Using Memoranda of Understanding to facilitate marine management in Canada

Like many other coastal states, management of Canada’s offshore areas is complicated by the division of authority among differing government departments and agencies. However, as a Confederation, this administrative complexity in Canada is further exacerbated by the jurisdictional division of powers between the Federal Parliament and the Provincial Legislatures. The most common tool for overcoming this division and facilitating cooperation are formalized non-binding agreements known as Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs). While there are a large number of MOUs in existence in Canada, few are being implemented. In part, this is because the non-binding nature of the agreement means that either party may discard their obligations at will. This has led to many useful MOUs being discarded and years of work and resources expended negotiating these agreements being wasted. This paper discusses the findings from three such agreements, each focusing on efforts to manage Canada’s offshore resources. It highlights the importance of six factors capable of increasing the likelihood that any given MOU aimed at collaboration between different authorities will be successful. These factors include: a foundation of cooperation, clear statement of priorities, feasible and adaptable work plans, integration at various management levels, a legislative foundation, and adequate financial resources.     

Gravity Anomaly and Tectonics in the Northern Part of the North Fiji Basin - Preliminary Result of the 1994 NOFI Cruise under the NEW STARMER Programme

A surface ship gravity survey was carried out in the northern part of the North Fiji Basin during the NOFI cruise by the R/V l'Atalante in August-September, 1994. The two ridges inside the study area, the South Pandora Ridge and the Tripartite Ridge, present different structures and states of isostatic equilibrium in terms of gravity anomaly and its tectonic implications. The former is supported by a restoring force of an imaginary elastic plate in the crust and the latter by the Airy type isostasy. These characteristics can be derived from the difference in magmatic activity, as influenced by the difference in lithospheric structure. The latter is characterised by greater active magmatism and hydrothermalism underneath the ridge than the former. Such a difference in the magmatic activity and the horizontal scale of the shallow subsurface structure is derived from the difference in the stiffness or viscosity of the lithosphere beneath the two ridges.     

红树林海岸的沉积物输运和碳沉降特征

Mangroves play an important role in sequestering carbon and trapping sediments. However, the effectiveness of such functions is unclear due to the restriction of knowledge on the sedimentation process across the vegetation boundaries. To detect the effects of mangrove forests on sediment transportation and organic carbon sequestration, the granulometric and organic carbon characteristics of mangrove sediments were investigated from three vegetation zones of four typical mangrove habitats on the Leizhou Peninsula coast. Based on our results, sediment transport was often "environmentally sensitive" to the vegetation friction. A transition of the sediment transport mode from the mudflat zone to the interior/fringe zone was often detected from the cumulative frequency curve. The vegetation cover also assists the trapping of material, resulting in a significantly higher concentration of organic carbon in the interior surface sediments. However, the graphic parameters of core sediments reflected a highly temporal variability due to the sedimentation process at different locations. The sediment texture ranges widely from sand to mud, although the sedimentary environments are restricted within the same energy level along the fluvial-marine transition zone. Based on the PCA results, the large variation was mainly attributed to either the mean grain size features or the organic carbon features. A high correlation between the depth and δ13C value also indicated an increasing storage of mangrove-derived organic carbon with time.     

Fishers' perceptions,facilitating factors and challenges of community-based no-take zones in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve,Quintana Roo,Mexico

In response to fisheries decline in the Mexican Caribbean and continuing deterioration of the Mesoamerican Reef, conservation NGOs have begun to negotiate and collaboratively design a network of no-take zones (NTZs) with three fishing cooperatives in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve (SKBR), among other places along the coast of Quintana Roo. Spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) is the target of the main fishery within cooperative concessions. Fishers are uniquely positioned to enforce and monitor NTZs and evaluate their effectiveness. This study analyzes fishers' perceptions as indicators of social acceptance of NTZs, and identifies facilitating factors and challenges of the community-based process. Consistent with similar studies, responses of fishers (89 out of a population of 124) to a semi-structured interview showed that perceptions of NTZs largely reflect fishers' concerns and interests. A high proportion of fishers accurately identified main NTZ objectives of regulation, conservation and economic improvement, as well as NTZ locations. Further, fishers cared about ecosystem sustainability and, because NTZs would not significantly limit their main economic activity, endorsed the initiative while expecting additional benefits. Declining trends in lobster catch influenced a perceived need for NTZs. Major concerns were that illegal fishers would reap NTZ benefits and that economic impacts and benefits were uncertain. Most fishers found the decision-making process inclusive, were willing to take responsibility for enforcing NTZs and believed people leading the process were trustworthy. Differences in endorsement of NTZs among cooperatives points to the importance of understanding fishers’ incentives to collaborate, and the leadership and organizational dynamics which shape participatory processes. This analysis highlights challenges in advancing NTZs in complex ecological, socio-economic and regulatory contexts. It underscores the need for community-based processes that transcend understanding of conservation measures but also invests in sustainable, operative and trustful working relationships, as well as the urgency of interdisciplinary approaches in ensuring effective design and implementation of this relatively new fishery management tool.     

