A review of a community-based approach to combating land degradation: dryland salinity management in Australia

Degradation of farmland caused by salinisation is a major environmental issue in Australia. To combat salinisation a community-based approach has been adopted. This paper reviews the nature and effectiveness of this approach, describing its rationale, strengths and weaknesses. The community-based approach is shown to have been highly successful in raising awareness and providing education about the problem of dryland salinity in Australia, and has encouraged group participation in managing the problem. The approach has allowed some internalisation of the externalities associated with dryland salinity, with peer group and community pressure helping to address some salinity problems. However, the approach has not greatly lessened the threat of salinisation. Community and regional groups continue to receive the bulk of salinity management funding yet it is funding for development of new innovations, technologies and policies that is also critical to combating salinity. A conclusion is that there may have been an over-investment in the community-based approach and under-investment in the development of skills and research infrastructure required to develop innovative solutions to lessen the cost of salinity. Readers should send their comments on this paper to BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

An integrated modelling system for investigating the benefits of catchment management

Complex natural resource degradation problems such as dryland salinisation require integrated management solutions. Integrated catchment modelling can be used to develop such solutions. This paper presents three models that were applied independently in the Liverpool Plains Catchment, an important crop production area, in Eastern Australia. They are a point soil-plant-water model, an economic catchment model, and a catchment hydrology model. After discussing their individual merits and limitations, the paper develops the concept of a holistic modelling framework by combining these models to gain synergy effects in analytical ability as well as applicability and implementation of results.     

Requirements for adaptive governance of groundwater ecosystem services: insights from Sandveld (South Africa), Upper Guadiana (Spain) and Spree (Germany)

The over-abstraction of aquifers and the modification of landscape–water systems often result in the degradation of groundwater resources and the loss of related ecosystem services. Many of these problems are associated with failure of governance and management regimes. Thus, groundwater resources require innovative approaches that deal with system complexity moving governments toward adaptive and integrated management. Vertical (hierarchical) and horizontal (cross-sectoral) integration structures are crucial characteristics of adaptive governance and support sustainable management of groundwater ecosystem services. The research objective of this article is to investigate linkages between these integration structures, the governance regime and the state of groundwater ecosystem services across three case studies: Sandveld (South Africa), Upper Guadiana (Spain) and Spree (Germany). First, we developed a set of criteria indicating vertical and horizontal integration and then applied a conceptual and analytical approach, the Management and Transition Framework, specifically developed to support a systematic and consistent investigation of policy and management processes. Results indicate that higher degrees of integration during management activities do not identify a direct improvement of groundwater ecosystem services. But evidence highlights that integration (1) opens up the political arena for environmental perspectives, (2) increases the quality of groundwater and conservation plans, (3) accelerates the implementation of policies, (4) mitigates conflicts between different groundwater users and (5) increases the awareness of different ecosystem services. Finally, we conclude that compared with other natural resources, groundwater management still lacks participation, multi-level interactions and sectoral integration, especially at higher levels of management.     

The challenge of groundwater governance: case studies from Spain and Australia

This paper examines the relevance to groundwater management of Ostrom’s design principles for managing common property resources. Experience in four case studies of groundwater management in the Murray Darling Basin in Australia and the Upper Guadiana Basin in Spain suggests that while Ostrom’s design principles are relevant, sustainable groundwater management depends on the effective collaboration between government authorities and water users. A flexible and adaptive management approach is required, with collaboration between scientists, policy makers, water suppliers, and water users. Key management challenges include agreeing on a sustainable level of extraction, and establishing effective coordination and collaboration, and monitoring and control systems. Further case studies of groundwater management and their synthesis could make a useful contribution to the transition towards sustainable groundwater management regimes.     

地下水资源危机及其对策

水资源危机在我国已显端倪。本文主要讨论水资源分布特征,随着人口急增以及水资源超采不合理使用,已产生了一系列的环境地质问题,如地下水位持续下降、地面沉降、海水入侵、地面塌陷和地裂缝、水质恶化等。为此,提出了地下水资源开发利用的建议。     

长江流域节水前景与措施浅析

长江流域涉及19个省、市、自治区，面积180万km^2，人均水资源量2288m^3，略高于全国平均水平，属水资源相对丰富地区。但水资源时空分布不均衡、水污染日趋严重、浪费水现象十分突出等问题．导致流域内资源型缺水、水质型缺水和工程管理型缺水均存在。通过对长江流域节水必要性的论述，对流域内落后的农业灌溉方式和用水管理模式以及落后的生活和工业供用水设施等导致的水利用效率低下现状与先进水平的比较，分析了流域内节水的广阔前景，同时针对目前认识观念和投入不足、机制不力、法制不强等节水工作软环境存在的问题，提出了节流优先、治污为本、多渠道开源、加强水管理和提高水效率、政府引导和市场推动相结合的重点解决措施。     

