Effect of Information Availability on Assessment and Designation of Species at Risk

Abstract: Information required to evaluate the extent to which species are at risk of extinction is usually limited and characterized as highly uncertain. In this context, we define information availability as the presence or absence of information used to determine the value of an ecological variable. We examined which of three hypothetical approaches best matched how levels of risk are assigned to species: (1) precautionary approach in which analysts designate levels of risk regardless of the amount of information available, (2) worst‐case approach in which analysts assign the maximum level of risk possible from the criteria, and (3) insurance approach in which analysts assign poorly known species to a high‐risk category when little information is available. We used the quantitative assessment criteria of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) as a case study. We created a binary (0/1) matrix of all 2.4192 × 10⁷ logical combinations of available information for the 14 ecological variables included in the quantitative criteria. We processed each combination of information availability represented in the matrix with a computer algorithm designed to emulate COSEWIC decision‐making rules. Low information availability was associated with a relatively high frequency of not being able to assign a candidate taxon to a risk category, which does not follow the precautionary principle. Information availability and the level of risk assigned to species were directly related, which is associated with the worst‐case approach, and counter to the insurance approach. Our results suggest that information availability can have a major effect on the level of risk assigned to a species. We recommend a conscious determination of whether such effects are desired, and we recommend the development of methods to explicitly characterize and incorporate information availability and other sources of uncertainty in decision‐making processes.     

基于熵权的防灾工程项目融资方式评价决策模型

对防灾工程项目融资方式的评价决策问题进行了讨论,分析了项目评价决策中的客观信息和评价决策者个人经验的主观信息,提出在量化打分的基础上整合为一个复合权重集,建立了基于熵权的防灾工程项目融资方式评价模型和方法。通过实例计算,结果表明该模型在融资方式的评价、优劣排序和选择方面具有较强的可行性和可操作性。     

组织残留法在水生生物基准中的应用概述

水生生物基准已成为生态风险评价和水环境管理的主要参考依据,在水污染治理、控制和管理以及水生生物保护方面发挥着重要作用。环境和生物学参数对基于水体或沉积物等外暴露浓度的毒性阈值和环境基准存在影响,使其具有变异性和不确定性。而基于组织残留的毒性剂量指标可以减少毒性值的变异性以及不确定性,特别是对于生物累积性物质而言,在毒性效应及环境基准研究中存在显著优势。针对组织残留法在水生生物基准研究中的应用,对组织残留法的概念、优势、应用,以及组织残留基准的推导方法等几个方面进行了综述,并提出了组织残留法在应用中存在的关键问题及建议,旨在推动环境基准、生态风险评价理论和方法的研究,以及为水环境管理和污染防治提供技术支持。     

HSE管理体系增值审核的探讨

探讨了增值审核的概念,提出开展HSE管理体系增值审核的方法。     

An Empirical, Quantitative Approach to Predict the Reactivity of Some Substituted Aromatic Compounds Towards Reactive Radical Species (Cl2-·, Br2-·, ·NO2, SO3-·, SO4-·) in Aqueous Solution (3 pp)

The Hammett approach, applied to the reaction of various classes of aromatic compounds with the radicals Cl2-*, Br2-*, *NO2, SO3-*, and SO4-* yielded good predictive models, supported by high values of the correlation coefficient r2 in the case of phenols with Cl2-* and of phenolates with *NO2 and SO3-*. Lower but statistically significant correlation coefficients could be obtained for benzoates with Cl2-*, phenolates with Br2-*, and benzoates and anisoles with SO4-*.     

Establishing Eco-compensation Mechanism in Bohai Sea Waters under Framework of Ecosystem Approach

Ecosystem approach, a new comprehensive approach to the conservation and management of natural resources, has received universal concern and approval in the world, and it requires the application of the eco-compensation mechanism. Some basic ideas for establishing the marine eco-compensation mechanism are: payers and payees can be identified through analyzing marine ecosystem service changes and impacts on the stakeholders; financial transfer payment and environmental taxes and fees can be used as the main channels for compensation; payment standard can be set up by following the principle of a compromise between calculated theoretic results and “price bargaining”. Focusing on the key human impact on marine ecosystem in Bohai Sea, some preliminary ides on eco-compensation application are given: reform the ongoing charge system of pollutant discharge and enhance its incentives to reduce land pollutants; implement eco-compensation for freshwater demand between Bohai Sea and the river basins for the purpose of increasing freshwater inflow; popularize and strengthen the existing eco-compensation on fishery resources management, and implement the charge system of eco-compensation on reclamation from the sea for land construction.     

