Robustness and the Paradox of Bridging Organizations: The Exit Problem in Regional Water Governance Networks in Central America

Bridging organizations facilitate a range of governance processes, including cooperation and social learning, and are theorized to be a key component of robust governance systems. In this article, we use node removal simulations to test structural hypotheses of robustness in a regional water governance network in Central America. We investigate the response of network measures supporting core governance processes to the targeted removal of bridging organizations and other actors, which we compare to random and centrality-based simulations. The results indicate removing bridging organizations has a greater impact on the network than any other type of actor, suggesting bridging organizations are critical to the robustness of the governance system. Furthermore, network structures supporting cooperation may be less robust than structures facilitating social learning. We conclude with policy implications of the research findings as they relate to the exit problem in governance systems with a large presence of international development actors.     

泛珠江三角洲区域经济开放的趋势分析

通过分析泛珠江三角洲地域结构演变对区域经济开放的影响和九省区(除两个特别行政区)国际开放度、区际开放度的测算结果及排名对比,探讨了中国式区域经济开放模式及制度和转型经济下该区域经济开放的路径。即从目前测算结果来看,泛珠江三角洲区域经济二元化开放整体上依然是国际开放度大于区际开放度,然而从地缘结构演变、国际国内和区际环境以及地缘优势来看,该区域在今后长远发展趋势上将会呈现出区际开放大于国际开放的趋势。这一分析结果印证了泛珠江三角洲经济圈的建立,顺应了当今世界经济和中国经济发展之大势。     

海洋氢能开发法律规制研究

海洋氢能作为一种清洁、低碳、高效且可再生的能源,逐渐成为目前我国实现“双碳”目标的重要能源载体,其开发对我国具有重大战略意义。但由于海洋氢能起步晚,目前存在技术成熟度不高、政策支撑较少、法律配套不完善等诸多困难。同时存在海域管辖权竞合、海洋环境污染、海洋生物多样性破坏以及国际合作开发难等问题。关于海洋氢能开发法律规制问题,在国际法层面,以《联合国宪章》《联合国海洋法公约》等基本法构建海洋氢能国际合作开发以及海洋环境保护的基本法律框架,以《生物多样性公约》和《BBNJ协定》为基础进一步对海洋环境污染和保护海洋生物多样性提出法律规范;在国内法层面,通过现有能源领域法律法规可知,《可再生能源法》填补海洋氢能开发法律空白;在海洋环境领域,我国法律法规对海洋氢能开发提出了环境影响评价的要求,以保障海洋生态环境不受侵害。综上所述,海洋氢能开发利用应当完善国内相关立法,制定有针对性的海洋氢能领域环境影响评价制度,以促成国际开发与合作。这些完善建议旨在为海洋氢能开发提供清晰的法律指导,促进其可持续发展和利用,同时保护海洋环境和社会稳定。     

珠江口海水密度的研究

用磁力浮沉子密度测量装置,在１５ ～２５ ℃之间的三个温度下测定了珠江口２０ 个水样的密度。结果表明,测定值皆高于相应条件下国际标准海水状态方程的计算值,在海水盐度范围０．０８～３３ ．４４６ ,密度平均偏差范围为２ ．４ ～５４．０ ×１０ － ３ｋｇ／ｍ３ 。测定密度和计算密度的偏差随盐度的降低而增大,与盐度的变化成直线相关：与（Ｃａ２ ＋ ）／Ｓ、ＳＯ４２ － ／Ｓ比和比碱度之间皆呈指数曲线相关。珠江口水样（Ｃａ２ ＋ ）／Ｃ１ 、ＳＯ４２ － ／Ｃ１ 和比碱度平均值分别超出大洋水平均值１７ ．８ ％ 、８ ．２１ ％ 和１５２ ％ ,其余的Ｎａ ＋ ／Ｃ１、Ｋ＋ ／Ｃ１ 和Ｓｒ２ ＋ ／Ｃ１ 比值与大洋水无明显差别,基本类同。珠江口海水的高碱度、高（Ｃａ２ ＋ ）／Ｃ１ 和高ＳＯ４２ － ／Ｃ１ 是造成其海水密度正偏差的主要因素。经计算机拟合,首次导出了珠江口海水密度的状态方程,该方程计算值与实验值的平均标准偏差为±２．５×１０－ ３ｋｇ／ｍ３ 。     

当前国际海道测量技术进展

通过参加第18届国际海道测量大会测绘仪器展和对所收集的资料翻译整理,对当前国际海道测量技术进展进行了分析总结。我国海道测量技术水平与国际先进水平还有较大差距;当前国际海道测量、测量装备及软件系统的不断更新、自主式无人机、水下机器人及智能浮标等新技术的广泛应用,极大丰富了海道测量信息,海道测量的服务范围不断扩大,随着海洋开发的加快,北极必将成为世界海道测量下一个热点。     

Econometric analysis of the ship demolition market

The topic of ship recycling has obtained considerable attention during the last two decades for a variety of reasons with the likelihood of the adoption of a new international convention under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). This study applies econometric modeling to a unique data set to provide insight into the dynamics of the ship recycling market. The data set contains information on 51,112 ships over 100 gt and includes 748,621 events over a period of 29 years. The analysis confirms a negative relationship of earnings and a positive relationship of scrap prices for all locations while Bangladesh seems to be more sensitive to changes in earnings than the other locations and more likely demolishes larger and older vessels. The results for flag and ownership vary across scrapping locations with Malta and Cyprus indicating potential importance from a registry perspective. The overall safety profile of a vessel seems to be less important towards the probability of a ship being scrapped. Possible implementation of the convention at EU level will mostly likely affect Turkey while non-ratification of one of the major flags will most likely affect China or Bangladesh.     

