Identification of agricultural factors for improving sustainable land resource management in northern Thailand: A case study in Chiang Mai Province

This paper aims to identify the land-use factors benefiting sustainable land management in terms of environmental conservation. For evaluating the impacts of land use on the environment, the following parameters were used: chemical fertiliser and pesticide use, land-use structure and diversity. The farmers' income, land tenure and farming scale were selected for their influence on agricultural sustainability. The analysis shows a rapid increase in use of chemical fertiliser and pesticide in the past 40 years, and an observable increase in land-use diversity. The amount of chemical fertiliser used per unit area in large-scale farming was lower than that at small scales, but large-scale farming consumes more pesticide than small-scale farming. A significant negative correlation was observed between the proportions of the holdings possessing land and the holdings using the chemical fertiliser. In order to achieve sustainable agriculture, it is necessary to manage crop systems and land use towards selecting new strains and varieties of crops and fruits with a lower demand for chemical fertiliser and a higher resistance to disease and pests, balancing large- and small-scale farming, and ensuring land tenure and economic incentives.     

The potential role of virtual water in solving water scarcity and food security problems in China

Water, as a source of food security, plays an essential role in ensuring sustainable food resources for a growing population. However, water scarcity has increasingly become a constraint to economic development, particularly food production. The water-food challenge is impending because of China's increasing population and water demand. The concept of virtual water is useful to analyze this problem. In this paper, the implications and policy relevance of virtual water are expounded. Based on imported food volumes, it is calculated that an annual average of 10.52 × 10⁹ m³ of virtual water embodied in imported wheat and maize in the period between 1990 and 2000 is equivalent to 23% of the annual average transfer water volume of the South-North Water Transfer (SNWT) project. Consequently, this 29.3 × 10⁶ ha of virtual land is equivalent to 19% of China's arable land in 2000. Using the grain import prediction and the agricultural production conditions of China, the virtual water equivalents of China in 2010 and 2020 are evaluated, and are about 88 × 10⁹ m³ in 2010 and 95 × 10⁹ m³ in 2020, respectively. Importing virtual water embedded in traded food can alleviate water stress and even achieve food security. Virtual water trade may compensate for water demands for not only the past but also the future. Meanwhile, water trade can store water in its virtual water form, enabling food storage to play a potential role in solving food problems, as well as promoting sustainability of water resources in China.     

The ecological dynamics of low external input agriculture: A case study of hill farming in a developing country

This paper on Low External Input Agriculture (LEIA) has explored how indigenous hill farming systems in a developing country setting of rural Nepal are functioning and which ecological properties of such systems could contribute to the development of Low External Input and Sustainable Agriculture (LEISA). Three cases were studied using direct field observation, group discussion and interviews, and the important practices of LEIA were ranked into eight classes to analyse the ecological sustainability of the hill farming systems. The study shows that the hill farming system is complex, diverse, heavily reliant on local resources and focuses on the renewability of production resources within the farm. All this can greatly contribute to make the system ecologically sustainable. However, demands for increased production put considerable pressure on farmers to apply external inputs which, if in excess, may jeopardise the whole system. A prerequisite for guidance in careful soil management is the strengthening of supportive research aimed at teaching farmers how to use external inputs. This must agree with the principles of sustainable agriculture and take into account the site-specific variations which are characteristic of Nepalese hill farming systems. We defined the term Ecological Dynamics as 'the pattern of changes in structure and/or forces in processes which govern the development of natural and artificial ecosystems'. This definition assists in identification of trends in ecological sustainability. Understanding indigenous farming systems reveals important ecological clues essential for the development of sustainable agriculture.     