THE NEED FOR A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH IN THE MANAGEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES1

ABSTRACT Environmental resources can be managed properly only by adopting a comprehensive approach. The whole environment must be considered as a single system, and prior to any action, all types of environmental impacts caused by it should be studied in detail. This paper underlines the close relationship between different environmental problems, analyzes existing management patterns, and proposes new alternatives whenever applicable. The different constraints, which have to be considered in the decision-making process while developing a plan, are also discussed. It is concluded that efforts neglecting the interaction among different aspects of the environment do not upgrade the quality of water, air, and land to any appreciable degree.     

QUALITY OF RUNOFF FROM MINNESOTA PEATLANDS: II. A METHOD FOR ASSESSING MINING IMPACTS1

ABSTRACT The impacts of milled peat mining on runoff quality in northern Minnesota were determined using a multiple watershed approach. The frequency distributions of water quality constituents were used to detect whether runoff from a mined bog differed from that of 15 unmined (control) bogs. Peat mining increased water temperature, suspended sediment, specific conductance and concentrations of acidity, iron, sodium, and nitrogen species, although drinking water standards were not exceeded (α= 0.05). The method presented may be applicable for other nonpoint pollution investigations.     

Analysis of Sediment Retention in Western Riverine Wetlands: The Yampa River Watershed,Colorado, USA

We quantified annual sediment deposition, bank erosion, and sediment budgets in nine riverine wetlands that represented a watershed continuum for 1 year in the unregulated Yampa River drainage basin in Colorado. One site was studied for 2 years to compare responses to peak flow variability. Annual mean sediment deposition ranged from 0.01 kg/m² along a first-order subalpine stream to 21.8 kg/m² at a sixth-order alluvial forest. Annual mean riverbank erosion ranged from 3 kg/m-of-bank at the first-order site to 1000 kg/m at the 6^th-order site. Total sediment budgets were nearly balanced at six sites, while net export from bank erosion occurred at three sites. Both total sediment deposition (R² = 0.86, p < 0.01) and bank erosion (R² = 0.77, p < 0.01) were strongly related to bankfull height, and channel sinuosity and valley confinement helped to explain additional variability among sites. The texture and organic fraction of eroded and deposited sediment were relatively similar in most sites and varied among sites by watershed position. Our results indicate that bank erosion generally balances sediment deposition in riverine wetlands, and we found no distinct zones of sediment retention versus export on a watershed continuum. Zones of apparent disequilibrium can occur in unregulated rivers due to factors such as incised channels, beaver activity, and cattle grazing. A primary function of many western riverine wetlands is sediment exchange, not retention, which may operate by transforming materials and compounds in temporary sediment pools on floodplains. These results are considered in the context of the Hydrogeomorphic approach being implemented by the U.S. government for wetland resource management.     

Effects of Fish Stocking on Ecosystem Services: An Overview and Case Study Using the Stockholm Archipelago

In this article, we focus on documented and possible effects of fish stocking in terms of ecosystem services. The increasing use of fish stocking between 1970 and 2000 in the semiurban setting of Stockholm archipelago, Sweden, is used as case study. The objective is to analyze this management practice from an ecosystem perspective, accounting for both the ecological and social context of releasing fish. The results show that enhancements of four native species (Salmo S. trutta, Salmo salar, Stizostedion lucioperca, and Anguilla anguilla) have dominated over new introductions of one nonnative species. (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The major objective has been to increase fish catches for local resource users. Involved stakeholders include three management agencies, one hydropower company, and several local sport fishing associations. Documented effects focus on recapture and production rates. However, our analysis suggests that additional positive or negative effects on biodiversity, food web dynamics, mobile links, or ecological information may also result, with possible consequences for the long-term provision of food, game, and aesthetic values. We conclude that a more adaptive and cooperative management approach could benefit from a deeper analysis of where, when, and what species is released, by whom, which stakeholders that use the fish and those ecosystem services the fish generate, and of the role of formal and informal institutions for monitoring and evaluating the success of releasing fish.