Naturally occurring radionuclides in materials derived from urban water treatment plants in southeast Queensland, Australia

An assessment of radiologically enhanced residual materials generated during treatment of domestic water supplies in southeast Queensland, Australia, was conducted. Radioactivity concentrations of U-238, Th-232, Ra-226, Rn-222, and Po-210 in water, sourced from both surface water catchments and groundwater resources were examined both pre- and post-treatment under typical water treatment operations. Surface water treatment processes included sedimentation, coagulation, flocculation and filtration, while the groundwater was treated using cation exchange, reverse osmosis, activated charcoal or methods similar to surface water treatment. Waste products generated as a result of treatment included sediments and sludges, filtration media, exhausted ion exchange resin, backwash and wastewaters. Elevated residual concentrations of radionuclides were identified in these waste products. The waste product activity concentrations were used to model the radiological impact of the materials when either utilised for beneficial purposes, or upon disposal. The results indicate that, under current water resource exploitation programs, reuse or disposal of the treatment wastes from large scale urban water treatment plants in Australia do not pose a significant radiological risk.     

Minimal models and agroecological policy at the regional scale: An application to salinity problems in southeastern Australia

A minimal dynamical systems model that couples agricultural activity, native vegetation, and hydrological processes is developed to explore policy options regarding regional-scale soil and water salinization in southeastern Australia. The analysis suggests that although considerable revegetation is required to restore catchment water balance, the current value of water in uses other than agriculture is too low for revegetation to be economically viable. In contrast, groundwater pumping generates significant short-term gains by preventing soil salinization but is not a viable long-term solution. Thus, effective salinity management policy must include mechanisms to increase the value of water in uses other than irrigated agriculture to achieve sufficient long-term revegetation. These results are robust over a wide range of parameter values and thus provide a basis for policy action in the face of uncertainty about groundwater flow characteristics.     

Soil degradation and agricultural sustainability: an overview from Iran

During the past six decades, agriculture as a main sector in Iran’s economy has been affected by economic development, land-use policies, and population growth and its pressures. From the 1940s until 2010, the percentage of the total urban population of Iran increased from about 21?% to around 72?%. Urbanization, industrialization, and intensive cultivation have dramatically affected soil and water resources. The exploitation of groundwater has been increased around fourfold from the 1970s to the mid-2000s. Total water resources per capita reduced around 23?% from 1956 to 2008. The average annual decrease in the groundwater table in Iran during the last two decades is 0.51?m. In 2008, the groundwater table fell around ?1.14?m in average in Iran. The average use of chemical fertilizers increased from around 2.1?million tons in 1990s to about 3.7?million tons in 2009. During that period, fertilizer use efficiency decreased from around 28?% to around 21?%. Approximately 77?% of the agricultural land under irrigation suffers from different levels of salinity. According to the quantification of four indices, such as soil erosion, fall in groundwater levels, salinity, and use of chemical fertilizer, that are directly related to agricultural land use, the results show that agricultural management in Iran needs special attention to reach sustainable conditions. The total cost of soil and water degradation and use of fertilizers in agriculture are estimated around than US $12.8?billion (about 157,000?billion IRRials)—approximately 4?% of the total gross domestic product (GDP) and approximately 35?% of the GDP of the agricultural sector in Iran.     

The precautionary principle and chemicals management: The example of perfluoroalkyl acids in groundwater

Already in the late 1990s microgram-per-liter levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) were measured in water samples from areas where fire-fighting foams were used or spilled. Despite these early warnings, the problems of groundwater, and thus drinking water, contaminated with perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) including PFOS are only beginning to be addressed. It is clear that this PFAS contamination is poorly reversible and that the societal costs of clean-up will be high. This inability to reverse exposure in a reasonable timeframe is a major motivation for application of the precautionary principle in chemicals management. We conclude that exposure can be poorly reversible; 1) due to slow elimination kinetics in organisms, or 2) due to poorly reversible environmental contamination that leads to continuous exposure. In the second case, which is relevant for contaminated groundwater, the reversibility of exposure is not related to the magnitude of a chemical's bioaccumulation potential. We argue therefore that all PFASs entering groundwater, irrespective of their perfluoroalkyl chain length and bioaccumulation potential, will result in poorly reversible exposures and risks as well as further clean-up costs for society. To protect groundwater resources for future generations, society should consider a precautionary approach to chemicals management and prevent the use and release of highly persistent and mobile chemicals such as PFASs.     

