Present land use and cover patterns and their development potential in North Ningxia

With the objectives to acquire the fundamental data of the territorial resource, understand the impacts of human activities on the land use and cover patterns and evaluate the potential of the future exploitation, an intensive land cover classification with an accuracy of 93% has been completed for North Ningxia by remote sensing technique based on the adoption of a combination method composed of texture training, maximum likelihood classification and post-processing such as re-allocation and aggregation. This classification result was incorporated with the contemporaneous socio-economic and meteorological data for cross-sectional regression modelling to reveal the spatial determinants of the land cover patterns and understand the human-environmental relationships. A tentative evaluation on the potential of soil exploitation in the near future was carried out in combination with our land use and cover change detection results aiming at supplying some useful references for the central and local governments in their sustainable land use planning.     

Statistic forecast of typhoons going over the Chinese coasts

According to the measured data of typhoons going over the Chinese coasts in 1949-2002, a statistic relative equation showing the relation between the central atmospheric pressure of typhoons in a certain region at a certain period of time and their accumulation of frequency is established, and the concept of recurrence interval of typhoons is put forward, which is of actual significance for typhoon disaster reduction along the coastal area.     

Population and environment in Australia: issues in the next half century

This paper considers the likely future population in Australia to 2050 and is cast within the context of environmental limitations, to which Griffith Taylor alerted the nation in the 1920s and 1930s, and for which he was vilified in several quarters. While acknowledging the relative accuracy of his long-range forecasts, the arguments here depart from environmental determinism, although varying sets of environmental ethics and values are considered in relation to Australia's global responsibilities and international commitments. It is argued that an increase in population to 26 million by 2050 will not place severe stresses on the physical environment, provided environmental and resource management strategies are put firmly in place, and if consumption and resource use practices are significantly modified. An ideological linkage exists between a resurgent Australian nationalism and a number of environmental perspectives, but one which rejects growth and biological diversity among humans while embracing environmentalism. This inward-looking nationalism–environmentalism is seen as harmful both to Australia's moral integrity as a nation, and in local and world citizenship.     

Silenced Rivers: The Ecology and Politics of Large Dams.

Patrick McCully. New York: Blackwell Publishing, 2001. ill and 416 pp., diags., notes, apps., and index. $69.95 cloth (ISBN 1856499014), $25.00 paper (ISBN 1856499022). Reviewed by Patrick H. Buckley, Department of Environmental Studies, Policy, Planning, Education, and Geography, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA.     

USING UPLAND FOREST IN SHIMENTAI NATURE RESERVE,CHINA*

ABSTRACT. The Shimentai Nature Reserve in Yingde County, Guangdong Province, China, established recently in a subtropical upland forest area, has served for ages as an essential and customary source of livelihood for local people. Assessment of forest usage indicates heavy reliance by villagers on its diversified biotic resources. This forest dependence, associated with socioeconomic factors such as distance from village, ethnic origin, out‐migration of rural youngsters, and a local tradition of conservation, is unlikely to decline in the near future. The reserve management recognizes the need to address the livelihood issues of local people and to win local support. A pragmatic adherence to provincial and higher‐level policies that exclude forest‐tapping activities could lead to more people‐versus‐park conflicts, which would dilute fundamental conservation objectives. A more enlightened and localized approach that nurtures a synergy between limited forest use and conservation while helping to develop new income sources could furnish workable alternatives.     

阜新矿区地面塌陷灾害对土地生产力的影响

在研究地面塌陷对一个地区的影响时，一般只侧重于其对建筑物、铁路的影响，而对土地生产力影响的探讨和研究还不够深入。对于阜新矿区来说，地面塌陷对该区土地生产力的影响更是空白，前期的工作仅仅侧重于地面塌陷的调查，如果就地面塌陷对土地生产力的影响做一决的概括和分析，无疑会给今后治理由地面塌陷带来的灾害提供借鉴作用。本文结合大量实测、实算数据，应用土地复理论与方法对地面塌陷引起的土地侵蚀、土壤盐碱化、土壤湿度、土壤质量水平等四个方面做了较为系统的阐述，并对灾害的治理提出了见解。     

台湾地面沉降现状与防治对策

台湾地面沉降始于20世纪50年代初期的台北地区。随着地下水开发利用的普及与养殖渔业和相关耗水产业的移入，西部沿海平原区地面沉降现象普遍，尤以彰化、云林、嘉义、屏东等地显著，总沉降面积达1165km^2。约占台湾平原区的1／100其中屏东地区1970—2001年的累积沉降量达3．20m，最大沉降速率曾超过40cm／a(1979-1981年)。目前彰化地区的沉降速率最大，2000—2001年达17．6cm/a。其它绝大部分地区沉降速率在5cm/a以下。台湾地面沉降的主要原因系开采地下水引起的。仅屏东地区就有4000余口深井，地下水年均开采量1．65亿m^3，最高达3．2亿m^3以上。该岛第四纪地层厚800—1000m，沉降主要发生在60-300m土层内。目前沉降发展态势可分为暂时稳定、渐趋稳定、显著沉降和潜在沉降4类。台湾目前采用一等水准测量、GPS及一孔多标感应分层监测技术进行地面沉降监测。在主要沉降区均设有多处GPS固定站实行自动化监测，一孔多标土层分层监测共有19组。采用数值模拟对地面沉降进行分析与预测。通过用水规划的制定、督导和实施地面沉降的控制与管理。1995—2000年实施第一期地面沉降防治执行方案，2001-2004年实施第二期，针对不同地区沉降发展的不同态势采取相应对策，已取得良好的社会成效。     

西北地区煤炭、水资源、环境可持续发展研究

西北地区煤炭资源具有质量优良及资源相对集中的特点、研究西部煤炭资源的合理开发对建立我国合理的能源结构具有十分重要的意义，根据西北水资源和煤矿供水的一些特点，在分析了煤矿开发对水资源的需求与现状的基础上，提出了西北地区煤炭开发的水资源对策及建议。     

关于新疆煤炭工业可持续发展的思考

阐述了新疆煤炭工业发展中存在的主要问题,分析了新疆煤田地质工作的发展方向及当前工作重点,并对新疆煤炭工业的可持续发展战略提出了政策性建议。