Transferability of fishing rights: The Spanish case

Some authors defend the implementation of regulation mechanisms such as individual transferable quotas, that is, the capacity to assign every fisherman an individual right so that he can fish a certain quantity of a specific species during a concrete period of time, as the most efficient way to reach a greater resource assessment and to guarantee biological sustainability. Nevertheless, much attention has been brought to the fact that, since these rights can be sold, negotiated, exchanged or transferred by the owners, it can bring about a concentration process, which would not favour social equity.     

Constraints to smallholders production of frankincense in Metema district, North-western Ethiopia

Frankincense, an aromatic exudate obtained from several Boswellia species, is an important commodity with the potential to invigorate economic development of the drylands of Ethiopia. Local people have been producing and trading frankincense for centuries to diversify their income sources. However, local people's involvement in the production of frankincense varies considerably among the producing dryland regions of the country. The objectives of this study were to investigate: (i) the potential of frankincense production, (ii) socio-cultural, economic and policy factors affecting the involvement of local people in the production of frankincense, and (iii) the current status of Boswellia woodlands in Metema district, which is one of the major frankincense producing areas in Ethiopia. The results showed that Boswellia papyrifera comprised 51% of the species composition of the vegetation of the district with 253.5 kg/ha/year production potential. The total annual frankincense production potential of the district was estimated to be 79,168 tons. However, almost all inhabitants do not benefit economically from the species due to: (i) cultural influence (67%), (ii) unattractiveness of income from frankincense compared to other economic activities in the area (38%), property tenure (27%), government policy on incense production (20%), poor knowledge on frankincense production (19%) and unawareness of the potential of frankincense as a source of income (5%). The absence of direct economic benefits for the local people from the woodlands is triggering their widespread degradation mostly from human induced fire, improper forest use and agricultural land expansion.     

A legal regime for the Arctic?: Interplay with the Law of the Sea Convention

The Law of the Sea Convention constrains regional environmental regimes, especially with respect to navigation beyond the territorial sea. Existing soft-law institutions, notably the Arctic Council, have already strengthened environmental governance in the region by (1) improving the knowledge base; (2) preparing practical guidance on risk reduction; (3) highlighting in broader regulatory fora the Arctic dimension of problems like long-range transported hazardous compounds; and (4) supporting the capacity of Arctic states to implement existing commitments. None of those functions would be much enhanced by a legally binding Arctic environmental regime. The political impediments to reaching circumpolar agreement on a single comprehensive legal regime would suggest a flexible approach to norm building that seeks productive interplay with existing institutions.     

中国城市规模分布的形态和演化与城市增长模式——基于Zipf定律与Gibrat定律的分析

鉴于以往研究较少关注城市规模分布形态的规模差异性和城市规模分布演化与城市增长模式之间的关联,论文基于1953—2010年中国6次人口普查数据,选择了全部城市(包含地级市市区和县级市)和地级市(地级市市区)2种样本组,对中国城市位序规模分布的形态特征、演变趋势及其与Gibrat定律间的关系进行了实证分析。结果显示,中国的城市规模分布主体符合Zipf定律的线性分布,但两端即小城市和超大城市因规模不足而偏离线性分布,这一现象也得到全球各国证据的支持;从演化角度来看,中国城市规模分布在早期逐渐分散化并偏离Zipf定律,但从2000年开始转而向符合Zipf定律的方向回归,其中大城市率先在1990年就开始了转向,与这一阶段城市人口随机增长表现出耦合性,从而验证了Zipf定律和Gibrat定律的逻辑一致性。该发现对于促进中国城市规模分布高质量发展具有重要启示。     

大型事件活动的特点和场馆的性质转变--昆明世博会和顺德花博会的案例

以实际资料分析＇99昆明世博会和顺德花博会的特点问题,并对大型事件活动（会展）场馆性质的转变问题进行了理论探讨。分析表明：＇99世博会和顺德花博会期间,各项指标均呈现明显的马鞍型变动曲线,其特征是前紧后松、中间平缓。应用消费社会学和社会行为地理学的理论,归纳了事件活动（会展）场馆作为消费空间性质转变的一个理论框架。基本结论是：大型事件活动（会展）场馆性质的转变只有融入其所在地方的旅游发展大潮,成为当地出色的景区,才能获得可持续的发展。     

Rural property size drives patterns of upland and riparian forest retention in a tropical deforestation frontier

Deforestation in Brazilian Amazonia accounts for a disproportionate global scale fraction of both carbon emissions from biomass burning and biodiversity erosion through habitat loss. Here we use field- and remote-sensing data to examine the effects of private landholding size on the amount and type of forest cover retained within economically active rural properties in an aging southern Amazonian deforestation frontier. Data on both upland and riparian forest cover from a survey of 300 rural properties indicated that 49.4% (SD = 29.0%) of the total forest cover was maintained as of 2007, and that property size is a key regional-scale determinant of patterns of deforestation and land-use change. Small properties (≤150 ha) retained a lower proportion of forest (20.7%, SD = 17.6) than did large properties (>150 ha; 55.6%, SD = 27.2). Generalized linear models showed that property size had a positive effect on remaining areas of both upland and total forest cover. Using a Landsat time-series, the age of first clear-cutting that could be mapped within the boundaries of each property had a negative effect on the proportion of upland, riparian, and total forest cover retained. Based on these data, we show contrasts in land-use strategies between smallholders and largeholders, as well as differences in compliance with legal requirements in relation to minimum forest cover set-asides within private landholdings. This suggests that property size structure must be explicitly considered in landscape-scale conservation planning initiatives guiding agro-pastoral frontier expansion into remaining areas of tropical forest.     

世界经济区域集团化发展规律与条件的探讨

文章把世界经济区域集团化看作为资本主义以来的一种经济区域现象，从经济行为主体对地理空间的无限追求出发，分析不同历史阶段上这种区域现象发展的不同表现及其与国际政治经济形势、世界经济的空间结构和国家间地理基础的一致性等因素的关系，力求找出发展规律，以此指导对当前各种区域集团化现象的认识。     

下湄公河流域国际组织机构及相应法律文件研究

本文回顾了下湄公河流域合作开发与管理的有关国际组织机构变化，分析了《下湄公河流域持续发展合作协定》诞生及新湄委会成立的背景；对比了该流域有关水源及相关资源开发利用和管理的法律法规条款变化。