Modelling Environmental Risk Using the Upper Partial Moment: a Safety-First Approach

The objective of the paper is to model economic-environmental trade-offs using a safety-first approach. The novelty of the approach is in the use of the empirically estimated flexible production risk and environmental risk functions that create a clear link between the source of the pollution, the production risk due to input use and the environmental outcome. Simulated production data and an environmental indicator were used to estimate a production function and environmental response function for every production year. The response functions were incorporated into an upper partial moment model, which ensures compliance to the user-specified environmental goal by enforcing the environmental constraint. Production decisions are significantly impacted by the presence of an environmental constraint due to the substantial compliance costs. Any changes in the intensive and extensive margin made by risk-averse decision-makers impact the size of the compliance cost faced by producers. The presence of an environmental constraint impact production decisions significantly with substantial compliance costs. While, fertiliser application technique have very little effect on the size of compliance costs. The greatest difference in compliance cost is therefore due to changes in the use of fixed resources.     

Conservation Businesses and Conservation Planning in a Biological Diversity Hotspot

The allocation of land to biological diversity conservation competes with other land uses and the needs of society for development, food, and extraction of natural resources. Trade‐offs between biological diversity conservation and alternative land uses are unavoidable, given the realities of limited conservation resources and the competing demands of society. We developed a conservation‐planning assessment for the South African province of KwaZulu‐Natal, which forms the central component of the Maputaland–Pondoland–Albany biological diversity hotspot. Our objective was to enhance biological diversity protection while promoting sustainable development and providing spatial guidance in the resolution of potential policy conflicts over priority areas for conservation at risk of transformation. The conservation‐planning assessment combined spatial‐distribution models for 646 conservation features, spatial economic‐return models for 28 alternative land uses, and spatial maps for 4 threats. Nature‐based tourism businesses were competitive with other land uses and could provide revenues of >US$60 million/year to local stakeholders and simultaneously help meeting conservation goals for almost half the conservation features in the planning region. Accounting for opportunity costs substantially decreased conflicts between biological diversity, agricultural use, commercial forestry, and mining. Accounting for economic benefits arising from conservation and reducing potential policy conflicts with alternative plans for development can provide opportunities for successful strategies that combine conservation and sustainable development and facilitate conservation action. Negocios de Conservación y Planificación de la Conservación en un Sitio de Importancia para la Biodiversidad     

中国运载火箭技术研究院危险点分级研究

根据设备设施、工艺流程、危险物质的特点,将中国运载火箭技术研究院危险点分为起重机械、机械设备、变配电站(室)、锅炉、压力容器、危化品等6类。以该分类为基础,选用风险评价半定量的评点法作为危险点评价分级的理论依据。分析并研究各类危险点所应考虑的不同评点因素,设计评点分层标准和评点分值,计算各类危险点的总评点分值。结合研究院危险点安全管理的控制重点,统筹分析每类危险点的风险等级分布情况,确定其等级划分标准。     

Heterogeneity of experts’ opinion regarding opportunities and challenges of tackling deforestation in the tropics: a Q methodology application

Making the concept of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) ready to be a mechanism to combat tropical deforestation and associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by compensating developing countries for income foregone in reducing their rates of deforestation, requires solutions for outstanding controversies. Existing opinions on REDD+ vary greatly. By using the Q-method as part of an action research approach, this paper investigates experts’ attitudes towards REDD+. Based on their responses to 41 statements, four attitudinal groups were identified, characterized as pragmatists, sceptics, conventionalists and optimists. Opinions between groups differed as to the level of application, credibility, eligibility, economic effectiveness, and public acceptability of REDD+ policy instruments. Three of the four groups were supportive of international REDD+ type policy interventions, but there was disagreement on the more concrete design issues of REDD+ projects, such as the allocation of responsibilities, the distribution of burdens and benefits, and whether or not co-benefits could be expected, or should be required. As the potential of REDD+ is shaped not only by international climate policy but also by national and regional policies and stakeholder perceptions, this paper suggests that participatory forms of decision-making may help to develop tailor-made solutions that are supported by the many different actors that are necessarily involved in REDD+ projects.     

九寨沟震区地表形变监测及震损物源估算

地震及其次生地质灾害（滑坡、崩塌、泥石流等）引发的松散物质（即震损物源）剧烈迁移会给震区环境与安全造成极为深远的影响。“8·8”九寨沟地震发生后，大量的震损物源加剧了九寨沟景区地质灾害易发性及湖泊淤积风险。获取震损物源的分布与数量，是减少灾害风险与保护湿地景观的基础。因此，利用DInSAR技术实施地表形变监测,基于形变数据，再结合光学遥感数据解译和实地观测，估算九寨沟景区震损物源，解析空间分布与数量特征。研究结果显示:地震在震中的西北侧造成了较大的沉降形变，在震中东南侧也产生了轻微隆起形变，雷达视线向形变量达-23～11 cm；景区震损物源呈带状分布,沿沟谷和道路较为发育，以五花海区域最为集中，估算数量达1.658×105m³。研究结果将为九寨沟景区地质灾害隐患的监测防治及河湖湿地的绿色防淤提供支撑。     

