Animal Consciousness and Ethics in Asia and the Pacific

The interactions between humans, animals and the environment have shaped human values and ethics, not only the genes that we are made of. The animal rights movement challenges human beings to reconsider interactions between humans and other animals, and maybe connected to the environmental movement that begs us to recognize the fact that there are symbiotic relationships between humans and all other organisms. The first part of this paper looks at types of bioethics, the implications of autonomy and the value of being alive. Then the level of consciousness of these relationships are explored in survey results from Asia and the Pacific, especially in the 1993 International Bioethics Survey conducted in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, The Philippines, Russia, Singapore and Thailand. Very few mentioned animal consciousness in the survey, but there were more biocentric comments in Australia and Japan; and more comments with the idea of harmony including humans in Thailand. Comparisons between questions and surveys will also be made, in an attempt to describe what people imagine animal consciousness to be, and whether this relates to human ethics of the relationships. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

山西中部地区历史地震灾害研究

通过对山西中部地区历史地震灾害资料的研究，得出该区地震高烈度区的分布特点，估算了历史震灾的震亡人数和经济损失，分析了历史地震引起的地质灾害，剖析了历史震灾的主要成因。     

Quantitative Response of Vegetation in Glacial Moraine of Central Himalaya

The snowline in Himalaya is rising ceaselessly due to regional and global climatic change. Upward rising of snowline leads to the formation of moraines. Due to extreme environmental conditions the existing vegetation of the moraine is scanty, rigorous and possesses different ecological adaptation. Ablation zone of the glacier is covered by a thick pile of supra glacial moraines and is characterized by several serrac ice sections, melting into pools of supra glacial lakes because of subsidence and fast degenerating nature of the glacier. Anaphalis triplinervis was observed to have highest importance value in ablation moraine zone. Here the species richness increased remarkably partially due to the invasion of plant species from lower alpine belt. The fresh lateral moraine displays distressed soil features with mosaic type of vegetation. Gaultheria trichophylla is a dominant plant species here and is associated with other stunted and cold resisting species. The old lateral moraine is dominated by Potentilla atrosanguinea with co-dominant species Iris kemaonensis and Danthonia cachemyriana.     

Comparing Landslide Maps: A Case Study in the Upper Tiber River Basin, Central Italy

/ The preparation of landslide maps is an important step in any landslide hazard assessment. Landslides maps are prepared around the world, but little effort is made to assess their reliability, outline their main characteristics, and pinpoint their limitations. In order to redress this imbalance, the results of a long-term research project in the Upper Tiber River basin in central Italy are used to compare reconnaissance and detailed landslide inventory maps, statistical and geomorphologically based density maps, and landslide hazard maps obtained by multivariate statistical modeling. An attempt is made to discuss advantages and limitations of the available maps, outlining possible applications for decision-makers, land developers, and environmental and civil defence agencies. The Tiber experiment has confirmed that landslides can be cost-effectively mapped by interpreting aerial photographs coupled with field surveys and that errors and uncertainties associated with the inventory can be quantified. The experiment has shown that GIS makes it easy to prepare landslide density maps and facilitates the production of statistically based landslide hazard models. The former supply an overview of the distribution of landslides that is easily comprehended but do not provide insight on the causes of instability. The latter, giving insight into the causes of instability, are diagnostically powerful, but are difficult to prepare and exploit.     

基于BEPS生态模型对亚洲东部地区蒸散量的模拟

气候变化和人类活动的加剧导致亚洲东部地区陆地生态系统的碳水循环过程发生显著的变化,成为全球变化研究最关注的对象之一。实际蒸散(ET)是陆地生态系统碳水循环的重要组成部分,但对该地区ET特征的研究尚不够深入。论文利用遥感、气象和土壤等资料驱动生态过程模型BEPS对亚洲东部地区1982—2006年间的ET进行了模拟分析。利用6个站的通量实测数据验证表明,BEPS模型能够解释ET的81.23%的年变化和86.4%的10 d变化。模拟结果表明:亚洲东部的ET呈现出从东南向西北和西南沙漠地区逐渐减少的分布特征,最小值位于中国的西北沙漠地区;ET与降水量之比从东南和东北地区向西北内陆和西南沙漠地区逐渐增加,其中在中国长江以南的亚洲东部地区,平均值为0.4,而在沙漠地区接近1.0。在1982至2006年期间,研究区年ET总量的平均值为12 045×109m3/a,其中,中国、泛东南亚和印度的ET总量占整个研究区的62.4%;研究区的单位面积ET均值为401 mm/a,在泛东南亚地区最大(1100 mm/a),在蒙古最小(134 mm/a)。在所有的地表覆盖类型中,常绿阔叶林的ET总量和平均值都为最大,城镇地区的ET总量和平均值都为最小。研究区的ET总量呈增加趋势,草地、稀树草原、裸地和城镇的ET明显上升,其它地表覆盖类型的ET变化不明显。     

