Environmental non-governmental organizations: key players in development in a changing climate��a case study of Mali

Developing countries are often most impacted by climate change. While the work of international environmental organizations has received considerable public and academic attention, local environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) also play a key role in assisting local populations adapt to the changing environment and develop in a sustainable manner. Drawing on data from semi-structured interviews with rural Malians, and using a local ENGO [the Mali-Folkecenter Nyetaa (MFC)] as a case study, this paper begins by describing how rural Malians perceive climate change is impacting their lives, and how the MFC attempts to address these impacts with their programs in the communities. The paper then illustrates the unique advantages of local ENGOs, both in their holistic approach and their integration in the communities, to working with the local population, relative to the approach taken by larger NGOs in this field. It concludes by proposing that a key new avenue for the international community to meet its developmental and environmental goals could be to support the work of local ENGOs through, for example, existing carbon markets.     

Can starling eggs be useful as a biomonitoring tool to study organohalogenated contaminants on a worldwide scale?

Large-scale international monitoring studies are important to assess emission patterns and environmental distributions of organohalogenated contaminants (OHCs) on a worldwide scale. In this study, the presence of OHCs was investigated on three continents (Europe, North America and Australasia), using eggs of starlings (Sturnus vulgaris and Sturnus unicolor) to assess their suitability for large-scale monitoring studies. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study using bird eggs of the same species as a biomonitor for OHCs on an intercontinental scale. We found significant differences in OHC concentrations of the eggs among sampling locations, except for hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs). Mean concentrations of sum polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in eggs ranged from 78 ± 26 ng/g lipid weight (lw) in Australia to 2900 ± 1300 ng/g lw in the United States. The PCB profile was dominated by CB 153 and CB 138 in all locations, except for New Zealand, where the contribution of CB 95, CB 101 and CB 149 was also high. The highest mean sum polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) concentrations were found in Canada (4400 ± 830 ng/g lw), while the lowest mean PBDE concentrations were measured in Spain (3.7 ± 0.1 ng/g lw). The PBDE profile in starling eggs was dominated by BDE 47 and BDE 99 in all countries, but in Belgium, the higher brominated PBDEs had a higher contribution compared to other countries. For the organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) ranged from 110 ± 16 ng/g lw in France to 17,000 ± 3400 ng/g lw in New Zealand, while HCHs and hexachlorobenzene were generally in low concentrations in all sampling locations. Chlordanes were remarkably high in eggs from the United States (2500 ± 1300 ng/g lw). The OCP profile in all countries was largely dominated by p,p′-DDE. In general, the worldwide trends we observed in starling eggs were in accordance with the literature on human and environmental OHC data, which suggests that there is potential for using starling eggs as a biomonitoring tool on a large geographical scale.     

Enchytraeus albidus (Enchytraeidae): a test organism in a standardised avoidance test? Effects of different chemical substances

Enchytraeids (Enchytraeus albidus) directly improve the pore structure of the soil and are indirectly involved in regulating the degradation of organic matter. Due to their behavior they are able to avoid unfavorable environmental conditions. Avoidance tests allow a first assessment of toxicity of a contaminated or spiked soil within 48 h, by using the reaction of the enchytraeids as measurement endpoint. In this period, the organisms can choose between the control soil and the test soil. In the tests reported here, enchytraeids were exposed to LUFA 2.2 soil spiked with the following set of toxic substances: copper chloride, zinc chloride, cadmium chloride, phenmedipham, benomyl, carbendazim, dimethoate, atrazine, pentachlorophenol, chlorpyriphos, lindane, TBTO, Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonates (LAS) and boric acid. Different chemical concentrations were tested. EC50s ranged from 8 mg/kg (Carbendazim) to >1000 mg/kg (e.g. LAS). While the tested heavy metals showed clear dose-response relationships, the effect pattern differed considerably in the tests with organic chemicals, e.g. no avoidance behaviour was observed in LAS, even at very high doses. Here we proposed to standardize the Enchytraeid avoidance test in a way similar to what is currently done for the earthworm and collembolan avoidance tests by the International Standardisation Organisation (ISO).     