Multi-scale sustainability evaluation of natural resource management systems: Quantifying indicators for different scales of analysis and their trade-offs using linear programming

The purposes of this paper are: (a) to describe a framework designed for multi-scale sustainability evaluation of Natural Resource Management Systems (NRMS), and (b) to illustrate its application for quantitative analysis using linear programming. The framework described here is intended to contribute to the operationalisation of the concept of sustainability by supporting the processes of design, evaluation and implementation of alternative NRMS at different scales. In this paper, Linear Programming is used for the quantitative analysis of indicators and their trade-offs; using a schematised example, the basic characteristics of the Multi-scale Multiple Goal Linear Programming (M-MGLP) method are described. In M-MGLP, indicators pertaining to different scales of analysis can be set as objectives or constraints for the optimisation. In this way, stakeholders interacting in a specific region can be made aware of the consequences of alternative NRMS in terms of the different indicators at the same scale and/or for indicators at other scales of analysis. The paper ends with a discussion of the main strengths and limitations of the framework and, specifically, of linear programming.     

Perceived importance of sustainability dimensions in the Portuguese metal industry

The growing interest of stakeholders regarding the contribution of organizations to Sustainable Development is influencing organizational behavior and strategic planning. The purpose of the present paper is to analyze the perception of the importance of organizational sustainability dimensions in a relevant economic sector: the metal industry. Survey data was collected from a sample of 211 Portuguese industries, and non-parametric statistical tests were used to validate five research hypotheses regarding the importance of the economic, environmental, social and cultural dimensions of sustainability. The results obtained demonstrate awareness of the sampled industries regarding all sustainability dimensions, recognizing that their importance has been increasing over the years, and prospecting that this importance will continue to increase in the future. The industries in this sample revealed different degrees of perceived importance for the different sustainability dimensions: the highest importance was given to the economic dimension, and culture was considered the least important sustainability dimension. However, the perception of the respondents is that these differences will be less relevant in the future. The results also show that companies with certified management systems reveal a higher perceived importance regarding sustainability dimensions. Also, industries with higher values of annual turnover, number of employees and export sales tend to give higher degrees of importance to sustainability dimensions. Considering the economic, environmental and social impacts of metal industries at an international level, the awareness of this industrial sector regarding the importance of sustainability is a relevant step to the commitment towards Sustainable Development.     

Contrasting visions of food and farming sustainability: NGOs versus the UK Labour government

In a previous issue of the International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology I described how competing visions of sustainable agriculture are currently battling for hegemonic status (Johnson 2006). One vision seeks to break the hegemony of productionism and the other seeks to continue down its path with a greater emphasis on biotechnology. In this paper, I wish to explore these visions further as they apply to actual existing strategies for sustainable farming and food in the UK. This paper uses discourse analysis to compare the UK government's vision for sustainable farming and food sectors with that of two NGOs: Friends of the Earth and Corporate Watch. The language and discourse in the government's and NGOs' strategy documents is examined for evidence indicating their ideological conception of agricultural sustainability. The paper concludes that, whilst the NGOs are pursuing a strong vision of sustainability, seeking to break productionism's hegemony, the UK government is pursuing an ideologically weak-tomoderate conceptualisation of sustainability, pursuing the high-technology modified version of agricultural productionism.     

Developing indicators for assessing land-use sustainability in a tropical agro-ecosystem: The case of Sakaekrang watershed,Thailand

While the concept of sustainable land management is now widely accepted, there remains considerable scope for developing location-specific land-use indicators for sustainability evaluation. A study was conducted to investigate the indicators of land-use sustainability in the context of tropical agro-ecosystems using the case of Sakaekrang watershed, Thailand. The biophysical data were generated from Geographic Information Systems (GIs) and the socioeconomic data were collected through a field survey. In the light of sustainable land management objectives, a total of 32 criteria were considered in the analysis to determine land-use sustainability and identify indicators that best explain the sustainability level. About one quarter of the agricultural area in the watershed meets the sustainability threshold, indicating a substantial unstable area in the watershed. Among 11 indicators that showed a significant relationship with the computed land-use sustainability, land quality, source of farm income, and evapo transpiration were the most important.     

