拟动力试验方法的发展与展望

结构抗震试验是模拟地震作用、分析掌握地震机制及结构抗震性能的有效方法。对拟动力试验技术的研究现状和进展进行了概括总结,分析探讨了拟动力试验特别是基于子结构技术试验的逐步积分方法、加载控制方式、误差分析、拟动力子结构试验、实时子结构试验、远程协同拟动力试验、混合子结构拟动力试验等关键技术,对比分析了拟动力试验技术与其他试验方法的差异,以及拟动力试验技术中基于子结构技术各试验方法间的区别和特点,并进一步阐述了各种拟动力试验的现存问题、应用前景,指出了需要进一步研究的方向。     

应急物流研究现状及发展动态分析

从应急物流的定义与特征、系统体系构建、保障机制、风险评估以及定量模型等方面对国内外近10年来的应急物流相关成果进行系统分析,指出当前应急物流存在的问题与不足,探讨应急物流发展趋势。分析表明,国内外对应急物流定量模型的研究主要是选址和调度问题分开进行的,对选址调度问题的集成研究还较少,也没有将应急物流的风险识别与选址调度问题结合起来进行研究。另外,应急物流的开展需要多个部门协同决策,开发应急物流协同决策系统也将是未来的研究方向。     

长三角示范区饮用水水源水质安全与实体性制度协同立法

在对长三角生态绿色一体化发展示范区(以下简称示范区)饮用水水源保护所涉立法和实务部门进行广泛调研的基础上,研究和探讨了示范区饮用水水源的立法现状与水质状况、水质安全问题的主要成因、协同立法的理论基础和有利条件,并就协同立法的形式选择和核心内容提出了具体建议.研究发现,水质安全与相关实体性制度的构建是示范区饮用水水源保护...     

Environmental solutions sparked by environmental history

Environmental solutions require a decision-making process that is ultimately political, in that they involve decisions with uncertain outcomes and stakeholders with conflicting viewpoints. If this process seeks broad alignment between the government and public, then reconciling conflicting viewpoints is a key to the legitimacy of these decisions. We show that ecological baselines can be particularly powerful tools for creating a common understanding for public support (legitimacy) and conformity to new rules or regulations (legality) that enable the solution. They are powerful because they move the discussion of solutions from the abstract to the concrete by providing a conceptual model for a common expectation (e.g., restoring habitat). They provide narratives of the past (ecological histories) that readjust the future expectations of individuals on how to perceive and respond to new policy. While ecological baselines offer scientists benchmarks for reinstating ecological functions, they also normalize public and government discussion of solutions. This social normalization of public issues may assist government policy and influence social views, practices, and behaviors that adopt the policy. For science to more effectively inform conservation, we encourage interdisciplinary thinking (science- and human-centered) because it can provide public support and government legitimacy for investing in environmental solutions.     

Collaborative Watershed Groups in Three Pacific Northwest States: A Regional Evaluation of Group Metrics and Perceived Success1

Chaffin, B.C., R.L. Mahler, J.D. Wulfhorst, and B. Shafii, 2011. Collaborative Watershed Groups in Three Pacific Northwest States: A Regional Evaluation of Group Metrics and Perceived Success. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 48(1): 113‐122. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2011.00599.x Abstract: Watershed management through collaborative groups has become important throughout the United States over the past two decades. Although several studies of Oregon and Washington watershed groups exist, a definitive regional analysis of Pacific Northwest (PNW) watershed groups’ success is lacking. This paper uses data collected from a single survey instrument to determine the status, structure, and success of watershed groups in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, respectively. Results indicate that watershed group member satisfaction with elements of group structure correlates with levels of perceived group success. Strong leadership within a group and a clear mission statement also indicate higher levels of perceived success. Contrasting realized successes among PNW watershed groups with metrics of perceived success constructed from survey data define watershed groups’ missions and goals and is validated by analysis of the Washington State planning groups’ responses. Overall, PNW watershed groups identified themselves as largely successful. Therefore, the structure, function, and operation identified as characteristic of PNW watershed groups could be used as a model for developing watershed group programming in regions with similar conditions.     

Stakeholder Analysis of a Collaborative Watershed Management Process: A Florida Case Study1

Borisova, Tatiana, Laila Racevskis, and Jennison Kipp, 2012. Stakeholder Analysis of a Collaborative Watershed Management Process: A Florida Case Study. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 48(2): 277‐296. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2011.00615.x Abstract: This study focuses on a Florida watershed where development of a total maximum daily load (TMDL) and its implementation plan resulted in conflicts among stakeholders. The overall goal is to build a better understanding of stakeholder perceptions of water quality problems, water policy processes and decisions, and water management plan development in a region where these issues have become contentious. Findings are based on a stakeholder analysis using qualitative data collected through focus groups with agricultural producers, local governments, and environmental groups, and supplemented with additional qualitative data on the watershed management process. Stakeholder conflicts in this case study are associated with perceived flaws in the structural and procedural characteristics of the stakeholder involvement process: (1) suboptimal watershed stakeholder representation on the TMDL executive committee, (2) an inappropriate voting procedure for making TMDL decisions, (3) limitations in information sharing between regulatory agencies and watershed stakeholders, and (4) stakeholders’ doubts about whether tradeoffs associated with achieving the water quality targets were assessed adequately throughout the TMDL planning and implementation process. This study contributes to the literature on collaborative watershed management by analyzing stakeholder involvement given Florida’s unique institutional settings, where implementation of TMDL pollution abatement is mandatory.     

Scarcity and conflict,key problems in water management: a Mexican case study

Water scarcity has become a key issue in water management. There are two contrasting positions regarding scarcity as a source of conflict or cooperation. Accordingly, it is worth exploring what exactly are the conditions that make water scarcity a source of conflict or cooperation. The history of water conflicts has shown that people are more likely to kill around a water hole than when conflicts grow into national or international issues. This suggests that there may be an inverse relationship between the level of violence and the scale at which the water conflict takes place. A common problem in environmental management has been the lack of effective mechanisms to handle conflict. In the majority of these cases, the main shortcoming was an inability of the parties to identify their differences. Therefore, this research explores the idea that understanding the causes of conflict from the outset, followed by an evaluation, at the local scale, of the conditions, is a necessary precondition to finding appropriate and sustainable solutions. With this background in mind, the objective of this paper is to employ a conflict assessment process in order to explore to the extent to which a collaborative dialogue among stakeholders can be an appropriate approach to conflict resolution. A case study in Mexico is employed as a testing ground.     

Collaborative Modeling for Decision Support in Water Resources: Principles and Best Practices

Collaborative Modeling for Decision Support integrates collaborative modeling with participatory processes to inform natural resources decisions. Practitioners and advocates claim that the approach will lead to better water management, balancing interests more effectively and reducing the likelihood of costly legal delays. These claims are easy to make, but the benefits will only be realized if the process is conducted effectively. To provide guidance for how to conduct an effective collaborative modeling process, a task committee cosponsored by the Environmental Water Resources Institute (EWRI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers and by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Institute for Water Resources developed a set of Principles and Best Practices for anyone who might convene or conduct collaborative modeling processes. The guidance is intended for both conflict resolution professionals and modelers, and our goal is to integrate these two fields in a way that will improve water resources planning and decision making. Here, the set of eight principles is presented along with a selection of associated best practices, illustrated by two different case examples. The complete document is available at: http://www.computeraideddisputeresolution.us/bestpractices/ .