Some approaches to the construction of a sustainable development index for the Philippines

Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is a convenient tool used in aggregating the indicators of sustainable development and providing indices where different weights are assigned to the various indicators. There are, however, problems in interpreting of indices, especially if time series data are used. This study explores the feasibility of applying recent developments in PCA of time series using Philippine data. We present the comparative advantages of SPCA (Sparse Principal Component Analysis) relative to averaging of an adequacy/inadequacy index and PCA in index construction from various indicators of sustainable development in the Philippines in terms of usefulness and validity of indices being developed. SPCA can attain sparse and non-overlapping loadings without losing a large amount of explained variance compared to PCA. Because of the non-overlapping contribution of variables in SPCA components, indices can have clear and mutually exclusive meanings, facilitating interpretation. Even with a more complicated algorithm, reduced dimensions and simpler interpretation of indices justify the advantages of SPCA over PCA in index construction. The indices are interpreted in terms of the milestone of sustainability in the Philippines. The resulting indices provide an adequate summary of the sustainable indicators and evidence of the importance of leadership and political will in sustainable development.     

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.     

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.     

基于主成分分析的中国南方干旱脆弱性评价

干旱脆弱性是干旱灾害形成的根本原因。遵循全面性、系统性和可操作性原则,选取水资源脆弱性、经济脆弱性、社会脆弱性、农业脆弱性和防旱抗旱能力脆弱性5个准则层,共32个指标,建立了中国南方农业干旱脆弱性评价指标体系,运用主成分分析的理论方法确定评价指标权重,建立中国南方地区的干旱脆弱性评价模型,得到不同省市的干旱脆弱性指数、分级阈值和区划,以期为南方地区防旱减灾工作提供基础数据和理论支持。得出以下结论,（1）通过主成分分析法得到四个主成分,第一主成分方差贡献率为54.90%,主要反映农业脆弱性和社会脆弱性;第二主成分方差贡献率为23.64%,主要反映水资源脆弱性和经济脆弱性;第三主成分和第四主成分所占比重较小,主要反映防旱抗旱能力脆弱性。（2）以4个主成分的方差贡献率为系数建立南方干旱脆弱性评价模型,得到中国南方干旱脆弱性综合评价得分及其排名,其中水资源脆弱性由高到低依次为云南、广西、贵州、四川、重庆和广东;经济脆弱性由高到低依次为广西、云南、贵州、四川、重庆和广东;社会脆弱性由高到低依次为贵州、云南、广西、重庆、四川和广东;农业脆弱性从高到低依次为贵州、云南、广西、重庆、四川和广东;防旱抗旱能力脆弱性由高到低分别为云南、贵州、四川、广西、重庆和广东;干旱脆弱性综合评价由高到低依次为云南、贵州、广西、四川、重庆和广东。（3）对干旱脆弱性指数进行正态分布性检验,发现该指数基本服从正态分布。根据正态分布原理,得到干旱脆弱性分级阈值,将干旱脆弱性指数小于0.3842定义为低风险,大于1.0758定义为高风险,介于两者之间的定义为中等风险,获得干旱脆弱性分级区划图。广东省位于干旱的低脆弱区,四川和?     

基于能值方法的广东省农业系统分析

采用能值理论和方法对广东省农业系统的能值投入结构和产出特征进行分析,以期弥补单纯经济分析中出现的自然环境投入价值缺失的不足,并尝试加入农业基本建设投资和农业保险的计量,完善系统投入结构的能值计算。同时,引入Y*/Y指标使广东省农业系统的生产水平与全球平均水平相比较,以利于评价广东省农业系统的生产力及其发展水平,并为其优化发展提供理论依据和现实指导。研究结果:广东省农业系统2003年的能值投资率(3.12)、环境负载率(1.70)、能值/货币比率(4.26E 12sej.$-1)、净能值产出率(1.25)和Y*/Y(0.96)。上述结果与中国平均水平、中国其他省份以及一些发达国家(如意大利和日本)的相应指标比较,表明广东农业系统发展水平高于全国平均水平,低于发达国家。系统能值投入产出结构分析发现,不可更新的工业辅助能值占系统投入总能值的61.92%。为此,应进一步提高农业的可更新能值投入和优化投入结构。     

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.     