Participatory assessment of soil degradation in the uplands of southwestern Tanzania: Implications for sustainable agriculture and rural livelihoods

Rural household food insecurity and poverty are closely linked to soil degradation in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, causes, degradation processes, coping strategies and need for interventions may vary from one place to another. This study was conducted in Mbinga District, SW Tanzania, to investigate causes and biophysical processes of soil degradation; effects on livelihoods, coping strategies and entry points for interventions. Implications for sustainable production and rural livelihoods are discussed. Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), household surveys using a short open-ended questionnaire and biophysical exploration were the research tools used. Soil fertility depletion resulting from continuous cropping and erosion losses is the main form of soil degradation. Maize yield was 57% lower in fertility-depleted farms than in productive farms. Soil pH, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺ and CEC accounted for 79% of variations in maize yield. Organic soil fertility amelioration was a common strategy used by smallholders. Use of beneficial tree and shrub fallows is the most environmentally, economically and socially promising improvement that can be used to build on the existing strengths of farmers' knowledge and strategies. Subsidy for the right type of fertilizers, infrastructure improvement and education of farmers on proper use of fertilizers should significantly contribute to improved and sustainable production and livelihoods.     

Management and exploitation dynamics of small-scale fisheries in the Bay of Biafra: An integrative analysis of purse seine fishing activity

For many decades, fisheries research has focused on stock assessment and the impact of the fishery effort on resources. Although this knowledge remains necessary, a more integrated analysis of the joint dynamics of resource and operational activities is needed to provide more useful advice for the management of fishery systems. Since 1994 a new approach to fishery science has been carried out for Cameroonian small-scale fisheries, the aim being the incorporation into fishery science of research on fishery management, fishing processes and fishermen's behaviour. This paper presents a more systemic data approach which combines biological parameters and operational factor analyses with the goal of sustainable development. From two years of data collected on the purse seine fishing units operating in the Bay of Biafra (2002 and 2003), a set of three correspondence analyses is applied: (1) to the length frequency distribution of Ethmalosa fimbriata, (2) to the number of visits per fishing ground, and (3) to the species appearance frequency in the landings. These three analyses were plotted per month-year period. The results are presented in the form of an annual exploitation cycle, linking fishing grounds, the main species caught, and corresponding fishing period.     

Impact of population growth and land-use change on water resources and ecosystems of the arid Tarim River Basin in Western China

Time series data on population change, economic development, climate change, water volume and quality and oasis land-use change were collected to study the interactions between these factors in the arid Tarim River Basin, China. The study reveals that precipitation and stream flow in headwater streams increased, but stream flow in the main Tarim River had reduced significantly over the past three decades. This implies that human activity, rather than climate change, dominated the recent environmental changes in the river basin. As a result of population growth and cultivated land expansion in the upper and middle reaches of the river, severe problems of water shortage, water pollution, death of natural vegetation, soil salinization, desertification and sand-dust storms have occurred, particularly in downstream areas of the river basin. These problems have had serious negative effects on the health of local people and sustainable social economic development in the region. Some development strategies are proposed to deal with these problems.     

广东省环保科技发展情况的文献计量学分析

以SCI(科学引文索引)、ESI(基本科学指标)以及国内外专利等数据库作为统计分析源,对2000-2008年广东省环保科技与环保产业的发展现状和发展态势从文献计量学的角度进行统计分析.主要分析了环保科技类论文和专利产出的情况,并通过论文产出的主要机构、论文总量、被引频次、及专利领域分类、类型结构的对比反映广东省环保科技对环保产业发展的科学影响.结果表明,环保产业和环保技术是一个有着相当发展潜力和前景的研究领域,相关的论文、专利数量和影响力都表现出持续增长的趋势;国际合作研究发展趋势正在逐步增强,广东省已与环保科技领域的多数主要研究国家都分别展开了不同程度的合作;环境科学和环保技术存在着明显区域发展的不平衡,在国内,广东省的环保科技综合实力排名位于北京、上海、江苏、浙江之后;从专利的统计分析来看,国内环保科技研究热点主要集中在水和污泥的处理领域里,广东省则在给水和排水领域具有很强的优势,在申请专利的类型结构方面,广东省实用新型类专利申请量居前列,但发明专利申请量少,专利申请结构不平衡.     

