Regional oceans governance mechanisms: A review

The development of regional governance for the protection of the environment, sustainable use of natural resources and conservation of its biodiversity is unquestionably a cornerstone of international environmental law and policy. With regard to marine and coastal issues, it has mainly been taking place through Regional Seas programmes, Regional Fishery Bodies and Large Marine Ecosystems mechanisms. Based on a similar geographical approach, however, these regional mechanisms raise concerns relating to their coordination and efficiency, and possibly overlap in what they aim to achieve. This paper provides a review of existing regional oceans governance mechanisms, assessing their individual and collective capacities to move towards ecosystem-based management, and highlighting options to make the regional landscape more coherent and effective.     

土地利用规划方案综合评价的研究

在介绍评价系数法的基础上,进行了相应改进,提出了修正理想点法,并确定了土地利用规划方案综合评价因素指标及其权重,使综合评价结果合理。     

Geoinformatics and digital earth initiatives: a German perspective

Abstract

This paper discusses the role of Geoinformatics as a new scientific discipline designed for handling of geospatial information. Depending on the scientific background of the people involved in shaping the emerging discipline, emphasis may be placed on different aspects of Geoinformatics. Applications and developments may address geoscientific, spatial planning, or computer science related matters. The scientific field of Geoinformatics encompasses the acquisition and storing of geospatial data, the modelling and presentation of spatial information, geoscientific analyses and spatial planning, and the development of algorithms and geospatial database systems. It is the position of the author that these tools from Geoinformatics are necessary to bridge the gap between Digital Earth models and the real world with its real-world problems (‘connecting through location’). It is, however, crucial that Geoinformatics represents a coherent integrated approach to the acquisition, storage, analysis, modeling, presentation, and dissemination of geo-processes and not a patchwork solution of unconnected fields of activity. Geoinformatics is as such not a part of Geography, Surveying, or Computer Science, but a new self-contained scientific discipline. The current paper highlights international and national trends of the discipline and presents a number of Geoinformatics initiatives. The research and teaching activities of the newly formed Institute for Geoinformatics and Remote Sensing (IGF) at the University of Osnabrueck serve as an example for these initiatives. All these developments have lead to the long overdue formation of a scientific ‘Society for Geoinformatics’ (German: Gesellschaft für Geoinformatik – GfGI) in Germany.     

红旗渠沿线地质灾害详勘及治理方案选择

红旗渠,沿线地质条件极为复杂,自建成通水以来,不断受到崩塌、滑坡、泥石流等地质灾害的侵袭。为破除红旗渠面临的日趋严重的地质灾害危机,在初步查明灾害的种类、分布特征、形成条件及危害程度的基础上,2004年起,又开展了红旗渠沿线白家庄段地质灾害的详细勘查及主要地质灾害体治理示范工程。该项目实施方案的正确选择,结束了本段地质灾害屡治屡发的历史,为红旗渠沿线地质灾害防治可行性论证及整个治理规划,提供了可靠的依据和经验。     

海外大学的地理信息系统(GIS)专业课程设置

选择性介绍了一些地理信息系统专业的课程实例。调查了3种地理信息系统专业课程，分别是测量、地理、计算机科学系的单一地理信息系统(GIS)本科专业(理工学士)；地理信息系统同商业、测量、计算机等其它学科结合的本科专业(理工学士)；地理信息系统研究生班课程(理学硕士)。文中用到的课程分别选自于加拿大、英国、荷兰、美国和香港特区的多所大学。     

国际山地研究计划的启示

国际山地研究不断取得重要进展的一个很重要原因,就是连续推出一系列山地研究计划,包括山地灾害研究计划,其研究的视野和关注的重要问题都显现出非常明确的科学前瞻性,并与山区发展紧密关联,积极促进自然科学和人文科学的交叉与综合.同时,高度重视全球变化对山地的影响,以及山地植被生态适应性和格局变化,也特别关注变化环境下的生物多样性保护,包括对山地旅游休闲景观资源等的管理.在这些国际长期研究计划中,以阿尔卑斯山研究计划最具代表性,是最早开展山地研究、成果影响力最显著的,是山地研究的典范.面对我国是一个多山的国家,透视国际山地研究计划,从中得到许多启示,其中以中长期的山地研究计划不断推动山地研究基础理论的发展和应用价值的提高是非常值得借鉴的.     

Productivity, management and development problems in the arid rangelands of the central Mendoza plains (Argentina)

The central Mendoza plains (56,000 km²), located in the eastern foothills of the Andes, belong to the vast phytogeographic province of ‘Monte’ (c.500,000 km²) in Argentina. This area is a typical warm arid zone and vegetation is typically a shrubland. Perennial grasses are predominantly C₄species. Land-use is for livestock grazing; the average stocking rate is 28 ha per large stock unit (LSU), year-long. Ecological and range research have been actively pursued in the region by IADIZA over the past 25 years. Two experiment stations were established 25 and 10 years ago, respectively: The Ñacuñán Biosphere Reserve and the El Divisadero Cattle and Range Station. Primary production and its relationship to climatic and edaphic parameters were analysed and compared in the two stations. Rain-use efficiency (RUE, kg DM ha⁻¹year⁻¹mm⁻¹) and useful rains efficiency (URE, P −0·1 PETp) were similar in both cases (RUE = 1·7 and 2·0; URE = 3·0 and 2·9, respectively), when herbs are concerned. However, the variability of annual production was much higher on the silty soils of Ñacuñán than on the coarse sands of El Divisadero; PRVR (Production to Rain Variability Ratio) was 2·5 and 0·53, respectively. Utilization of such experimental figures allows for the prediction of primary production and carrying capacity for a given year, based on rainfall probabilities and, therefore, to determine stocking rates in a rational manner. Basing stocking rates on annual dependable rains (f 0·8) and on useful rains probability (P − 0·1 PETp) proved to be a sound and realistic assessment, validated by long-term experiments and experience. The results of the studies on brush control, cattle diet composition, animal productivity and feed value of forage species were analysed. Current and future research programmes in IADIZA for the Mendoza plains are mentioned. Although research on resource inventory and basic ecological processes in the Mendoza plains should carry on, the emphasis and therefore the resources should henceforth be devoted to the consequences of resource management alternatives on overall arid land productivity, i.e. research for development. A better integration of applied ecology for management and investigations on basic arid land ecological processes should appear in IADIZA programmes.     

Serendipity is not a strategy: the impact of national climate programmes on greenhouse-gas emissions

This article examines the efficacy of national climate programmes (packages of policies introduced by governments to meet emissions reduction targets set out in the Kyoto Protocol) by considering emissions trends before and after their implementation. Analysis reveals that only four of 21 countries with defined programmes demonstrate improved emissions trends following their inception and in only one is the change statistically significant. The reasons for this are manifold but serendipity appears to play as large a part as strategy in determining national emissions trends in the early years of climate programmes. Inflated claims of success by national governments are unhelpful for effective policy analysis and development.