流域初始水权分配研究进展

当前我国水资源存在短缺和使用效率低下等问题,其最核心的解决办法就是建立水权市场,而其中的关键在于界定初始水权。通过界定初始水权,在各流域行政区域之间合理地分配。简要介绍了流域初始水权分配的最新研究进展和动态,主要包括分配原则、分配指标体系、分配方法和分配机制等方面。对这些研究进行了评述并且指出了存在的问题。由于水资源分配的特殊性,涉及到水量、水质和其它一些因素,单纯的分配水权难以获得成功。在此基础上,探讨了流域初始水权分配的未来研究方向,即在考虑到了水权、排污权和林权等集成的基础上,综合考虑初始水权分配的原则、指标体系和机制等,并且在分配方法上由单一目标模型向多目标模型发展,不确定性和模糊优化模型是未来流域水资源分配模型的发展方向。     

Sustainability indicators of water sharing compacts

There is an increasing crisis of fresh water availability throughout the world. Sharing the available water resources in a sustainable manner among numerous stakeholders in the backdrop of this crisis is more challenging. Very often water conflicts are triggered out in this challenging scenario. These conflicts are sometimes reconciled with compacts on sharing. Water sharing compacts on both surface and aquifer resources are very common. Whether these compacts are founded on postulates of sustainability is the important question we want to investigate. Conflicts resurface when the sustainability of a compact is at stake. In this paper, we are reviewing three compacts on surface water sharing to understand their sustainability perspectives and how it has helped addressing conflicts. An introduction to various legal instruments promulgated aiming water conflict abatement is given first. Different types of water sharing agreements being signed in the current water management practice are also looked into. Theoretical background of sustainability analysis, both quantitative and qualitative, applicable in the case of water sharing models is then discussed. This is followed by specific case study analysis of three interstate water sharing agreements executed in basins of different agro-climatic regions across the world. It includes the Colorado basin (USA), Murray Darling basin (Australia) and the Parambikulam Aliyar Project (PAP) basins (India). Interstate water sharing agreement of these basins is critically examined and compared to comment on its sustainability perspective. The Murray Darling basin and its compact appear to be better in its overall considerations of sustainability. Compared to Colorado and Murray Darling, PAP requires major revisions in its sustainability context. E flows and stochastic modeling are the thrust areas of PAP that require major revision.     

Development of a spatial database for large-scale catchment management: Geology,soils, and landuse in the Namoi Basin,Australia

The ArcInfo Geographical Information System (GIS) was used to develop spatial databases for recording spatial data. The databases developed in this study provide a graphic and mapping display interface to assist the management of the Namoi Basin in New South Wales, Australia. In addition, the databases are used in the investigation of the impacts of spatio-temporal changes in landuse/management on hydrologic processes from catchment to basin scales. Climate, stream flow, and water quality data are being incorporated into the ArcInfo dataset to drive and test hydrologic models.     

湖北水资源现状与可持续利用战略对策

湖北省有十分丰富的过境客水资源，但自产水资源却十分有限，在水资源开发利用中存在许多亟待解决的问题。如地表水污染日趋严重，地下水也存在不容的污染；农业用水占大头，其节水潜力巨大；目前主要是利用地表水，地下水的利用很少；洪涝时时灾害仍然十分严重，并有愈演愈烈的趋势；从长远看，湖北省的水资源问题将主要是污染型短缺的问题；南水北调中线工程将对汉江中下游供水和水质造成不容忽视的影响；在计划体制下形成的水资源     

信息论方法在水资源系统工程中的应用

水资源系统工程是水资源科学与系统科学相互交叉形成的一门新兴综合性工程技术学科，在人口、资源、环境、经济与社会区域可持续发展战略研究中具有重要意义。其中的一个重要研究问题是如何有效挖掘实际水资源复杂系统中各种不确定性信息。为此。在阐述信息论基本概念和主要方法的基础上。对信息论方法在水资源系统工程中的应用研究按照水资源系统工程的理论框架进行了划分。详细论述了近年来信息论在水资源系统建模、优化、模拟、预测、评价、决策中的应用，探讨了信息论方法用于水资源系统工程中存在的问题和相应对策．展望了信息论方法在水资源系统工程中的应用前景，指出了建设基于信息论的水信息学学科的必要性。这些信息论方法在资源系统工程、环境系统工程和管理系统工程等应用系统工程研究中具有一定参考应用价值。     

