Confronting socially generated uncertainty in adaptive management

As more and more organizations with responsibility for natural resource management adopt adaptive management as the rubric in which they wish to operate, it becomes increasingly important to consider the sources of uncertainty inherent in their endeavors. Without recognizing that uncertainty originates both in the natural world and in human undertakings, efforts to manage adaptively at the least will prove frustrating and at the worst will prove damaging to the very natural resources that are the management targets. There will be more surprises and those surprises potentially may prove at the very least unwanted and at the worst devastating. We illustrate how acknowledging uncertainty associated with the natural world is necessary but not sufficient to avoid surprise using case studies of efforts to manage three wildlife species; Hector's Dolphins, American Alligators and Pallid Sturgeon. Three characteristics of indeterminism are salient to all of them; non-stationarity, irreducibility and an inability to define objective probabilities. As an antidote, we recommend employing a holistic treatment of indeterminism, that includes recognizing that uncertainty originates in ecological systems and in how people perceive, interact and decide about the natural world of which they are integral players.     

Preliminary indoor radon risk assessment at the Poços de Caldas Plateau,MG-Brazil

This paper aims to present an assessment of the environmental radiological exposure at a Brazilian area of high natural radiation and discusses the indoor radon exposure risk. A survey of inhabitant exposures arising from the inhalation of radon progeny and external gamma exposure was conducted in urban and rural areas of the Po?os de Caldas Plateau, which is recognized worldwide as a high natural radiation region. The results of this survey indicated that highest radiation exposure was restricted to the rural area of Po?os de Caldas. The radiation exposure in urban locations was quite similar to the values observed in normal background areas in some Brazilian counties. By the application of a constant relative risk model, an additional 20% in the lifetime risk of lung cancer mortality due to the exposure to radon progeny was estimated at Po?os de Caldas. It was also estimated that 16% of all lung cancer deaths at Po?os de Caldas county could be attributable to radon exposure.     

General prevention and risk minimization in LCA A combined approach

Methods for life cycle assessment of products (LCA) are most often based on the general prevention principle, as opposed to the risk minimization principle. Here, the desirability and feasibility of a combined approach are discussed, along with the conditions for elaboration in the framework of LCA methodology, and the consequences for LCA practice. A combined approach provides a separate assessment of above and below threshold pollution, offering the possibility to combat above threshold impacts with priority. Spatial differentiation in fate, exposure, and effect modelling is identified to play a central role in the implementation. The collection of region-specific data turns out to be the most elaborate requirement for the implementation in both methodology and practice. A methodological framework for the construction of characterization factors is provided. Along with spatial differentiation of existing parameters, two newly introduced spatial parameters play a key role: the sensitivity factor and the threshold factor. The practicability of the proposed procedure is illustrated by an example of its application. Providing a reasonable data availability, the development of separate LCA characterization factors for the respective assessment of pollution levels above and below environmental threshold values seems to be a feasible task that may add to LCA credibility.     

旅游安全风险系统研究

在现代旅游活动中,旅游安全问题日益突出。其活动涉及大、中、小尺度的地域范围,牵涉行业较多,旅游安全存在于旅游行业及其活动的各个环节。当前的旅游安全问题不仅仅是个技术问题,而已成为一个很严重的社会问题。笔者从系统论和旅游地理学的角度,把旅游安全作为一个风险系统进行研究;认为旅游安全风险系统是由旅游者与旅游景区环境共同组成的一个复杂的特定的相互依赖的系统;初步探讨旅游安全风险系统的组成、结构和研究内容;对旅游安全风险系统的安全分析、安全评价和安全措施进行了相关研究;通过研究,以期弄清现代旅游业发展中存在的安全问题,提出旅游安全风险对策。     