1975—2005年中亚土地利用/覆被变化对森林生态系统碳储量的影响

土地利用/覆被变化(LUCC)对碳循环的影响研究已覆盖全球绝大多数地区,但中亚LUCC对森林生态系统碳库的影响仍属未知。论文以人工林面积、森林产品收获产量及林地转移面积为基础数据,应用Bookkeeping模型,分析了1975—2005年期间三种LUCC方式对中亚森林碳库的影响。近30 a LUCC对其碳库的影响总体表现为碳汇,固碳量为3.07 Tg。植树造林表现出强烈的碳汇功能,总固碳量为12.97 Tg。森林采伐是最主要的碳释放来源,共释放碳5.80 Tg。林地转移呈现较强的碳释放特征,共排放为4.10 Tg。结果表明1975—2005年该区域LUCC对森林碳库具有明显的增汇效应。研究结果将有利于减少LUCC对全球碳收支影响的不确定性。     

SPATIAL MODELLING WITH GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS FOR DETERMINATION OF WATER RESOURCES VULNERABILITY APPLICATION TO AN AREA IN MASSIF CENTRAL (FRANCE)1

ABSTRACT: A method for water resources protection based on spatial variability of vulnerability is proposed. The vulnerability of a water resource is defined as the risk that the resource will become contaminated if a pollutant is placed on the surface at one point as compared to another. A spatial modelling method is defined in this paper to estimate a travel time between any point of a catchment and a resource (river or well). This method is based on spatial analysis tools integrated in Geographical Information Systems (GIS). The method is illustrated by an application to an area of Massif Central (France) where three different types of flow appear: surface flow, shallow subsurface flow, and permanent ground water flow (baseflow). The proposed method gives results similar to classical methods of estimation of travel time. The contribution of GIS is to improve the mapping of vulnerability by taking the spatial variability of physical phenomena into account.     

Spatial distribution and source identification of wet deposition at remote EANET sites in Japan

Wet deposition of major ions was discussed from the viewpoint of its potential sources for six remote EANET sites in Japan (Rishiri, Happo, Oki, Ogasawara, Yusuhara, and Hedo) having sufficiently high data completeness during 2000–2004. The annual deposition for each site ranged from 12.1 to 46.6 meq m⁻² yr⁻¹ for nss-SO₄²⁻, from 5.0 to 21.9 meq m⁻² yr⁻¹ for NO₃⁻. The ranges of annual deposition of the two ions for the sites were lower than those for urban and rural sites in Japanese Acid Deposition Survey by Ministry of the Environment, Japan, and higher than those for global remote marine sites. Factor analysis was performed on log-transformed daily wet deposition of major ions for each site. The obtained two factors were interpreted as (1) acid and soil source (or acid source for some sites), and (2) sea-salt source for all the sites. This indicates that wet deposition of ions over the remote areas in Japan has a similar structure in terms of types of sources. Factor scores of acid and soil source were relatively high during Kosa (Asian dust) events in spring in western Japan. Back-trajectories for high-deposition episodes of acid and soil source (or acid source) for the remote sites showed that episodic air masses frequently came from the northeastern area of Asian Continent in spring and winter, and from central China in summer and autumn. This indicates a large contribution of continental emissions to wet deposition of ions over the remote areas in Japan.     

东亚地区大气整层臭氧浓度的时空变化

从TOMS臭氧全球网格资料截取主要包含中国大陆的东亚地区 (6 9 375°E— 1 39 375°E ;1 4 5°N— 5 4 5°N)的数据 ,分析大气整层臭氧浓度的变化特征 .结果表明 ,区域多年平均臭氧浓度约为 30 7DU(多卜森单位 :DobsonUnit) ;一年中 ,平均臭氧浓度有明显的季节变化 ,春季 (3月 )达最大值 ,秋季 (1 0月 )最小 ,变化幅度约 5 0DU .区域内臭氧浓度具有很强的空间 (纬向 )变化 ,低纬度地区臭氧浓度低 ,较高纬度地区臭氧浓度高 .各地臭氧浓度变化的概率分布基本为单峰型 ,低纬度地区分布较窄而高纬度地区宽 .从 1 978至 1 994年的十多年中 ,区域平均浓度呈明显的下降趋势 ,下降幅度约 1 0DU .对应于此 ,区域内各等级的臭氧浓度值以大致均匀的速率变化 ,低值的出现概率增加 ,而高值的出现概率减小 .     

Industrial symbiosis: the case for market coordination

Despite the fact that all successful, documented cases of industrial symbiosis to this day have been self-organizing, some authors and development officials have suggested that increased public planning might deliver better results in this respect than spontaneously evolved market coordination. This paper takes an historical approach to suggest that comprehensive planning is unlikely to live up to the expectations of its proponents.The essay is structured as follows. The first section provides short case studies of industrial symbiosis in highly different economic and institutional settings, the essentially free-market regime of Victorian England and communist Hungary (1948–1989). The available evidence suggests that market coordination proved much more favorable to the emergence of industrial symbiosis, despite the elaboration of a comprehensive policy to that effect in Hungary. Insights derived from the so-called “Austrian” critique of central planning are then used to explain this paradox. The analysis presented suggests that the Hungarian planners’ failure was not so much the result of the bad implementation of sound policies, but the logical outcome of a top-down approach’s shortcomings. Policy implications for the public planning of industrial symbiosis in a mixed economy are then derived and the case for self-organization is found more compelling. The creation of more innovative institutions that will force firms to “internalize their externalities” while leaving them the necessary freedom to innovate is viewed as an urgently needed and promising path towards increased, sustainable reuse of industrial by-products.