基于能值分析的价值型水资源资产负债表编制

水资源在社会经济发展中的重要性逐渐显著,强化水资源综合管理是当今世界各国实现水资源可持续利用的重要途径。目前针对水资源资产负债表的基本表式、相关概念、核算方法还存在一定争议,研制水资源资产负债表,实物核算是基础,价值核算是目标。水资源价值化方法是水资源资产负债表编制的关键和难点,这一问题一直制约水资源的价值认同及其纳入国民经济核算的可行性和准确性。按照水资源负债表核算基本原理,遵循"水资源资产-水资源负债=水资源资产净值"编制思路,构建反映经济社会用水导致的水资源过度消耗、水环境损害以及生态用水挤占的水资源资产负债表。在水资源实物量资产负债表编制的基础上,根据水文循环和水资源自身特性,通过能值分析方法,把水资源多用途转换成同一标准的能值进行定量化价值研究,从而在一定程度上改进或弥补水资源价值测算方法存在的判断标准差异的不足,尝试在一张表中实现水量和水质统一核算,从水资源、水环境、水生态三方面阐明经济体对环境体产生的水资源价值量债权关系。结果表明:成都市2015年水资源耗减量不存在负债,但水环境损害和水生态用水挤占分别存在1.52亿元和1.15亿元负债,这为水资源有偿使用和水生态保护和补偿提供了依据,为真正实现编制价值型水资源资产负债表提供了新的思路和方法。     

A Hierarchy of Groundwater Management, Land-Use, and Social Needs Integrated for Sustainable Resource Development

The pyramid of human needs developed by Abraham Maslow is based upon the presumption that until a person's lower level needs are fulfilled, higher level needs remain irrelevant. Groundwater and land-use management can likewise utilize such a hierarchy in integrating plans and operations with the needs of the society. Only once a region's population has fulfilled more basic concerns can higher-level groundwater and land-use management needs be effectively achieved. Attaining the ultimate goal of resource sustainability would certainly require considerable public backing, both for financial support and minimizing ambient pollution. For efficient water management to supply a society's water needs for future generations, sustainable groundwater management will require the full support of an educated society. The objective of the authors is to point out how essential it is to integrate operational strategies into regional hierarchies of needs applicable to groundwater management, land-use, and social planning. The situation of groundwater resources in Israel's Sharon Coastal aquifer region is taken as a case in point. Remedial groundwater activities have been undertaken in the management program for this aquifer. But it appears that maximal management efficiency cannot be achieved until the public's basic concerns are satisfactorily addressed and water resources planners reach consensus and a working partnership with the society in question. Operational measures must be clearly shown to benefit the region's population as regards their social, economic, and environmental concerns. This can only be achieved through public education, promoting awareness of the issuesbreak involved.     

江苏盐城地区地下水水化学特征及形成机理

为了查明江苏盐城地区深层地下水咸化的主要影响因素,采集了不同类型水样(河水、浅层地下水、深层地下水和海水),通过对该地区不同水体的水化学特征、离子比值以及氘氧氚同位素组成进行分析,研究了盐城地区深层地下水水化学特征的形成机理。结果表明:浅层微咸水主要是溶解地层盐分和蒸发作用形成,而滨海港镇的部分地区受到一定程度的现代海水入侵影响。深层地下水总体为淡水,水化学演化以正常的水-岩作用为主,而深层微咸水主要分布在两个地区,一是东部滨海地区的灌河口至大丰一带,二是内陆地区的大丰市及其周边一带。滨海地区的深层微咸水主要是淋滤古海相地层盐分形成,黄沙港镇部分地区则受到轻微的现代海水入侵影响,而内陆地区的深层微咸水主要是浅层咸水下渗造成的。因此,盐城东部沿海矿化度增高的区域应大力加强对地下水的保护,特别是随着全球变暖,黄海海平面有上升的趋势,东部的滨海港镇等受海水入侵影响较大的区域更应引起高度重视。     

Bridging the Maghreb’s water gap: from rationalizing the virtual water trade to enhancing the renewable energy desalination

The debate about the water resources shortages and finding appropriate solutions to close the water gap in many regions is still not finished. The Mediterranean region is among the most arid regions in the world and hosts more than the half of the world’s water-poor population. The situation is more severe in the southern shore of the Mediterranean, in particular, the Maghreb countries. In this region, water resources are very limited and polluted and most countries rely on groundwater yet overexploited. On the other hand, several factors, including rapid economic growth, expanding populations and changing climate, are driving up demand for water. This pushes forward the Maghreb countries to more and more rely on non-conventional and costly water resources such as wastewater treatment and desalination. Obviously, this bears a heavy burden on the economic growth within these countries. In this paper, rationalizing the virtual water trade and enhancing desalination using renewable energy are presented as two promising options to bridging the Maghreb’s water gap.     

大江大河流域水资源管理问题讨论

世界范围内水危机的日益严重,越来越显现出流域水资源管理的重要性。从分析国内外大江大河水资源研究的热点入手,介绍了国内江河流域水资源管理思路的转变和实践;系统分析了大流域水资源存在问题的根本原因,认为是由于对人水关系和流域生态演化规律,河流、湿地的生态功能、流域的整体性管理重视不够造成的。从河流的生态整体性出发,以生态学为理论基础,提出了考虑社会—经济—环境复合生态系统,以生态和谐行为、协调发展、因地制宜、流域整体性调控体制和生态文化建设等维持大流域水资源可持续利用和保护的生态可持续性的保障措施。