Residents’ Attitudes Towards Tourism in a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems Pilot Site: a Case Study in China

Abstract

Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) is a wide program to promote the conservation and adaptive management of such systems and their associated landscapes, biodiversity, knowledge systems and cultures. Rice-Fish Systems (RFS) in Longxian village of China, as a traditional agricultural system, was selected as one of the five pilot sites of GIAHS in 2005. Researchers have paid more attention to the dynamic conservation and adaptive management of RFS because it is under severe threats from global development challenges. Tourism is suggested to be brought into the RFS conservation program as an alternative industry. This paper presents a comparative study of residents in three types of farm household in Longxian, seeking attitudes to the RFS conservation and tourism development and ways in which such information may guide future strategies. Results show residents, belonging to the household type in which most family members are abroad, have the most positive attitudes to RFS conservation and tourism development; while residents, as other household type in which less than 50% of family members are abroad, are the least sensitive group in these three household types, due to the motivation of moving abroad weakening their enthusiasm to participate in the local activities. Implications are discussed in the context of how resident attitudes will affect the future management of GIAHS conservation and tourism development, and then measures are put forward to foster tourism cooperation and multistakeholders process establishment.     

Residents＇ Attitudes Towards Tourism in a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems Pilot Site： a Case Study in China

Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems （GIAHS） is a wide program to promote the conservation and adaptive management of such systems and their associated landscapes, biodiversity, knowledge systems and cultures. Rice-Fish Systems （RFS） in Longxian village of China, as a traditional agricultural system, was selected as one of the five pilot sites of GIAHS in 2005. Researchers have paid more attention to the dynamic conservation and adaptive management of RFS because it is under severe threats from global development challenges. Tourism is suggested to be brought into the RFS conservation program as an alternative industry. This paper presents a comparative study of residents in three types of farm household in Longxian, seeking attitudes to the RFS conservation and tourism development and ways in which such information may guide future strategies. Results show residents, belonging to the household type in which most family members are abroad, have the most positive attitudes to RFS conservation and tourism development; while residents, as other household type in which less than 50% of family members are abroad, are the least sensitive group in these three household types, due to the motivation of moving abroad weakening their enthusiasm to participate in the local activities. Implications are discussed in the context of how resident attitudes will affect the future management of GIAHS conservation and tourism development, and then measures are put forward to foster tourism cooperation and multistakeholders process establishment.     

Residents’ Attitudes Towards Tourism in a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems Pilot Site: a Case Study in China

Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) is a wide program to promote the conservation and adap-tive management of such systems and their associated landscapes, biodiversity, knowledge systems and cultures. Rice-Fish Systems (RFS) in Longxian village of China, as a traditional agricultural system, was selected as one of the five pilot sites of GIAHS in 2005. Researchers have paid more attention to the dynamic conser-vation and adaptive management of RFS because it is under severe threats fro...     

长荡湖近61a降水量演化特征

基于王母观站和溧阳站1953~2013a系列年降水量资料,采用Spearman和Mann-Kendall非参数统计检验、连续小波变换等技术手段,分析了61a来长荡湖年降水量的演变特征。结果表明,长荡湖多年平均降水量为1 115.1 mm,年内降水量呈明显的季节性变化;年降水量总体呈减少趋势,但仍以正常年份居多,偏多与偏少年份相当;长荡湖湖区年降水量变化周期为9.5a;年降水量变化不存在突变。研究成果可为长荡湖湖区的洪水控制、水资源利用、水调度方案制订、应对气候变化提供科学依据。     

近50 a长江流域暴雨日数时空变化分析

利用1961~2010年长江流域逐日降水资料和DEM数据,结合Mann-Kendall趋势法、变差系数法以及GIS空间分析等方法,分析了近50 a长江流域年均暴雨日数时空变化特征。结果表明:长江流域年均暴雨日数基本呈自东向西递减的规律,且随着海拔升高,年均暴雨日数逐渐减少,两者呈显著负相关关系;长江流域上游高原气候影响区年均暴雨日数小于1 d;而中上游中亚热带湿润气候影响区大于2 d;随着纬度的增加,暴雨开始时间推迟,结束时间提前,持续时间减少;年暴雨日数的变差系数与年均暴雨日数满足幂指数关系,相关系数达0.97,为显著相关。表现为年均暴雨日数大(小)的地方,变差系数小(大);除长江中下游中部和四川盆地及其周边地区年暴雨日数为减少趋势外,其它地方均表现为不同程度的增加趋势。鄱阳湖水系、四川(雅安市、峨眉山市、万源市)、湖南(安化县、南岳区)、湖北(洪湖市、英山县)年暴雨日数多且变差系数小,洪水、泥石流等灾害压力巨大;为有关部门了解长江流域洪水等灾害的发生机制、提高灾害预测预报能力、制定防灾减灾政策等提供科学依据。     

Who is in the Lower Reaches, Who Suffers Disasters？ Take Minqin County, a Disappearing Oasis as a Case