Concentrations of some elements in the sediments of a river in Anhui Province,China

A total of 49 sediment samples from New Bian River near the city of Suzhou in northern Anhui Province, China, were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry for As, Cr, Pb, Cu, Fe, Zn, Mn, and Ni. Geoaccumulation indices (I_geo) were used to assess the influence of human activities. Correlation analysis and principal component analysis were also performed. The geoaccumulation indices were in the order of As > Cu > Cr > Ni > Mn > Zn > Pb > Fe, the first four of which had values above 0.5. We considered New Bian River to be moderately contaminated with As, Cr, Cu, and Ni. Correlation analysis and principal component analysis indicated that the presence of Fe, Cu, Ni, Mn, Zn, and Pb in New Bian River was caused by soil or rock weathering, whereas the elevated levels of As and Cr depended upon urban, agricultural, and industrial factors. The sampling stations around the towns were dominated by Component 2 (As and Cr), and the sampling stations that distributed along New Bian River were dominated by Component 1 (Fe, Cu, Ni, Mn, Zn, and Pb).     

European Union agricultural policy scenarios' impacts on social sustainability of agricultural holdings

This paper aims to assess the impacts of household behaviour on social sustainability by simulating agricultural policy scenarios of the European Union (EU) Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). For this purpose a multicriteria model was formulated, at farm household level, in order to study the social impacts of the CAPs using different scenarios. The scenarios were chosen on the basis of the main EU policies affecting farm households, such as the alternative crops scenario, the Water Framework Directive scenario and the agrienvironmental schemes scenario. The data for this analysis resulted from the CAP-IRE project, a European FP7-funded project. The model includes a utility function with several conflicting criteria such as maximization of gross margin and risk and labour minimization. The model is further used to simulate the impacts on social sustainability by estimating main social indicators. The model is applied in two different farm types in Greece. The results show that the CAP scenarios have multiple social impacts on agricultural holdings, and particularly on the farm labour structure. These impacts have negative effect on social sustainability.     

A regional-scale sustainable development index: the case of Baja California Sur,Mexico

Sustainable development, as a multi-dimensional concept, is difficult to measure. Some efforts using indicators and indices have appeared in recent years, but most were developed on a national scale. Use of sustainability indicators has proven valuable for attaining better management of the environment by minimizing information gaps and maximizing community capabilities in terms of economic, social, environmental, and institutional sustainability dimensions. However, at least in the case of developing countries, the potential exists that national sustainability measures, based on national level indicators, may mask problems in sub-national zones with highly unsustainable conditions. This paper proposes a methodology to evaluate sustainable development at a local level, the use of which could be helpful in comparing different regions within a country or even among different countries. National sustainability indicators should result from a combination (whether additive or proportional) of regional sustainability indicators, as developed in this paper.     

梅园昆虫群落的时间结构及动态

采用物种多样性、均匀性、优势度指标测定梅园昆虫群落的时间结构变化.结果表明,梅园昆虫群落物种数、多样性指数、均匀性指数随季节推移而增加,优势种群也随季节而变化.主成分分析表明,食叶性昆虫及刺吸性昆虫在群落中具有重要作用,刺吸性昆虫与捕食性昆虫发生发展趋势相同;根据群落的相似系数进行聚类和排序分析发现,9月、10月、11月和12月份的昆虫群落最为相似,其次是4月、5月、6月和7月份昆虫群落,再者3月份的昆虫群落,最后是8月份的昆虫大群落.图3表3参17     

An agenda for assessing and improving conservation impacts of sustainability standards in tropical agriculture

