Sustainable Development in Small Island Developing States

This paper explores the status of sustainable development in small island developing states (SIDS), through the presentation of a case study on the Maldives, which is a typical small island developing state in the Central Indian Ocean. At the outset, a brief history of sustainable development as related to SIDS on the international agenda is outlined, starting from Rio to Barbados to Johannesburg. SIDS are expected to face many challenges and constraints in pursuing sustainable development due to their ecological fragility and economic vulnerability. It is the position of this paper that issues related to environmental vulnerability are of the greatest concern. A healthy environment is the basis of all life-support systems, including that of human well-being and socio-economic development. Priority environmental problems are: climate change and sea-level rise, threats to biodiversity, threats to freshwater resources, degradation of coastal environments, pollution, energy and tourism. Among these, climate change and its associated impacts are expected to pose the greatest threat to the environment and therefore to sustainable development. For small islands dependent on fragile marine ecosystems, in particular on coral reefs, for their livelihoods and living space, adverse effects of climate change such as increased frequency of extreme weather events and sea-level rise will exacerbate the challenges they already face. It is concluded that the paper path from Rio to Barbados to Johannesburg has made significant progress. However, much remains to be done at the practical level, particularly by the developed countries in terms of new and additional efforts at financial and technical assistance, to make sustainable development a reality for SIDS.     

Human impact on beach and foredune vegetation of North Padre Island,Texas

Vehicular and pedestrian traffic decreased top and root production, percent cover, and diversity of vegetation, and modified species composition on beach and foredune areas of Padre Island National Seashore and Nueces County Park. Degradation of vegetal cover was directly related to the type and intensity of traffic; species in heavily trafficked areas represented earlier successional stages than those in comparable undisturbed areas.     

Urban waterfowl population: Ecological evaluation of management and planning

An urban population of ducks in Puyallup, Washington, USA was studied for 14 consecutive months beginning in November 1978. Observations were made weekly from four study sites where ducks would congregate at early morning hours. Factors contributing to the presence of waterfowl in Puyallyup included abundant food supplies and a creek corridor that connected fragmented habitats in the urban area to the larger rural populations of waterfowl. Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) were the most abundant of the 13 species observed and were the only ducks remaining during the nesting season. Habitat size and complexity were important factors influencing the species diversity of a particular site. Nesting success of mallards was poor due to limited distribution of nesting habitat, intraspecific aggression, and human disturbance. Both site-specific and more broad-based strategies are suggested for managing and planning for duck populations in urban areas.     

EFFECTS OF URBANIZATION ON BASE FLOW OF SELECTED SOUTH-SHORE STREAMS,LONG ISLAND,NEW YORK1

ABSTRACT: Hydrograph analysis of six streams on the south shore of Long Island indicates that eastward urbanization during the last three decades has significantly reduced base flow to streams. Before urbanization, roughly 95 percent of total annual stream flow on Long Island was base flow. In urbanized southwestern Nassau County, storm water sewerage, increased impervious surface area, and sanitary sewerage have reduced base flow to 20 percent of total stream flow. In an adjacent urbanized but unsewered area in southeastern Nassau County, base flow has decreased to 84 percent of total annual stream flow. In contrast, base flow in two streams in rural areas has remained virtually constant, averaging roughly 95 percent of total annual flow throughout the 1955-70 study period. Double-mass curve analysis of base flow as a percentage of total annual stream flow indicates that (1) changes in stream flow characteristics began in the early 1960's in the sewered area and in the late 1960's in the later urbanized, unsewered area, and (2) a new equilibrium has been established between the streams in the sewered area and the new hydrologic characteristics of their urbanized drainage basins.     

崇明岛中长期碳排放预测及其影响因素分析

为更好地推动崇明低碳生态岛的建设,在应用以自下而上的部门法为基础的区域范围温室气体排放评估核算方法,全面核算崇明岛能源消费及温室气体排放现状的基础上,应用LEAP模型,通过情景分析预测崇明岛中长期能源消费需求以及温室气体排放水平,并进一步应用对数平均指数法(LMDI)对影响崇明岛未来温室气体排放的主要因素进行了定量分析。研究表明:参考情景下,崇明岛能源消费总量从2010年的101万吨标煤增加到2050年的533万吨标煤,净碳足迹从2010年的238万吨CO2e增加到2050年的579万吨CO2e。崇明岛能源消费需求和碳排放增加的主要驱动因素是未来的经济发展、人口增长和生活水平的提高,但是通过一系列的优化,尤其是能源结构的变化和能耗强度的下降,减排情景下,崇明岛能源消费总量有可能在2039年左右达到峰值,并有望在2050年左右实现"零碳岛"的长期发展目标。结合定量分析的结论,进一步提出了实现崇明岛低碳发展中长期目标的可能性和重点发展领域。     

Eutrophication of Two Lakes in Kinmen Island (Taiwan)

Water quality was monitored for 12 months in Lake Tai and Lake Zon on Kinmen Island, Taiwan, and physico-chemical conditions were analyzed. No vertical temperature stratification was observed in these shallow lakes. pH is neutral to alkaline and associated with vigorous algal growth. Nitrogen levels are high and present in various forms due to progressive nitrification. Green and blue-green algae play an important part in the process of nitrification.

