Sharing benefits of the common heritage of mankind – Is the deep seabed mining regime ready?

The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea declares the seabed beyond national jurisdiction and its mineral resources as the “common heritage of mankind” (CHM). This article examines the operationalisation of the CHM principle in the international seabed mining regime, with focus placed on the sharing of benefits derived from mining. The article begins by providing an overview of the CHM principle, before examining four modalities provided for in the Convention, both institutional and substantial, and their role in giving effect to the CHM principle: (1) financial benefits; (2) the “Enterprise”; (3) the parallel system of reserved areas; and, (4) marine scientific research. Finally, overarching issues are discussed and some suggestions on ways forward are presented. The article considers that the deep seabed mining regime is not yet ready to effectively share the benefits derived from the common heritage of mankind. In particular, the future of the Enterprise is uncertain and changes to the so-called parallel system that affect the CHM have received minimal discussion. Moreover, a lack of publicly available research data related to seabed mining is hindering current benefits for humankind. However, work is underway at the International Seabed Authority to establish rules and policies with respect to the sharing of financial benefits. While the CHM principle remains largely untested, approaches that are transparent, inclusive, accountable, and equitable are more likely to be successful.     

Structure and dynamics of demersal fish assemblages over three decades (1985–2012) of increasing fishing pressure in Guinea

In a context of growing fishing pressures and recommendations for an ecosystem approach to fisheries, there is a need to monitor changes in fish communities over time. In this study, we analysed data from scientific trawl surveys carried out on the continental shelf off Guinea between 1985 and 2012. We performed factorial analyses and calculated biodiversity indices to characterise the changes in the structure and composition of fish communities that occurred over the 28-year period in this area, particularly given intensive fishing activities. We show that, over the study period, fish communities on the Guinean shelf were structured primarily according to spatial factors, with temporal changes being less pronounced than expected. However, a temporal analysis of biodiversity indices and species dominance showed that the intensification of fishing had significant effects on the general ecological features of the fish assemblages under study. There was a decrease in fish density and in mean trophic level. In addition, there were changes in species dominance, whereby large, slow-growing species with high commercial value were gradually replaced by smaller, fast-growing species of lesser commercial interest. These results from field observations are in line with some conclusions from previous modelling studies in the same geographical area, and provide further support for the hypothesis of a progressive ‘ecosystem effect of fishing’ occurring in Guinean waters.     

我国GIS研究进展述评(2011～2015年)——兼谈GIS在城乡建筑遗产保护领域的应用

对2011 ～2015年间GIS相关研究进展做了述评.对GIS在城乡建筑遗产保护领域的应用与实践做了简述,对GIS在传统民居地理学领域的应用做了一些探索.     

历史建筑和历史风貌区普查成果的质检技术标准研究

齐全、规范的历史建筑和历史风貌区数据信息对文化遗产保护利用十分重要,而普查作为数据信息获取的有效手段,其成果质量的好坏直接关系历史建筑和历史风貌区本身的价值。本文深入研究并阐述了如何根据成果特点创新地运用质检标准,确定错漏计分与质量评定的方法,从而对历史建筑普查成果进行质量检验,并展望了该质检方法在普查类项目成果的中应用。     

River management response to multi-decade changes in timing of reservoir inflows,Columbia River Basin,USA

Around the world, long-term changes in the timing and magnitude of streamflow are testing the ability of large managed water resource systems constructed in the 20th century to continue to meet objectives in the 21st century. Streamflow records for unregulated rivers upstream of reservoirs can be combined with records downstream of reservoirs using a paired-watershed framework and concepts of water resource system performance to assess how reservoir management has responded to long-term change. Using publicly available data, this study quantified how the intra-annual timing of inflows and outflows of 25 major reservoirs has shifted, how management has responded, and how this has influenced reliability and vulnerability of the water resource system in the 668,000 km² Columbia River basin from 1950 to 2012. Reservoir inflows increased slightly in early spring and declined in late spring to early fall, but reservoir outflows increased in late summer from 1950 to 2012. Average inflows to reservoirs in the low flow period exceeded outflows in the1950s, but inflows are now less than outflows. Reservoirs have increased hedging, that is, they have stored more water during the spring, in order to meet the widening gap between inflows and outflows during the summer low flow period. For a given level of reliability (the fraction of time flow targets were met), vulnerability (the maximum departure from the flow target) was greater during periods with lower than average inflows. Thus, the water management system in this large river basin has adjusted to multi-decade trends of declining inflows, but vulnerability, that is, the potential for excess releases in spring and shortfalls in summer, has increased. This study demonstrates the value of combining publicly available historical data on streamflow with concepts from paired-watershed analyses and metrics of water resource performance to detect, evaluate, and manage water resource systems in large river basins.     