Sustainability standards and certification serve to differentiate and provide market recognition to goods produced in accordance with social and environmental good practices, typically including practices to protect biodiversity. Such standards have seen rapid growth, including in tropical agricultural commodities such as cocoa, coffee, palm oil, soybeans, and tea. Given the role of sustainability standards in influencing land use in hotspots of biodiversity, deforestation, and agricultural intensification, much could be gained from efforts to evaluate and increase the conservation payoff of these schemes. To this end, we devised a systematic approach for monitoring and evaluating the conservation impacts of agricultural sustainability standards and for using the resulting evidence to improve the effectiveness of such standards over time. The approach is oriented around a set of hypotheses and corresponding research questions about how sustainability standards are predicted to deliver conservation benefits. These questions are addressed through data from multiple sources, including basic common information from certification audits; field monitoring of environmental outcomes at a sample of certified sites; and rigorous impact assessment research based on experimental or quasi‐experimental methods. Integration of these sources can generate time‐series data that are comparable across sites and regions and provide detailed portraits of the effects of sustainability standards. To implement this approach, we propose new collaborations between the conservation research community and the sustainability standards community to develop common indicators and monitoring protocols, foster data sharing and synthesis, and link research and practice more effectively. As the role of sustainability standards in tropical land‐use governance continues to evolve, robust evidence on the factors contributing to effectiveness can help to ensure that such standards are designed and implemented to maximize benefits for biodiversity conservation.     

Sustainability indicators for environmental performance and sustainability assessment of the productions of four fine Italian wines

Increased awareness of the importance of environmental protection and the introduction of international standards like ISO 14001 stimulated development of environmental sustainability indicators as a means to measure systems environmental performance. Here, a thermodynamic approach, emergy analysis (Odum, 1988) was used to obtain sustainability indicators able to analyse and quantify the productive and ecological performance of four famous Italian wine productions: Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, Nobile di Montepulciano, and Barbera d'hti. The application to agricultural production was motivated by the growing need for productive and environmentally sound development in modern agriculture, in which the resource base, the environment, is preserved. The choice of wines, more precisely, grape production, is due to their importance for Italian agriculture and the economy. All the wines demonstrated a good long-term environmental sustainability, especially in view of their high quality and in comparison with the average Italian wine production. Emergy analysis proved a powerful tool for assessing environmental performance of these systems, and its use could easily be extended to other wine productions to obtain a form of environmental performance classification of this product. Systematic use of emergy analysis to assess environmental performance of different processes and products, not necessarily in agriculture, could be useful for environmental certification.     

An integrated sustainability decision-support framework Part I: Problem structuring

One of the main goals in decision-making for sustainable development is to identify and choose the most sustainable option from among different alternatives. This process usually involves a large number of stakeholders with multiple, often conflicting, objectives. Facilitating and resolving such difficult decision situations can be complex, so that a more formal and systematic approach to decision-making may be necessary. This two-part paper proposes an integrated multiple criteria decision-support framework specifically developed to provide systematic, step-by-step guidance to decision-makers. The framework, which is suitable for both corporate and public policy-making in the context of sustainable development, comprises three steps: problem structuring, problem analysis and problem resolution. In this paper, the focus is on problem structuring while Part II concentrates on problem analysis and resolution. Problem structuring includes identification of stakeholders, sustainability issues and indicators relevant for a particular decision problem. Sustainability indicators are used as decision criteria for identifying and choosing the most sustainable option. In the problem analysis step, decision makers articulate their preferences for different decision criteria. A suitable Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) technique, such as multi-objective optimisation, goal programming, value-based and outranking approaches, is then used to model the preferences. These techniques are discussed in Part II, which also gives guidance on the choice of the most appropriate MCDA method. Based on the outcome of preference modelling, which estimates the overall 'value' of each alternative being considered, decision-makers can then choose the 'best' or most sustainable option. Such an integrated decision-support framework is useful for providing structure to the debate, ensuring dialogue among decision-makers and showing trade-offs between conflicting objectives. In this way, it may be possible to create shared understanding about the issues, generate a sense of common purpose, and often, resolve 'difficult' decision problems.     

A sustainability assessment of a high-yield agroecosystem in Huantai County,China

Sustainable agricultural development is a perennial issue for agricultural researchers, government managers, and policy makers worldwide, but especially in developing countries. In China, farms in Shandong Province epitomize modern agriculture and play a vital role in providing food for the burgeoning population. However, Chinese agriculture is being challenged by declining resources and environmental deterioration resulting from modern farming practices. China must establish an efficient agricultural sustainability index (ASI) to evaluate agricultural conditions and offer recommendations for sustainable development. Here, we use Huantai County, Shandong Province to test a regionalscale ASI from social, economic and ecological factors that includes 11 sustainability indicators. To further evaluate the complex agroecosystem, we employed the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and AMOEBA methods to assess agricultural sustainability from 1982 to 2003. The results show that environmental problems, especially groundwater depletion, are limiting regional sustainable development.     