Minqin Oasis is located in the lower reaches of the Shiyanghe River Basin, northeast of the Heixi Corridor, at the middle of the Silk Road. Because of the its existence, Badain Jaran Desert and Tengger Desert cannot converge and develop in the south. It has always been an important green barrier to guarantee the eco-security of Hexi Corridor and the Silk Road for thousands of years. But in recent decades, Minqin Oasis is becoming smaller and the desert is becoming larger. Many people, especially the governmental officials in the lower reaches think that the upper and middle reaches have robbed the lower reaches of water resources, and caused insufficient water usage and the deteriorated eco-environment, in the lower reaches, However, the governmental officials in the upper and middle reaches claim that the whole river basin should take the upper and middle reaches as the key regions to develop economy. To address the above argument, we analyze the reasons why Minqin Oasis is disappearing, and find that there are two main factors. One is the quick development of population and economy in the upper and middle reaches; the other is the rapid development of population and economy in the lower reaches. The two factors both have great effect on the water utilization for eco-environment in the lower reaches. So Minqin Oasis is disappearing not only because of the upper and middle reaches but also because of the growth of population and economy itself. The lower reaches should not completely blame the upper and middle reaches. The upper and middle reaches should also pay more attention to the eco-environment in the lower reaches. The whole river basin should develop a harmonious and sustainable relationship among the upper, middle and lower reaches.     

Chinese Mining toward Sustainable Development in a Global Perspective

In view of sustainable development, this paper presents the challenges faced by the global mining sectors, outlines an integrated approach of the global minerals industry for sustainable development, introduces actions for the mineral professionals toward sustainable development, and proposes changes in the mineral operations, management, and governance practices in the Chinese perspective.     

淀山湖叶绿素a的高光谱遥感监测研究

为实现淀山湖水体叶绿素a的快速监测, 于2006年春季对淀山湖进行了现场光谱测量和同步的采样、实验室分析,通过分析叶绿素a和光谱数据之间的关系,建立了多个基于高光谱数据的叶绿素a浓度的估算模型。结果表明：利用归一化反射率建立的模型中精度最高的是采用708 nm反射率的一元二次模型,R2为0.608;利用R710nm/R667nm反射比建立模型精度得到提高,R2接近0.68;利用695.5 nm一阶微分建立的指数模型精度进一步提高,其R2达到了0.76;分别利用708 nm和667 nm的归一化反射率对数作自变量进行多元回归得到的模型精度最高,R2接近0.8,可以用来实现对叶绿素a的定量估算,实现叶绿素a的快速监测。     

未来30a凉山州水稻盛夏低温危害风险分析

根据(BCC)气候系统模式第五阶段试验计划(CMIP5-RCP6.0)预测的2006~2050年各格点逐日平均温度,通过订正反演出2021~2050年凉山州各站点逐日平均温度,结合凉山州不同区域水稻抽穗杨花期低温指标,统计了各站水稻盛夏低温频次、水稻安全播种期、安全齐穗期以及安全生长季差,构建了水稻盛夏低温危害风险指数I=exp(Id+ip-2),并以此进行低温危害风险的区域划分,结果表明:(1)凉山州水稻盛夏低温频次为0.1~3.0次/a,在区域和年际之间差异很大;(2)与近30a比较,凉山州水稻安全播种期普遍提前10 d左右,提前最多的达20 d以上。安全齐穗期只有少数站点推迟,大多数站点都有提前的趋势;(3)海拔1 500 m以下为无风险区,1 500~2 000 m的区域为低风险区,2 000~2 500 m为中风险区,2 500~2 600 m为高风险区,分区结果与实际情况相符,为凉山州未来水稻生产布局、应对气候变化的影响提供科学依据。     

近53 a来长江流域极端降水指数特征

利用1963~2015年长江流域115个气象站点逐日降水数据，分析了不同极端降水指标的空间变化特点和时间变化趋势。结果表明，近53 a来，长江流域多年平均年极端降水量与年降水量从下游到上游逐渐递减，两者变化趋势大致呈现“增-减-增”的空间分布格局。年极端降水量对年降水量贡献（PEP）存在明显的空间分布差异，但贡献比例在流域内普遍呈现增加的趋势。持续1 d的极端降水事件的降水量分布及其变化趋势与年极端降水量的分布特征类似，其对年极端降水量的贡献比例高达65%以上，说明长江流域极端降水以持续1 d的极端降水事件为主。持续2 d及以上的极端降水事件主要集在中皖苏赣局部地区和四川中部地区，但其降水量对年极端降水量的贡献比例较小。从上游到下游，年最大日降水量（MDP）逐渐增大。其中，上游源头地区的沱沱河、曲麻莱和玉树3个站点MDP主要集中在0~25 mm之间，其他站点均以25~50 mm量级为主；长江流域中部地区的MDP大部分以50~100 mm的量级为主，处于100~150 mm之间的次之；长江流域东部地区主要以100~150 mm量级的MDP为主。 关键词： 极端降水；降水贡献；不同历时；长江流域     