Can management effort be predicted for marine protected areas? New considerations for network design

This study examined the level of management complexity (simultaneously occurring licensed human activities) within the currently designated Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Scottish waters and through modelling and statistical analysis determined which variables play an important role in defining the level of management effort required for each MPA. This study utilised surveyed distribution data for Priority Marine Features and modelled distribution data showing potential “Most Suitable” Priority Marine Feature habitat through the species distribution model, Maxent. Prediction indicators were developed through Spearman׳s Rank coefficients and a linear regression model. Results showed that, (1) there was a significant negative correlation between the management complexity score within 5 km of a MPA and the number of casework events (defined as any work or statutory consultation associated with an MPA, such as planning applications, discharges or new fisheries); and (2) a significant positive correlation between the number of casework events and location, number of features, and the type of features and most suitable scores. Calculations showed that Lochs Duich, Long and Alsh, Loch Sunart, Loch Sween and Loch Creran may potentially require most effort to manage once they are designated as MPAs. This study showed that it is possible to evaluate options within an MPA network to achieve cost effective options for the biodiversity and socio-economic objectives of MPA networks and that some MPAs are likely to be more efficient than others in terms of management time.     

浅谈辽河群区域对比

辽河群广布于辽东地区,为一套古元古代层状中浅变质岩系.由于原岩存在沉积相变,加之后期变质变形的改造,各地岩性组合差异较大.经多年野外实地考察,将辽河群大致划分为两区、四相段,并进行较深入的建造与改造的研究,不仅解决了辽河群层序划分和区域对比问题,而且也解决了与邻区同时代地层对比的问题.     

康滇地轴南段江川盆地澄江砂岩微量元素地球化学特征及其地质意义

主要阐述了江川盆地澄江砂岩（Zac）的紫色砂岩与灰色砂岩、铀矿化蚀变岩微量元素及稀土元素地球化学特征。通过判别与对比,澄江砂岩（Zac）物质来源于活动大陆边缘,虽然铀矿化主要分布在灰色砂岩中,但灰色砂岩并不是控制铀矿化的主要因素,在铀矿化时有深部流体物质的影响。微量元素地球化学特征对探索该区砂岩型铀矿化以及寻找不整合面型铀矿床提供了可能,具有重要的指示意义。     

Paleocene deep-water sediments and radiolarian faunas: Implications for evolution of Yarlung-Zangbo foreland basin, southern Tibet

Only a few Paleocene radiolarian assemblages have been reported, while the Early Paleocene zonal schemes remain poorly delineated. The Early Paleocene on-land radiolarians were described in the Hidaka melange belt of Japan and the North Island of New Zeal…     

珠江口盆地流花碳酸盐台地灰岩坑的地震反射特征及成因探讨

早中新世东沙隆起带上发育了大规模的流花碳酸盐台地,上覆巨厚未固结-弱固结泥岩。基于三维地震数据,利用相干体及可视化等方法,在台地上发现了由溶蚀垮塌作用形成的数量众多的椭圆形的灰岩坑。灰岩坑直径一般为200~700 m,最大超过900 m,深度10~90 m;灰岩坑在地震反射上表现为碳酸盐岩顶部垮塌,并导致上覆泥岩地层塌陷;灰岩坑一般沿NWW向断层分布,这些NWW向断层切割中新世碳酸盐岩和上覆海相泥岩地层,绝大多数终止于T₁₀的不整合面。综合分析东沙海区构造和沉积过程认为：发生在晚中新世末期的东沙运动形成了NWW向张扭性断层,为酸性流体提供了运移通道和物质交换场所;东沙运动伴生的基底岩浆活动可能产生了酸性热液流体;东沙运动末期发生强烈的构造抬升和大规模海底暴露,造成地表水沿断层注入,加快了碳酸盐岩的溶蚀速率。在台地底部珠海组砂岩层的高压流体、地表水和岩浆活动可能产生的酸性热液流体的共同溶蚀作用下,碳酸盐岩地层内部产生溶洞,并且越来越大,最终顶部无法承载上覆巨厚泥岩而发生垮塌,形成灰岩坑。流花碳酸盐台地灰岩坑的形成不是简单的暴露溶蚀,而是构造活动影响下深埋藏溶蚀作用的产物。     

中国海相探矿权区块定量评价方法

在研究了我国海相油气探矿权区块基本油气地质条件、勘探程度、技术经济条件等要素和特点的基础上,给出了48个评价参数和归一化取值参照表,建立了探矿权区块评价工作流程、评分参数及计算公式。提出对我国海相勘探层探矿权区块评价应该注意:与国外海相碳酸盐岩评价的差别;与国内陆相碎屑岩评价的差别;成藏组合的划分;评价内容的有效性、不确定性和评价参数的可信度;成败经验的总结和勘探程度的研究。