On sustainability and social welfare

This paper proposes to define sustainability in terms of leaving it possible for future generations to sustain certain defined targets. It is shown that variants of genuine savings and the ecological footprint can then serve as indicators of sustainability. The link between sustainability and intergenerational welfare is examined, and it is shown how to incorporate indicators of sustainability into a social welfare measure, including risk in the analysis.     

Multicriteria analysis applied to the sustainable agriculture problem

SUMMARY

The aim of this paper is to present an operational approach to compare the relative sustainability of existing farming systems. Sustainability rests on the assumption that an equilibrium must exist among three domains: social, economic and ecological. If we are to look for a solution to the problem, we must face a multi-dimensional approach. We propose that multicriteria analysis, a multi-dimensional method, is an appropriate methodology to study the issue. As sustainability cannot be measured directly, the way out is to use indicators. We have performed a thorough analysis of four farming systems existing in Guaíra, SP, Brazil to validate the methodology. Thirty indicators of sustainability (ten ecological, ten social, and ten economic) were defined and used to perform the analysis. The results of the multicriteria analysis proved useful because of its capability of reducing the dimensionality of the problem. From the three dimensions of sustainability, a final score was derived that can easily compare the relative sustainability of each farming system.     

不同农田土壤养分可持续性指数的研究

讨论了不同农田土壤碳、氮、磷、钾养分的可持续性指数。结果表明,不同施肥方式、不同土壤类型对碳、氮养分可持续性指数的影响表现为有机肥配施化肥处理＞有机肥处理＞化肥处理,潮土＞水稻土＞红壤;对磷、钾养分表现为化肥处理＞有机肥配施化肥处理＞有机肥处理,水稻土＞潮土＞红壤。相关分析表明,土壤养分可持续性指数与土壤养分相关或极相关。这表明,土壤养分可持续性指数可以用来评价土壤肥力和指示土壤养分的动态变化。     

三峡库区高阳平湖水体富营养化主要驱动因子研究 ——基于主成分分析法

研究各种水质因子(水温、溶解氧、电导率、pH、营养盐等)对三峡库区支流水体富营养化的驱动效果,为库区支流水体富营养化的防控与治理提供科学依据.于2018年11月至2019年10月在三峡库区高阳平湖进行了12次样品采集,获取了水温、水体pH、营养盐、水体溶解氧等指标数据,利用主成分分析法研究三峡库区支流水体富营养化状况,...     

Stochastic environmental research risk assessment

In a briefly approach, sustainability can be defined as the ability to achieve economic prosperity while protecting the natural systems of the planet, and providing a higher quality of life for its people. Nowadays it is a prime and very active area of research, fundamental for human development. Several concepts based on economics, social and environmental concerns have been considered in the development of sustainability indices. The sustainability concept is, not only but necessarily, dependent on “quantification of the environment health”, necessary to determine its effectiveness in achieving or increasing the environmental capacities of ecosystems, as well as to compare alternative plans and policies, to influence decision-makers.Environmental indices are a very important tool for the analysis of some environmental assessment factors, providing quantitative criteria and synthesizing the available information. A good index should be simple to use, transparent, and expandable across other issues. In particular, environmental indices are a useful tool for several audiences, to aid environmental decision making and to allow the media to keep score of and reduce complex information to a smaller, more easily retained, amount of information [Hardi, P., DeSouza-Huletey, J.A., 2000. Issues in analyzing data and indicators for sustainable development. Ecol. Model. 130, 59–65].The goal of this work is the development of environmental indices, based on stochastically simulated scenarios, using probabilistic approaches. This study was applied to assess the impact of particulate air contamination on the Setúbal Peninsula ecosystems (South of Lisbon, Portugal).