皖江城市带近20 a生态环境变化遥感指数分析

随着城市化进程的不断加快，环境保护问题越来越突出，加强生态文明建设也越来越成为城市发展的重心之一，因此快速监测城市生态环境变化显得尤为重要。选取1995年、2005年、2015年Landsat TM/OLI影像为主要数据源，分别提取绿度、湿度、干度、热度4个生态因子作为评估指标，结合主成分分析，生成遥感生态指数（RSEI）,客观、迅速、定量地对皖江城市带近20 a生态环境变化进行分析。结果表明：1995~2015年皖江城市带生态环境质量先降后升，总体呈上升趋势。其中RSEI从1995年的0.710下降至2005年的0.683再升至2015年的0.728，总共上升了2.54%；1995~2015年生态环境恶化区域面积比例由20.03%到14.56%，减少了26.86%；生态环境改善区域面积比例由21.87%到29.39%，增加了34.39%。生态环境恶化区域主要集中在长江沿岸经济发达的扩张型城市和地区；生态环境改善区域主要集中在植被覆盖、注重环境整治、绿化效果显著地区。总的来说，城市生态质量与植被覆盖情况（NDVI）和不透水建筑面积（NDBSI）关系最为密切，城市扩张发展的同时，应该加强生态文明建设，注重环境保护，增加绿化面积，实现城市的可持续发展。 关键词： 皖江城市带；RSEI指数；城市生态；变化检测；主成分分析     

近52a长江中下游地区极端降水的时空变化特征

长江中下游地区是我国主要农业区,同时也是降水异常,洪涝灾害频繁发生的地区之一,对长江中下游地区极端降水变化的研究,可以为该区农业生产及防洪减灾提供参考依据。利用1961~2012年间的长江中下游地区84个站点的逐日降水观测资料,基于年最大日降水(AM)序列与超门限峰值降水(POT)序列,通过滑动平均、Mann-Kendall检验法、线性倾向估计等方法,分析了该地区极端降水事件的时空变化特征。结果表明:(1)长江中下游地区近52a来极端降水量呈现为较明显的增加趋势,且极端降水量速率为9.3mm/10a,存在较为明显的年代际波动变化特征,1990年以后进入极端降水量偏多的时期;(2)AM与POT序列多年平均值大值主要分布在江西省大部、湖北东南部以及安徽南部;AM与POT序列多年标准差大值主要分布江西东南部与北部,湖北东南部以及湖南西北部;AM序列多年平均值与标准差均高于POT序列,AM序列年际间振幅要明显强于POT序列,极端降水年际变化幅度大于年内变化;(3)长江中下游沿岸地区年最大日降水量主要表现为增加趋势,长江以北的西部地区则主要表现为减少趋势;长江沿岸地区以及中东部地区的极端降水量主要表现为增加趋势,西部地区则主要表现为减少趋势。     

近52a西南地区潜在蒸散发时空变化特征

潜在蒸散发对水资源评价和气候变化均具有重要意义。采用Penman-Monteith公式和气象观测资料计算了中国西南地区90个气象站的潜在蒸散发,并采用多种统计方法分析了潜在蒸散发的时空变化特征。结果表明:(1)西南地区近52a的平均潜在蒸散发为3 209.8 mm,其中云南省潜在蒸散发最高(3 664.7 mm),其次为四川省(3 015.0 mm)、重庆市(2 972.4 mm)、贵州省(2 958.0 mm)。四季潜在蒸散发空间分布特征与年不同,从大到小排序为夏季,春季,秋季,冬季。(2)西南地区整体呈增加趋势(0.9 mm/10 a),其中31个站点呈减少趋势(p0.1),17个站点呈增加趋势(p0.1),其余站点变化趋势不显著。大部分站点春季(55.6%)和夏季(63.3%)呈减少趋势,秋季(62.2%)和冬季(58.9%)则呈增加趋势。(3)经MannKendall突变检验,该区整体潜在蒸散发的突变时间为1995年(p0.05);单个站点突变检验显示,76个站点发生突变,突变年份集中于1980s,未发生突变的站点主要分布于青藏高原东缘。整体上看,近52a来西南地区潜在蒸散发略呈增加趋势,并存在突变点,但部分站点存在相反的变化趋势,这和复杂的地形环境和气候特征有较大关系,体现出西南地区水文气象变化的独特性。     

