The Economic Value of Open Space: A Review and Synthesis

/ Communities increasingly face development pressures that can irreversibly alter open space lands. While the monetary costs and benefits of development are typically known, the corresponding values of natural lands are complex and difficult to measure. This paper reviews different concepts of economic value in relation to open space, describes methods for quantifying these values, and presents examples of each from published literature. Open space benefits accruing to citizens as market values or consumers' surplus include market and enhancement values, production values, natural systems value, use and nonuse values, and various intangible values. Economic impacts that open space lands have on local communities and economies include fiscal impacts on municipal budgets, expenditures from open space-related activities, and impacts from employment and tax revenues. These values are not universally present within a given community, nor are they quantitatively additive. However, a comprehensive consideration of the multiple values of open space will better inform community decisions about land conservation and development. KEY WORDS: Conservation; Economic value; Land use; Open space; Zoning     

泥石流堆积扇危险度分区评价的数值模拟研究

本文应用泥石流非恒定流数学模型对泥石流平面运动进行了数值模拟，提出了泥石流堆积扇危险度评价的理论和方法。实例验证表明该法计算简便，稳健可靠，是评价泥石流堆积扇危险度的一种新途径。     

Who's afraid of zoning?

Changes to the British Planning System aimed at simplification of controls have introduced the concept of zoning. Far from being a limited and rigid concept, the Australian approach to zoning offers some interesting possibilities because of its balance between flexibility and certainty. The principal elements of an Australian zoning system are described and discussed to demonstrate the opportunities available to planners adjusting to changing political and economic climates. It is shown that it is possible to combine strategic planning with greater certainty in development control.     

基于生态管理的流域水环境功能区划——以浑河流域为例

从环境战略管理的高度,提出了一种基于生态管理的流域水环境功能区划分方法.在现行水环境功能区划的基础上,结合生态管理理念及相关理论,并充分考虑我国水环境管理能力及发展趋势,进行流域水环境功能区划分.流域水环境功能区划以流域水生态分区为基础,根据参考条件评估水体的生态状况,考虑水体生态保护功能和最小生态需水量,提出新的流域水环境功能区划的理论基础和技术方法体系.首次将水生态分区、水生态保护目标和生态需水量引入水环境功能区划之中,对原水环境功能区划的内涵进行了拓展.该方法以浑河流域为案例做了实证研究.     

The impact of an efficient collection sites location on the zoning phase in municipal solid waste management

In this paper, we study two decisional problems arising when planning the collection of solid waste, namely the location of collection sites (together with bin allocation) and the zoning of the service territory, and we assess the potential impact that an efficient location has on the subsequent zoning phase. We first propose both an exact and a heuristic approach to locate the unsorted waste collection bins in a residential town, and to decide the capacities and characteristics of the bins to be located at each collection site. A peculiar aspect we consider is that of taking into account the compatibility between the different types of bins when allocating them to collection areas. Moreover, we propose a fast and effective heuristic approach to identify homogeneous zones that can be served by a single collection vehicle. Computational results on data related to a real-life instance show that an efficient location is fundamental in achieving consistent monetary savings, as well as a reduced environmental impact. These reductions are the result of one vehicle less needed to perform the waste collection operations, and an overall traveled distance reduced by about 25% on the average.     

Evaluation of Lake Modification Alternatives for Lake Sihwa, Korea

After the construction of an embankment at the Bay of Sihwa in Korea, a lake of 56.5 km² surface area and 330 million m³ volume was created. Because of rapid socioenvironmental changes and the lowering of water quality in Lake Sihwa, various external measures have been proposed and some of them are being implemented. In this paper, we examine two alternatives for in-lake modification: one alternative is zoning of the lake by constructing two submerged dams and the other is channeling of the lake through reclamation. Water quality modeling was conducted for both alternatives to assess their effects. Results of the modeling revealed that the reduction of the lake size through two different approaches, when accompanied with other external measures, would improve the water quality, but to different degrees. The zonation is expected to improve the freshwater quality up to the level supplying 45 million m³ of water per year for agricultural use. The quality of channeled water would be inappropriate for agricultural use, but suitable for outdoor activities such as recreation or fishing regardless of reclamation plans considered.     

Ecological planning proposal for Kruger National Park

This article discusses an application of the ecological planning model proposed by Van Riet and Cooks. The various steps outlined in this model have been applied to Kruger National Park in South Africa. The natural features of Kruger National Park, which form the basis of such an ecological planning exercise and from which the various land use categories, values, and zoning classes can be determined, are discussed in detail. The suitability of each of the various features is analyzed and a final zoning proposal for Kruger National Park is suggested. Furthermore a method for selecting a site for a new camp is illustrated by referring to the site for the new Mopane rest camp which is now under construction in the Kruger National Park. The conclusion is reached that the proposed ecological planning model can be used successfully in planning conservation areas such as Kruger National Park and for the selection of the most desirable sites for the establishment of new rest camps. Its suitability as a practical model in such planning exercises is proven by the fact that the siting proposals of two new camps based on this model have been accepted by the National Parks Board, the controlling body of Kruger National Park.     

Optimizing voluntary compliance in marine protected areas: a comparison of recreational fisher and enforcement officer perspectives using multi-criteria analysis

A comprehensive list of planning criteria for optimizing compliance in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) was compiled and used to compare the views of recreational fishers and compliance officers for facilitating voluntary compliance in the Port Stephens - Great Lakes Marine Park (PSGLMP). Expert working groups were tasked separately with: 1) criteria identification and weighting; 2) scoring of no-take zones; 3) prioritizing and determining uncertainty; and 4) analysis of results and sensitivity testing. Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) revealed that both groups had similar perspectives and recommendations, despite weighting the individual planning criteria differently. Significantly, "manageability" scores for no-take zones from MCA appeared to correlate well with past numbers of enforcement actions recorded for each zone. This provides empirical evidence that adopting manageability criteria during the planning of MPAs could lead to a marked increase in voluntary compliance. As a result, greater consideration to compliance planning during MPA design and zoning is recommended in order to optimize voluntary compliance. Whilst the majority of no-take zones in the PSGLMP case study were evaluated as being relatively effective in terms of optimizing voluntary compliance, there remains considerable potential to improve design, management and use of the poorer performing zones. Finally, the study highlighted the value of recreational fisher engagement in MPA planning processes to maximize voluntary compliance and manageability.