Regionalisation and sustainability in the field of industrial production

SUMMARY

Regional business concepts are said to have huge potential to support sustainable development in industrialised countries (e.g. Stransfeld, 1999). However, whereas efforts have been made to implement regional concepts within agriculture and forestry, empirical findings show that regional concepts are only of minor importance to managers within industrial production (Rentz et al., 2000). Considering this situation, the aim of the present article is to explain why regional business concepts have rarely been implemented in the field of industrial production. Therefore, in the course of the present article, a raster for the identification of relevant barriers on a personal, enterprise, inter-firm and macroeconomic level will be developed and applied. Subsequently, suggestions for a set of measures to overcome these barriers to regionalisation will be given. The results have been identified in the framework of a questionnaire to about 30 decision makers of industrial companies within research, a project promoted by the German Ministry of Education and Research.     

基于DFA的无定河径流长期变化趋势及持续性研究

河川径流量的变化对水资源的开发利用和国民经济的发展具有很大的影响。采用Ko1mogorov-Smirnov检验方法对无定河流域两个主要水文站赵石窑站和白家川站逐月径流量序列进行正态性检验,在此基础上运用DFA分析方法,估算两站时间序列的α标度指数,预测该流域径流量的未来变化趋势及其持续性,并采用随机重排法对估算结果进行了稳定性检验。分析结果显示:赵石窑和白家川两站径流时间序列的α标度指数分别为0.52和0.56,均大于0.5,径流时间序列表现为较强的长程依赖性,表明无定河流域在过去近50a内径流量的总体上呈下降趋势,在未来一段时间内,还将持续一段时间。对原时间序列随机重排后,两站月径流序列的α标度指数都变小,分别为0.48和0.49,接近于0.5,进一步证明原序列确实存在着标度不变性。研究结果对流域的水资源规划、管理与合理利用有帮助。     

Assessment of mammal reproduction for hunting sustainability through community‐based sampling of species in the wild

Wildlife subsistence hunting is a major source of protein for tropical rural populations and a prominent conservation issue. The intrinsic rate of natural increase. (r_max) of populations is a key reproductive parameter in the most used assessments of hunting sustainability. However, researchers face severe difficulties in obtaining reproductive data in the wild, so these assessments often rely on classic reproductive rates calculated mostly from studies of captive animals conducted 30 years ago. The result is a flaw in almost 50% of studies, which hampers management decision making. We conducted a 15‐year study in the Amazon in which we used reproductive data from the genitalia of 950 hunted female mammals. Genitalia were collected by local hunters. We examined tissue from these samples to estimate birthrates for wild populations of the 10 most hunted mammals. We compared our estimates with classic measures and considered the utility of the use of r_max in sustainability assessments. For woolly monkey (Lagothrix poeppigii) and tapir (Tapirus terrestris), wild birthrates were similar to those from captive populations, whereas birthrates for other ungulates and lowland‐paca (Cuniculus paca) were significantly lower than previous estimates. Conversely, for capuchin monkeys (Sapajus macrocephalus), agoutis (Dasyprocta sp.), and coatis (Nasua nasua), our calculated reproductive rates greatly exceeded often‐used values. Researchers could keep applying classic measures compatible with our estimates, but for other species previous estimates of r_max may not be appropriate. We suggest that data from local studies be used to set hunting quotas. Our maximum rates of population growth in the wild correlated with body weight, which suggests that our method is consistent and reliable. Integration of this method into community‐based wildlife management and the training of local hunters to record pregnancies in hunted animals could efficiently generate useful information of life histories of wild species and thus improve management of natural resources.     