Incorporating Habitat Mapping into Practical Koala Conservation on Private Lands

Abstract: Identifying and conserving faunal habitat on private lands has been conducted largely on a site-by-site basis as development proposals arise. We sought to map koala habitat at a scale suitable for use by a local planning authority so that habitat remnants could be protected and managed while remaining in private ownership. At this scale, the level of detail and accuracy needed by local planners required a new approach to mapping koala habitat. Two independent techniques, community and field surveys, were employed. We mailed a survey to every household in Coffs Harbour shire. Respondents told of 3309 koala sightings. We conducted a field survey, a plot-based scat (  fecal pellet) search, to determine which vegetation types and tree species were preferred by koalas. We surveyed 119 sites, which contained 42 different vegetation types. Of these, 37 (31%) had been used by koalas. The outcomes of the community and field surveys were combined to produce a distribution map of koala habitat. The most striking outcome has been the use of our results by the local government authority, Coffs Harbour City Council: planners have incorporated the koala habitat map into their local environmental plan. Our procedure offers a rigorous, repeatable, and publicly accessible method for identifying and mapping important habitat for the purposes of land-use planning, an essential procedure for conserving habitat outside the reserve system.     

Review and meta-analysis of 82 studies on end-of-life management methods for source separated organics

This article reports on a literature review and meta-analysis of 82 studies, mostly life cycle assessments (LCAs), which quantified end-of-life (EOL) management options for organic waste. These studies were reviewed to determine the environmental preferability, or lack thereof, for a number of EOL management methods such as aerobic composting (AC), anaerobic digestion (AD), gasification, combustion, incineration with energy recovery (often denoted as waste-to-energy incineration), mechanical biological treatment, incineration without energy recovery (sometimes referenced by just the word “incineration”), and landfill disposal with and without energy recovery from generated methane. Given the vast differences in boundaries as well as uncertainty and variability in results, the LCAs among the 82 studies provided enough data and results to make conclusions regarding just four EOL management methods – aerobic composting, anaerobic digestion, mass burn waste-to-energy (WTE), and landfill gas-to-energy (LFGTE). For these four, the LCAs proved sufficient to determine that aerobic composting and anaerobic digestion are both environmentally preferable to either WTE or LFGTE in terms of climate change impacts.For climate change, LCA results were mixed for WTE versus LFGTE. Furthermore, there is a lack of empirically reliable estimates of the amount of organics input to AD that is converted to energy output versus remaining in the digestate. This digestate can be processed through aerobic composting into a compost product similar to the compost output from aerobic composting, assuming that the same type of organic materials are managed under AD as are managed via AC. The magnitude of any trade-off between generation of energy and production of compost in an AD system appears to be critical for ranking AC and AD for differing types of organics diversion streams. These results emphasize how little we generally know, and exemplify the fact that in the reviewed literature no single EOL management method consistently topped all other management options across all environmental impacts, and that future studies must strive to match existing analytical boundaries and alternatives assessed to increase knowledge if as a community we expect to be able to make even more generalized conclusions.     

太湖内源营养盐负荷状况及其对上覆水水质的影响

以太湖沉积物-上覆水界面为研究对象,于2013年夏季采集46个样点的沉积物柱状样,分析表层沉积物孔隙水中营养盐(正磷酸盐、氨氮、硝氮)的浓度空间分布,估算表层沉积物中磷、氮的扩散通量,明确营养盐在沉积物-水界面的分布规律,以探明内源营养盐负荷对太湖上覆水的污染贡献,并为沉积物-水界面氮磷的转移过程理论补充证据.结果表明:太湖西北部区域的表层沉积物孔隙水中正磷酸盐和硝氮浓度较高,分别达到1.11 mg·L~(-1)和1.25 mg·L~(-1)以上;大部分湖区的氨氮浓度超过2 mg·L~(-1).全湖区范围内,从表层沉积物的上覆水到孔隙水,氨氮含量呈现升高趋势而硝氮含量呈现降低趋势.北部3个湖湾区的沉积物营养盐扩散通量最高,正磷酸盐为2.69~4.60 mg·m~(-2)·d~~(-1),氨氮为17.8~45.7 mg·m-2·d~(-1),而湖岸河口区是沉积物硝氮内源释放显著的区域.沉积物向上覆水释放正磷酸盐和氨氮的年内源污染负荷分别为64.6 t·a~(-1)和1756 t·a~(-1);而上覆水向沉积物汇入硝氮的年负荷为1102 t·a~(-1).氨氮的内源污染负荷与外源污染负荷之比高达18.7%,氨氮、总磷和总氮内源污染为上覆水贡献的浓度分别为0.361、0.013和0.134 mg·L~(-1),表明自由扩散带来的内源负荷会使太湖水中营养盐污染恶化,需引起重视.     

江苏茅山断裂带中段重力异常多尺度分析及其构造识别

采用小波变换多尺度分析,将茅山断裂带中段的重力数据分解为不同尺度的重力异常,用于研究该区的地质构造特征。小波变换多尺度分析可以将重力数据分解为不同深度的局部异常和区域异常,局部异常解释为浅部地质体引起,区域异常解释为深部地质体引起。基于此种地质解释,分析了不同深度地质体与重力异常的对应关系,并对产生异常的原因进行解释,推断出该区的主要断裂构造,并对已有研究成果进行修正。研究结果表明,断裂带中段的构造形式与重力异常之间有较好的对应关系。