driven by their own rapid population growth and economic development to be-come involved in regional conflicts about the development and use of water resources. Therefore, finding a balance between the need for fair and reasonable development of water resources and the effective protection of environment from an ecological perspective has become a major problem faced by the international community. This paper begins with consideration of international water laws related to transboundary rivers and then reviews advances in the research on benefit-sharing, ecological compensation mechanisms, and adaptive management systems. We believe that existing international water laws form a complete legal system and that more attention needs to be paid to transboundary cooperation and sustainable water resource use. With respect to how transboundary water conflicts are resolved, there is a trend to move away from single water resource allocation (a zero-sum game) to benefit-sharing in order to achieve a win-win situation for riparian states, but there are still some difficulties in transboundary ecological compensation. In China, the central government has paid attention to horizontal ecological compensation between upstream and downstream, offering guidance to promote establishment of inter-province ecological compensation. Based on existing practice, horizontal ecological compensations are still in their infancy, small in scale, supported by a weak legal system, lacking market mechanisms to encourage their use and relying on fiscal transfers as the method of payment. In the future, China will need to intensify its research on legal system development, international cooperation, and benefit-sharing as these impact transboundary water resources. Because government can be seen as a management department with multiple identities (enabler, regulator and buyer), to improve adaptive transboundary ecological compensation mechanisms, government must develop as soon as possible data sharing platforms, standards of water consumption behaviors and intergovernmental policies (or ordinances).     

地震信息社会服务与地震安全探讨

提高地震安全,减轻地震灾害造成的经济损失和人员伤亡,地震信息社会服务是不可缺少的途径。地震信息主要包括法规建设、地震监测、震害防御和应急救援资料,服务内容包括法规宣传和普及、地震灾害影响服务、工程建设监管服务和防灾避震服务等。通过地震信息社会服务,可以增强社会防灾意识,提高建设工程安全,减轻地震灾害损失。     

Social memory and resilience in New Orleans

A key concept in resilience studies is that human societies can learn from hazard events and use their accumulated social memory to better contend with future catastrophes. This article explores the deliberate referral to historical records complied after Hurricane Betsy in 1965 and how they were used to prepare for tropical storms at the time of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Despite proclamations that Louisiana would not repeat its mistakes, hazards planners seriously neglected the historical record.     

日光温室电暖风机加温效果评估与经济投入分析

日光温室加温是改善冬季日光温室作物生长温度环境的主要措施之一。选择典型节能型日光温室,利用暖风机加温试验研究加温方式作用下温室内温度时间、空间变化以及在极端天气条件下和不同外界温度条件下的加温效果,并进行经济投入分析。结果表明：电暖风机加温后温室内温度明显提高且温度分布较均匀,平均温度较对照温室高4.23 ℃,其中平均最低温度提升效果最明显;低温天气时,平均温度比对照温室温度高4.24 ℃;寡照天气时,平均温度比对照温室温度高4.48 ℃。暖风机在外界温度-12 ~-4 ℃时对温室进行加温的效果最佳。通过对几种传统的温室加温方式经济投入的分析表明,电暖风机是一种投资小,耗能低,经济效益相对较高的加温方式。     

滨海休闲体育产业的绿色发展研究

概述了滨海休闲体育产业绿色发展的研究现状,界定了滨海休闲体育产业绿色发展的概念,论述了滨海休闲体育产业绿色发展的必然趋势,分析了绿色发展的制约因素,探讨了滨海休闲体育产业绿色发展的实现路径。     

Fishers' perceptions as indicators of the performance of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)

How users perceive the performance of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is fundamental for the social acceptance of these zones. Moreover, their perceptions may be relevant for monitoring the effects of MPAs on extractive activities. This study analyzes artisanal fishers' perceptions of the performance of a north-western Mediterranean coastal MPA, which encompasses two no-take zones (NTZs). Three viewpoints have been considered: the effect on the personal activity of fishers, the effect on the local fishery and the effect on the ecosystem. In order to test the hypothesis that biomass export (spillover) - which had previously been evidenced from the two NTZs - may influence fishers' perceptions of NTZ effects, fishers' perceptions were compared with both declared and observed fishing activity over an one-year period.The results show that negative perceptions of NTZs are either nil or are negligible. Most fishers are aware of the beneficial effects of NTZs on ecosystems and fisheries. However, they remain to be convinced of the beneficial effects of the NTZs on their own activity. For instance, the proximity of a NTZ appears never to be involved in the choice of a fishing spot. This partial lack of correspondence between scientific expectation and fishers' perceptions is discussed in the light of fishing habits in the zone adjacent to NTZs, and takes into account fishing grounds, targeted species and seniority (defined as the number of years the fisher has been fishing within the MPA). All three factors appear to influence fishers' perceptions. For example, having a positive perception about a NTZ and spending more time fishing in the adjacent zone are habits that can be associated with fishers with less seniority. Fishers' perceptions obviously indicate the social acceptance of the MPA and are an essential monitoring tool for MPA managers. However, perceptions cannot be seen as a substitute for scientific monitoring, as both approaches are clearly complementary.     