Accounting for multiple testing in the analysis of spatio-temporal environmental data

The statistical analysis of environmental data from remote sensing and Earth system simulations often entails the analysis of gridded spatio-temporal data, with a hypothesis test being performed for each grid cell. When the whole image or a set of grid cells are analyzed for a global effect, the problem of multiple testing arises. When no global effect is present, we expect $$ alpha $$% of all grid cells to be false positives, and spatially autocorrelated data can give rise to clustered spurious rejections that can be misleading in an analysis of spatial patterns. In this work, we review standard solutions for the multiple testing problem and apply them to spatio-temporal environmental data. These solutions are independent of the test statistic, and any test statistic can be used (e.g., tests for trends or change points in time series). Additionally, we introduce permutation methods and show that they have more statistical power. Real-world data are used to provide examples of the analysis, and the performance of each method is assessed in a simulation study. Unlike other simulation studies, our study compares the statistical power of the presented methods in a comprehensive simulation study. In conclusion, we present several statistically rigorous methods for analyzing spatio-temporal environmental data and controlling the false positives. These methods allow the use of any test statistic in a wide range of applications in environmental sciences and remote sensing.     

A sensitive spectrophotometric method for the determination of arsenic in environmental samples

We developed a cost-effective and sensitive spectrophotometric method for the determination of arsenic at trace level using a new reagent, leuco malachite green. Here we show that, arsenic reacts with potassium iodate in acidic conditions to liberate iodine, and the liberated iodine selectively oxidizes leuco malachite green to malachite green dye. We studied the Beer’s law at 617 nm, which showed linearity over the concentration range 0.09–0.9 μg ml⁻¹ of arsenic. We show that the molar absorptivity, Sandell’s sensitivity and detection limit of the method are 6.1 × 10⁴ l mol⁻¹ cm⁻¹, 0.0012 μg cm⁻² and 0.025 μg ml⁻¹, respectively. We applied the developed method for the determination of arsenic in environmental samples.     

A simulation model to explore the relative value of stock enhancement versus harvest regulations for fishery sustainability

Harvest restrictions and stock enhancement are commonly proposed management responses for sustaining degraded fisheries, but comparisons of their relative effectiveness have seldom been considered prior to making policy choices. We built a population model that incorporated both size-dependent harvest restrictions and stock enhancement contributions to explore trade-offs between minimum length limits and stock enhancement for improving population sustainability and fishery metrics (e.g., catch). We used a Murray cod Maccullochella peelii peelii population as a test case, and the model incorporated density-dependent recruitment processes for both hatchery and wild fish. We estimated the spawning potential ratio (SPR) and fishery metrics (e.g., angler catch) across a range of minimum length limits and stocking rates. Model estimates showed that increased minimum length limits were much more effective than stock enhancement for increasing SPR and angler catches in exploited populations, but length limits resulted in reduced harvest. Stocking was predicted to significantly increase total recruitment, population sustainability, and fishery metrics only in systems where natural reproduction had been greatly reduced via habitat loss, fishing mortality was high, or both. If angler fishing effort increased with increased fish abundance from stocking efforts, fishing mortality was predicted to increase and reduce the benefits realized from stocking. The model also indicated that benefits from stock enhancement would be reduced if reproductive efficiency of hatchery-origin fish was compromised. The simulations indicated that stock enhancement was a less effective method to improve fishery sustainability than measures designed to reduce fishing mortality (e.g., length limits).     

中国快速城镇化的边际环境污染效应变化实证分析

通过建立模型并实际测算城镇化每增长1个百分点引起的污染物产排放变化量,来分析我国城镇化发展的边际环境污染效应。结果显示,我国城镇化发展与环境污染之间的矛盾仍十分突出,1996-2009年期间,城镇化每增长1个百分点带来的城镇生活污水排放量、COD产生量、NH3-N产生量、NOx排放量、CO2排放量、城镇生活垃圾产生量仍呈上升趋势。由于近年来城镇污水处理率明显提升,城镇化每增长1个百分点带来的COD和NH3-N排放量由＂十五＂的增加逐步转为＂十一五＂的减少;由于城镇生活用煤的减少,城镇化每增长1个百分点带来的SO2排放量在＂十五＂＂十一五＂期间都呈减少趋势。为减少环境污染,我国应选择有中国特色的城镇化发展道路,合理把握城镇化发展速度和节奏,促进城镇与环境协调发展。