辽宁古生物化石特征与保护利用模式分析

辽宁拥有丰富的古生物化石资源,它们在中国乃至世界范围内具有较高知名度,具有非常高的科研、科普和社会经济价值。根据近年来辽宁古生物化石资源的调查成果资料,对辽宁古生物化石的类型、时空分布规律等进行总结研究,并分析了辽宁古生物地质遗迹的保护利用现状,对其保护和利用模式进行分析探讨。提出了化石保护与利用多元化发展模式,并挖掘化石的最大优势,对化石资源研学旅行开发进行探讨和设计,以化石文化为依托打造化石衍生文创产品。对古生物化石特征的总结以及对保护利用模式的探讨,能够为辽宁古生物化石的深入研究工作提供基础材料,为辽宁的古生物化石产业发展提供思路。     

基于聚落考古信息的中国北方农牧交错带东段历史耕地覆盖格网化重建*

中国北方农牧交错带是半农半牧、时农时牧的地带,此类区域因其独特自然环境和社会经济发展过程,准确地重建耕地覆盖难度较大。采用能够指示农业活动时空位置的考古遗址信息重建历史耕地覆盖,是提高此类区域耕地覆盖重建结果可靠性的有效途径之一。本研究选择位于中国北方农牧交错带带宽最大的东段作为研究区,使用聚落考古信息与历史文献重建了辽、金、元、明4个时期5'×5'的耕地覆盖变化。结论如下: (1)从辽代至明代,研究区耕地面积总量减少了98.0%,元明时期的耕地显著少于辽金时期,表明该区发生了从半农半牧到牧业的根本转变。(2)辽代耕地分布范围最大,金代耕地分布范围有所缩小,辽金时期均呈现“插花式”的分布格局,元代耕地分布范围急剧缩减,至明代仅有零星耕地分布。(3)研究区耕地覆盖变化受气候变化和人文因素的双重影响。辽金时期,气候相对温暖湿润,统治者重视农业发展; 元明时期,气候寒冷干燥,民族习惯以牧为主。基于聚落考古信息重建的历史时期耕地覆盖,不仅再现了该区域“插花式”的耕地分布格局,还刻画了该区由农转牧的土地利用变化过程。     

蒙山八字峪砾石堆积堤的地貌成因和年代初探

山东蒙山八字峪砾石堆积堤对称分布于出山沟口,沿流向延伸,具有分段现象和弧形或舌状沉积的典型特征。2020年10月在蒙山八字峪砾石堆积堤测量了56块砾石组构,并在叠置砾石隙间和砾石层底部采集到3个树干14C测年样品。研究结果如下：（1）八字峪砾石组构、沉积构造、地貌组合等标志,均指向其为山洪泥石流堆积物;（2）缺少扇形地、表泥层与底泥层,具有砂砾透镜体的砾石层,揭示八字峪砾石堤为暴发频率极低、发展周期较长的间歇性泥石流堆积;（3）根据已有测年结果和乔木定居期,八字峪砾石堤在距今50年前曾发生山洪灾害,这与文献记载具有一致性;（4）八字峪砾石堤成因属于暴雨直接类特大型历史泥石流,可能是一次性、短历时快速地貌灾害过程;（5）八字峪砾石堤形成原因与冰川作用无关,也不是“典型的石河”。已报道的蒙山“冰川遗迹”,不仅缺少可靠的三要素地貌组合证据,而且缺少年代学和沉积学依据。总之,本文从证据链上进一步增强了蒙山山麓碎屑堆积为山洪泥石流成因判别的确定性。     

农商部地质调查局始末考

中国地质调查事业始于民国。1913年地质调查所正式成立,直至1950年裁撤,30余年间一直是中国地质学家的大本营。1916年初,地质调查所重新改组为地质调查局,并在行政上直接隶属农商部。同年夏天,地质研究所学生毕业后入地质调查局工作,成为地质调查局主要成员。1916年底,地质调查局被裁撤,又恢复地质调查所,但此后工作形式与机构管理均与调查局时期无太大变化。地质调查局因存在时间较短,加之史料不多,以往著述着墨不多。本文以《农商公报》、《政府公报》及地质调查局相关原始材料为基础,考察地质调查局成立始末、机构设置、人员组成及早期进行的地质调查工作。认为地质调查局的成立是中国地质学者建立独立地质调查专门机构的一次尝试。