森林火灾扑救风险管理问题的探讨与研究

森林火灾不可避免,与之相应的森林灭火救灾行动及其风险也不容回避。笔者将风险和风险管理理论引入森林火灾扑救之中,提出林火扑救风险及风险管理的概念和内涵;阐明了风险判识与分析、风险评估与预测、风险控制与处理的内容与方法;运用数学分析、模糊数学和现代高新技术等方法探讨林火扑救风险管理的有关问题;林火扑救属于高风险作业,提出的做好林火扑救风险管理,特别是风险控制的对策与措施,有较强的操作性、针对性和借鉴性,是防止和减少林火扑救中伤害事故的重要手段。     

光气生产装置的危险性及事故统计分析

通过对光气、光气化生产工艺过程存在的危险性分析,笔者认为气相光气化工艺比液相光气化工艺危险性小,而固体光气化生产工艺与气、液相光气生产工艺相比,危险性更小。同时对国内外光气和光气化生产发生事故的原因进行分析探讨,指出事故的原因主要是由管道及设备缺陷、个体防护用品缺乏、设计缺陷及人为失误引起。采用固体光气替代光气参与各种有机合成,与液相或气相光气工艺相比具有安全、反应条件温和、易操作、工艺简便、反应计量准确等优点,因此,固体光气工艺发展前景广阔。     

区域风险评价方法研究

基于定量风险评价的基本原理,提出一种区域风险评价方法。主要针对有多个重大危险源存在的区域,在对单个危险源进行风险评价的基础上,应用叠加原理得到描述该区域整体风险状况的定量评价结果。同时考虑了消防部门和医疗机构在事故应急救援中的积极作用,并将其量化为区域风险的补偿系数。通过实例验证了该方法的可行性,展示了该方法的应用效果。区域风险评价方法不仅能够反映区域风险的分布状况,而且对区域重大危险源的规划和布局具有较好的决策支持作用。     

涉外企业的货币经营风险管理

结合涉外企业投入与产出所处市场的分割程度或一体化程度,分析了当地企业、进口企业、出口企业或全球经营企业所面临的货币经营风险;对计量涉外企业货币经营风险的方法进行比较,认为管理层估计法对于计量货币经营风险以及制定相应的竞争对策有着重要作用;分别从金融性套期保值、经营性套期保值和营销策略等视角讨论货币经营风险的管理。笔者认为:金融性套期保值通过锁定涉外企业的外币现金流出或流入,可部分抵消涉外企业的货币经营风险暴露;经营性套期保值通过调整企业的经营业务并尽可能多地增加经营现金流,可从根本上提高涉外企业适应汇率变化的能力;通过影响涉外企业及其竞争对手所处的经营环境,营销策略有助于降低涉外企业的货币经营风险暴露。     

关于大型社会经营活动安全问题的探讨

笔者列举了相关事例,指出了大型社会经营活动的主要特点;从制度、操作、技术研究、教育4方面分析了目前大型社会经营活动存在的现实突出问题;重点从公共场所安全、应急、疏散、人群、活动容量、旅游安全、安全管理、工作实践这几个方面综述了大型社会经营活动安全相关研究的进展并指出不足之处;在上述研讨的基础上结合风险评价理论等,提出了一个较为完善的保障大型社会经营活动安全的构想,并详细论述其内容、方法及技术路线。该构想对开展大型社会经营活动的事故预防、风险管理、应急处理和控制具有重要参考价值。     

基于神经网络和遗传算法的城市火灾风险评价模型

以消防安全工程学与系统安全工程理论为基础,结合我国城市发展特征及消防安全管理状况,建立了城市区域火灾风险评价指标体系;针对神经网络易陷入局部极小而引起评价指标权值分布不合理的缺陷,提出了基于神经网络和遗传算法的城市火灾风险评价模型,该模型以火灾发生的可能性以及灾后的严重程度为输入单元,火灾风险等级为输出单元,采用误差反算法训练BP网络,最终得出火灾风险等级范围,有效地解决了城市火灾的动态性和非线性特征;研究实例证明了该模型的有效性,可为城市的消防安全管理提供确实可行的参考依据。