Methods of social assessment in Marine Protected Area planning: Is public participation enough?

Addressing social and economic considerations is crucial to the success of Marine Protected Area (MPA) planning and management. Ineffective social assessment can alienate local communities and undermine the success of existing and future MPAs. It is rare to critique the success of methods used currently to incorporate social and economic considerations into MPA planning. Three Australian MPA planning processes covering three states and incorporating federal and state jurisdictions are reviewed in order to determine how potential social impacts were assessed and considered. These case studies indicate that Social Impact Assessment (SIA) is under-developed in Australian MPA planning. Assessments rely heavily on public participation and economic modelling as surrogates for dedicated SIA and are followed commonly by attitudinal surveys to gauge public opinion on the MPA after its establishment. The emergence of issues around public perception of the value of MPAs indicates the failure of some of these proposals to adequately consider social factors in planning and management. This perception may have potential implications for the long term success of individual MPAs. It may also compromise Australia's ability to meet international commitments for MPA targets to gazette at least 10% of all its marine habitats as MPAs. Indeed, this is demonstrated in two of the three case studies where social and economic arguments against MPAs have been used to delay or block the future expansion of the MPA network.     

崇明“绿色能源岛”示范区建设初探

"能源岛"技术是国际上近几年发展起来的一种新的能源供应概念和方式,它将高品值的电力与低品值的热、冷3种能量需求有效地统一起来,从而大幅提高能源利用效率,减少碳化物及有害气体的排放,是未来新能源发展的趋势。在充分调查崇明岛自然环境、投资环境、可再生能源储量的基础上,对崇明建设以可再生能源为基础的"绿色能源岛"建设进行综合评价,并提出"能源岛"建设的初步建议,为上海沿海可再生能源开发利用提供了一定的参考。     

青海湖流域防沙治沙生态效益现状评价及分析

本研究选择了青海湖周边沙漠化防治区,对研究区内的土壤和植被指标进行了野外观测,并对周边农牧户基本状况及生态环境保护意识进行了调查,建立了青海湖沙漠化治理生态效益评价指标体系,采用层次分析法确定了指标权重,通过模糊评价的方法计算得出各指标的隶属度,最终得出以下结论:①通过专家系统打分建立判断矩阵,经计算得出生态效益各指标权重,明显看出,植被在青海湖沙漠化防治过程中具有非常重要的作用。②根据模糊评价结果得出研究区内目前防沙治沙生态效益差,说明青海湖防沙治沙工程生态恢复还处于初级阶段,综合治理生态系统建设未达到标准,生态系统仍非常脆弱。③通过农牧户基本情况及生态意识调查,发现研究区的农牧户生态环境保护意识较差,对生态环境了解及认识程度远远不够,还需要加强农牧民的生态环境保护意识。     

黄土高原农户可持续生计评估及未来生计策略——基于陕西延安市和宁夏固原市1076 户农户调查

农户可持续生计问题是黄土高原自实施生态退耕政策以来备受关注的关键科学问题之一。通过构建可持续生计效益评价模型, 对农户可持续生计效益进行了分级评价, 并分析了不同类型农户的可持续生计效益差异。结果表明:① 具有较高可持续生计效益指数的农户生计收入构成趋向于多元化, 不同生计策略收入所占比重也趋向平均化, 而生计效益指数较低的农户主要依赖于外出打工、卖粮菜等个别生计策略;② 各类型农户的人均生计效益指数和人均年收入排序呈现出:发展果园型>做小生意型>外出打工型>大棚种植型>舍饲养殖型。基于可持续生计效益评价并结合主体功能区战略, 提出4 种黄土高原未来生计策略:① 推进人口城镇化, 有序引导生态脆弱地区人口外迁;② 促进农地流转, 扩大农业生产规模;③ 拓展生计策略, 增强收入来源多样性;④ 加强技术培训, 提高农户非农生计可持续性。