The international legal framework for the management of the global oceans social-ecological system

This paper evaluates the international agreements in place for the protection of the environment and the regulation of human activities taking place in world's oceans and seas. 500 multilateral agreements were reviewed against a framework of reference, grounded on the theoretical approaches of Adaptive Management and Transition Management. According to this framework, oceans complex systems management should: (1) consider the global oceans as a Social-Ecological System (SES); (2) aim to achieve or maintain their ecological resilience; and (3) implement iterative, learning-based management strategies, supported by science-based advice to policy and management. The results show that the present international legal framework for the global oceans does not require countries to adopt an adaptive, complex systems approach for global oceans ecological resilience. Instead, this study supports the perspective of a double fragmentation among international agreements. First, global agreements focus on issue-based objectives for determined human activities, ecological components or anthropogenic pressures. Second, regional agreements have a wider scope, but also a varying level of inclusion of ecological resilience considerations. There is the need to foster the inclusion of such an approach into existing and future international agreements and their implementation, including through soft-law, project-based initiatives at global and regional scales.     

A global map to aid the identification and screening of critical habitat for marine industries

Marine industries face a number of risks that necessitate careful analysis prior to making decisions on the siting of operations and facilities. An important emerging regulatory framework on environmental sustainability for business operations is the International Finance Corporation’s Performance Standard 6 (IFC PS6). Within PS6, identification of biodiversity significance is articulated through the concept of “Critical Habitat”, a definition developed by the IFC and detailed through criteria aligned with those that support internationally accepted biodiversity designations. No publicly available tools have been developed in either the marine or terrestrial realm to assess the likelihood of sites or operations being located within PS6-defined Critical Habitat. This paper presents a starting point towards filling this gap in the form of a preliminary global map that classifies more than 13 million km² of marine and coastal areas of importance for biodiversity (protected areas, Key Biodiversity Areas [KBA], sea turtle nesting sites, cold- and warm-water corals, seamounts, seagrass beds, mangroves, saltmarshes, hydrothermal vents and cold seeps) based on their overlap with Critical Habitat criteria, as defined by IFC. In total, 5798×10³ km² (1.6%) of the analysis area (global ocean plus coastal land strip) were classed as Likely Critical Habitat, and 7526×10³ km² (2.1%) as Potential Critical Habitat; the remainder (96.3%) were Unclassified. The latter was primarily due to the paucity of biodiversity data in marine areas beyond national jurisdiction and/or in deep waters, and the comparatively fewer protected areas and KBAs in these regions. Globally, protected areas constituted 65.9% of the combined Likely and Potential Critical Habitat extent, and KBAs 29.3%, not accounting for the overlap between these two features. Relative Critical Habitat extent in Exclusive Economic Zones varied dramatically between countries. This work is likely to be of particular use for industries operating in the marine and coastal realms as an early screening aid prior to in situ Critical Habitat assessment; to financial institutions making investment decisions; and to those wishing to implement good practice policies relevant to biodiversity management. Supplementary material (available online) includes other global datasets considered, documentation and justification of biodiversity feature classification, detail of IFC PS6 criteria/scenarios, and coverage calculations.     

Management and conservation at the International Whaling Commission: A dichotomy sandwiched within a shifting baseline

The International Whaling Commission's (IWC) Scientific Committee provides important advice to the IWC on a large variety of cetacean species, sub-species and populations and the issues affecting them. Cetaceans are facing increasing, non-whaling-related threats, and the Scientific Committee (SC), in accordance with the Commission's requests, has strengthened its conservation-oriented research work. A selection of the reports of the Scientific Committee from between 1986 and 2012 was assessed for its: (i) fundamental research; (ii) management; (iii) conservation; and (iv) administrative content, and to identify potential trends over time. Recommendations and their urgency were also examined, as implied from the language used by the SC in its reports. The analysis showed that the work of the Scientific Committee has increasingly been oriented towards conservation issues over the period reviewed, but at the same time this conservation work has received little funding. Increased support for conservation-related research projects is warranted to promote the long-term survival of cetaceans. Based on this review of the content and focus of the Committee reports, the analysis suggested that its issued advice be made clearer, whenever possible, and governments are urged to give due consideration to this science-based advice particularly when urgent conservation actions are needed. In addition, more consistent funding of the IWC's conservation-related research should be pursued to improve international conservation outputs regarding cetacean populations.     

尚未完成的地质年代表--第四纪悬而未决的前程

第四纪是以气候变化、人类出现和现生生物物种占优势为特征的最新地质时期。第四纪的地层多以松散沉积物为主,是人类赖以生存居住的主要场所。鉴于第四纪研究对地质学,地球系统科学和全球变化科学的贡献,近几十年来学术界和公众对其产生极大兴趣和更加重视。为了回应2 0 0 4年春国际地层委员会提出的“国际地层表”( 2 0 0 4 ) ,详细地介绍了国际第四纪联合会为争取第四纪在地质年表中的合理地位所作的努力以及目前争论的结果:今年比利时最终定论。呼吁我国广大的第四纪工作者积极加入到支持国际第四纪联合会保留第四系作为独立地层单元的行列中。同时简略地介绍了第四纪(系)术语的来由,国内外关于第四纪下限研究的历史和现状