我国南方地区50 a冬季降水和相对湿度特征分析

根据中国地面气候日值数据集资料，利用气候趋势系数、气候倾向率等方法，研究了我国南方地区冬季50 a降水和湿度的时空变化特征，并运用基尼系数对降水均匀性的空间分布进行了分析。结果表明：降水和相对湿度分布皆自西北向东南递增，最大中心位于长江以南附近内陆区域，最小值基本位于高原。降水强度整体呈现增加趋势，在沿长江附近区域以及云南部分地区增强明显，最大气候倾向率为1.0 mm/d/10 a左右，有明显的突变时间，为1979年；降水量呈微弱的增加趋势，其中云贵和川渝局部区域降水量呈减少趋势，为-3 mm/10 a左右，没有明显的突变时间；降水日数在长江以南局部区域及云贵区域显著减少，其中云南的西南地区为最小气候倾向率-10 d/10 a，明显突变时间为1980年；相对湿度表现出一定的局地增减趋势，长江以北（南）主要呈微弱增加（减少）趋势，云南南部减小趋势显著；相对湿度和降水呈明显的正相关，其中与降水量和降水日数相关系数高达0.784、0.753。降水量基尼系数的空间分布与降水分布相似，只是降水分布的大（小）值中心为基尼系数小（大）值中心，不同年代及冬季不同月份的降水量基尼系数大（小）值区域范围有所增减。总的来看，我国南方冬季中部和东部大部分区域为降水均匀区，西南高原区域为不均匀区。 关键词： 南方地区；冬季；降水；相对湿度     

Naturally occurring thallium: a hidden geoenvironmental health hazard?

This paper illustrates a real environmental concern and draws attention to the fact that natural processes can mobilize thallium (Tl), a highly toxic metal, which may enter the food chain as a "hidden health killer" with severe health impacts on local human population. Natural processes may be exacerbated by human activities such as mining and farming, and may cause enrichment of Tl in the environment. In geochemically anomalous areas with concentrated levels of Tl in the surface environment (bedrocks, waters, soils, and crops), such as the Lanmuchang area in southwestern Guizhou Province, China, it is essential to establish base-level values and to pay heed to the geological context of "natural contamination," as high concentrations of Tl in bedrocks/ores (6-35,000 mg/kg) can lead to enrichment of Tl in the aquatic system (0.005-1100 microg/l in groundwaters and 0.07-31 microg/l in surface waters) and soil layers (1.5-124 mg/kg). In sensitive areas such as the Yanshang area of southwestern Guizhou, elevated natural levels of Tl from bedrocks may also cause higher concentrations of Tl in the surface environment, and thus more attention must be paid to geoenvironmental management of human activities if socio-economic catastrophes are to be avoided. Due to high uptake of Tl by crops, Tl can be transferred from soils to crops and remarkably concentrated in food crops. Concentrations of 1-500 mg/kg Tl based on dry weight (DW) were determined in many food crops growing on Tl-contaminated arable soils from the Lanmuchang area. The daily intake of 1.9 mg of Tl from consumed food crops was estimated for the local adult inhabitant of Lanmuchang. Thus, Tl is regarded as a latent health hazard with potential risk of toxicity in humans within areas of "natural" contamination by Tl.     

近60 a来长江干流输沙量变化及原因分析

根据长江干流宜昌、汉口、大通3个站点1954~2013年的输沙量数据，采用有序聚类和泥沙归因诊断分析等方法分析了3个站点输沙量时间序列的跳跃点以及降水、产流、产沙等各因素在输沙量变化中的贡献和作用。分析结果表明：3个站点的输沙量均存在明显的跳跃点，在跳跃点前后，输沙量出现较大幅度的下降，产沙能力的下降对输沙量比例变化率的贡献超过90%。人类活动造成的水库总库容量变化和长江流域植被覆盖度变化是造成长江干流输沙量变化的主要原因。结果表明：1985~2000年相比1954~1984年输沙量下降的585%、2001~2013年相比1985~2000年输沙量下降的831%是由于水库建设所造成。研究时段内流域植被覆盖度呈现先下降后上升的趋势。与1954~1984年相比，1985~2000年长江流域植被覆盖度下降，造成的输沙量变化为输沙量实际下降的 -436%，与1985~2000年相比，2001~2013年长江流域植被覆盖度上升，造成的输沙量下降贡献了输沙量实际下降的180%。 关键词： 长江；输沙量；突变点；人类活动