Developing ecotourism in First World, resource-dependent areas

Ecotourism, an economic diversification tool most commonly applied in the Third World as a means to protect ecosystems, preserve local cultures, and spur economic development, has recently been applied in First World resource-dependent areas. While ecotourism has traditionally focused on Third World ‘undisturbed’ protected lands, it has also been developed in their First World equivalents (i.e., old-growth forests) as well as in First World sites of past resource extraction and in places where current agricultural practices maintain cherished cultural landscapes. Forest County, Pennsylvania, a timber-dependent area, sought to diversify its economy by developing ecotourism based on its unique Allegheny hardwood forests, which are produced by timber harvesting. This ecotourism would encourage amenity-based, locally-driven economic development and maintain timber harvesting. While government and foundation supported ecotourism development efforts in areas dependent on resource extraction have incorporated some of ecotourism’s ideals, these operations have had mixed success. Such isolated areas, which have traditionally drawn visitors independently engaging in traditional outdoor recreation activities, have not been able to draw enough customers willing to pay for natural and cultural history tours. If ecotourism is to be successful, such areas may need further government support and destination branding to increase name recognition in order to counter the global orientation of the nature tour industry. For true community development, local collaborative efforts including resource and environmental interests are also required in which primary production is connected to processing and consumers through value-added and service sector activities such as tourism.     

Permeable Reactive Barrier for the treatment of contaminated surface water in Katedan industrial development area, Hyderabad, India

Permeable Reactive Barrier （PRB） is an emplacement of inert material （s） in the subsurface, designed to intercept a contaminated plume, provides a preferential flow path through the reactive media, and transforms the contaminant into environmentally acceptable forms to attain concentration remediation goals at the discharge of the barrier. The phenomena, which help in remediation within PRB, are adsorption/sorption, precipitation, oxidation/reduction and biodegradation. Various materials like zero-valent iron, zero-valent bi-metals, natural zeolites, organic carbon, fly ash, zeolites, limestone, activated alumina, apatites, etc. have been tried by many researchers to remove organic and inorganic contaminants. In USA, Canada, and many European countries commercial full-scale and pilot scale PRBs are successfully working. The design and installation of full scale PRBs needs laboratory treatability and dynamic flow column experiments？ The concept of PRB is being applied to treat contaminated surface water in the Katedan industrial area, Hyderabad, India. National Geophysical Research Institute （NGRI）, Hyderabad, India, conducted systematic studies in collaboration with Norwegian Geotechnical Institute （NGI）, Norway, to develop PRB technique to decontaminate the surface water pollution due to industrial effluent. A site assessment study in the Katedan Industrial Area, were carried out and water, soil and sediment from the lakes of the area were found to be polluted with high concentrations of heavy metals like As, Pb, Cr, Cd, Ni, etc. Adsorption studies at NGRI with synthetic samples and in-situ industrial effluent using different reactive media for removing contaminants like arsenic, chromium, cadmium, copper, nickel, lead and zinc have been carried out and yielded satisfactory results. The performance of zero-valent iron and limestone is encouraging in removing As,     

新疆和田河水资源利用与绿色走廊生态建设研究

水是和田河绿色走廊形成与演变最重要的因素。虽然和田河径流量年际变化比较平稳．但年内径流量洪枯季节差异十分悬殊，人工调配水资源的难度较大。随着人类开发利用水资源规模扩大．水资源时空分布格局发生变化，中上游人工绿洲面积扩大，下游绿色走廊植被衰竭，土地荒漠化日趋严重，走廊生态环境持续恶化。文章分析了和田河水资源变化对下游绿色走廊兴衰的影响过程，提出了合理利用水资源、保护绿色走廊生态环境的对策建议。     

城乡边缘带时空离心推移的约束及其方法

分析了城乡边缘带时空离心推移的驱动力,认为必须而且可以对离心推移进行适当约束,以促进城乡边缘带的可持续发展;分析了离心推移的约束机制及约束的基本方式,提出了约束的主要原则和主要方法。     

山地灾害研究的发展态势与任务

泥石流、滑坡等山地灾害已成为世界各国十分关注的自然灾害问题。据最近几年的国际学术会议,泥石流、滑坡研究的前沿领域是：泥石流、滑坡活动的地带性与全球气候变化的规律；泥石流、滑坡起动机理、动力学模型；泥石流、滑坡等山地灾害风险分析、发生时间预报；成灾机理与减灾防灾关键技术。国内研究较晚,但发展很快。经过近50 a的研究,涉及上述诸多研究颁域。但研究不深,还存在不少差距。据国内外研究态势,针对山地所实际,提出了在泥石流、滑坡理论创新和防治关键技术等研究方面12条任务。     

粤西地区县域城镇化发展探讨——以广东省高州市为例

受地理条件、经济基础等因素的制约,粤西地区面临着城镇化进程滞后、整体发展层次偏低等一系列问题。加速推进县域城镇化是加快粤西地区经济发展,缩小与发达地区差距的内在要求和必然选择。以高州市为例,全面总结了粤西地区县域城镇化发展的特点及存在的主要问题,并在系统分析其城镇化发展机制的基础上,提出通过完善城镇体系,加强产业集聚,提升建设品位,增强城镇自我发展能力等促进县域城镇化发展。     

楼观台森林公园深层生态旅游开发的模式探讨

提出了深层生态旅游开发的概念,构建了一个“两翼对接”模式。在广泛野外调查的基础上,依据上述理念和开发模型,针对楼观台国家森林公园的景观资源特征,对其深层生态旅游开发进行了系统设计。具体而言,重点突出了自然山水、生物景观和道教文化三方面设计,揭示了三大类60个景物的生态文化主题,设计了相应的开发展示模式和游客生态体验方式。其目的在于,提高森林公园生态文化的展示水平和加深旅游者的生态体验。     

美国五大湖工业区产业结构演变的城市化响应机理辨析

城市化对产业结构升级的响应已成为新时期城市化推进的主要目标和产业结构优化的重要途径。美国五大湖工业区的成功转型所体现出来的工业型区域产业结构演变城市化响应的发展规律将为东北老工业基地的改造提供有益的借鉴与启示。文章分析了美国五大湖工业区产业结构演变城市化响应的过程,并根据其影响机制,得出了东北老工业基地可以从中获得的启示和可借鉴的经验,为东北老工业基地的改造提出较为符合实际的发展对策。     

基于芬兰经验的我国森林资源型城市的发展研究--以伊春市为例

资源型城市的可持续发展问题一直是学术界的研究热点,但对于森林资源型城市的研究却不多见。本文概括介绍了芬兰的资源和经济发展情况,系统分析了芬兰这样一个以森林起家的经济发达国家的成功经验;并以伊春为例提出了森林资源型城市经济转型和可持续发展可资借鉴的对策和建议。     

20世纪90年代以来中外区域规划研究的对比分析

区域规划是国家政府进行区域管理的重要手段和方式之一。为了落实科学发展观和对区域发展有效宏观调控,区域规划成为国家“十一五”规划的重要内容。本文对比分析了1990年代以来国外区域规划研究的主要进展、以及我国区域规划研究的特点与不足,以期为推动我国当前新一轮区域规划的理论研究和实践创新提供有益启示。