Assessment of lake eutrophication was made by the use of the N:P ratio, the Trophic State Index (TSI) and the US EPA Eutrophic Screening Model. the result of these calculations indicates eutrophic conditions in both lakes. It is advised that lake restoration be initiated and available techniques are listed.     

雷州半岛与海南岛砖红壤养分比较研究

雷州半岛与海南岛砖红壤养分比较研究罗凯（广东省徐闻县农村工作委员会，徐闻５２４１００）ＣｏｍｐａｒｉｓｏｎｏｆＮｕｔｒｉｅｎｔｓＣｏｎｔｅｎｔｏｆＬａｔｏｓｏｌｓｉｎＬｅｉｚｈｏｕＰｅｎｉｎｓｕｌａａｎｄＨａｉｎａｎＩｓｌａｎｄ￥ＬｕｏＫａｉ（Ｒｕｒ...     

Relationships among multiple trace elements in coastal Casuarina equisetifolia ecosystems on Hainan Island, South China

Forty-six trace elements in coastal Casuarina equisetifolia plant–soil systems at nine sampling sites on Hainan Island were analyzed using ICP-MS. The relationships among the trace elements of the same group or the same periodicity of the Periodic Table in the plants and soils were complex and no consistent patterns were found. More combinations of elements occurred with high positive correlation coefficients within the same periodicity than within the same group of the Periodic Table, and there were more high positive correlations in soils than in plants. However, there were many element combinations in Block d (transition elements) with high positive correlation coefficients in plants. Markedly high positive correlation coefficients between individual rare earth elements and Y and among Zr, Nb, Cd existed in both plants and soils. The dendrograms obtained by cluster analysis show that rare earth elements had very similar occurrence and distribution in both soils and plants. Thus, they behaved as a coherent group of elements both geochemically and biogeochemically. The transition elements were more coherent in plants than in soils.     

海南岛土壤中的铅

铅对动植物是有毒的,土壤中铅的含量过高,会引起人、畜的地方性疾病。研究结果表明,海南岛土壤中铅的含量大多数在10—40mg kg~(-1)之间,属于正常范围值,但玄武岩发育的土壤含铅量偏高,在230mg kg~(-1)左右。该岛土壤中铅的含量往往随剖面深度的增加而增大。因成土条件的差异,土壤铅含量有一定的地理分异规律,东北部玄武岩地区土壤含铅量比其它地区高数倍,西部干热地区土壤含铅量往往比东部湿热地区高。土壤中铅含量与土壤母质、质地、pH值和土壤中化合物种类等因素有关,但以土壤母质的影响更为突出。     

Ecological niche and phylogeny: the highly complex echolocation behavior of the trawling long-legged bat, Macrophyllum macrophyllum

Bats produce echolocation signals that reflect the sensory tasks they perform. In open air or over water, bats encounter few or no background echoes (clutter). Echolocation of such bats is the primary cue for prey perception and varies with the stage of approach to prey, typically comprising search, approach, and terminal group calls. In contrast, bats that glean stationary food from rough surfaces emit more uniform calls without a distinct terminal group. They use echolocation primarily for orientation in space and mostly need additional sensory cues for finding food because clutter echoes overlap strongly with food echoes. Macrophyllum macrophyllum is the only Neotropical leaf-nosed bat (Phyllostomidae) that hunts in clutter-poor habitat over water. As such, we hypothesized that, unlike all other members of its family, but similar to other trawling and aerial insectivorous bats, M. macrophyllum can hunt successfully by using only echolocation for prey perception. In controlled behavioral experiments on Barro Colorado Island, Panamá, we confirmed that echolocation alone is sufficient for finding prey in M. macrophyllum. Furthermore, we showed that pattern and structure of echolocation signals in M. macrophyllum are more similar to aerial and other trawling insectivorous bats than to close phylogenetic relatives. Particularly unique among phyllostomid bats, we found distinct search, approach, and terminal group calls in foraging M. macrophyllum. Call structure, however, consisting of short, multiharmonic, and steep frequency-modulated signals, closely resembled those of other phyllostomid bats. Thus, echolocation behavior in M. macrophyllum is shaped by ecological niche as well as by phylogeny.