Sustainable development: the challenge of implementation

This paper focuses on efforts to produce an operational definition of the concept of ‘sustainable development’ as articulated by the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). ‘Sustainability’ has become an increasingly significant environmental issue; the problems in articulating a workable concept will differ among nations and international organizations attempting to define the term. Additionally, the term encompasses the varied fields of ecology, philosophy, and economics; every discipline imparts its own bias. Various definitions are provided and the significance and difficulty of developing an operational definition of Sustainable development is discussed. For example, sustainable development has become a ‘needs'-oriented term, an entitlement that priority should be given to the needs of the world's poor. Some argue that living standards which go beyond the basic minimum are sustainable only if consumption standards everywhere have regard for long-term sustainability. Scientifically, sustainability involves replicability and regeneration through an unforeseeable future. When prices reflect social cost and there are no externalities, optimal choices will be made between present and future consumption. Much of the debate involving sustainability involves deep-rooted fears or phobias, e.g. resource depletion, ‘energy crises’ and ‘timber crises’.     

Capacity building for sustainable development: some Mexican perspectives

A broadly defined scientific Capacity Building (CB) for Sustainable Development (SD) is needed all around the world, and the development of innovative capacities in the developing countries is a priority. For this, first we need to know how this concept is applied in some developing countries. In this paper we present some Mexican experiences in the field of capacity building for sustainable development. The main problems are the monodisciplinary training of the specialists, the absence of a sound policy for promotion, career development and assessment of researchers, as well as of their projects when they are interdisciplinary and development-oriented. The main proposals to solve these problems are the creation of mechanisms that foster and legitimize interdisciplinary work; a decentralized planning process with the specific objective of establishing the needs and orientations on a regional basis; provide resources to long-term projects, and finally, consensus on asking international funding agencies for stronger support for public higher education institutions in developing countries in order to increase and strengthen their capacity for education and research in general, and in the field of SD in particular.     

菜田养分资源综合管理与可持续发展

过量施肥通常导致集约化菜田土壤质量劣化、养分利用效率低及环境风险增加。合理的养分资源管理需要考虑蔬菜的养分吸收规律、土壤养分的迁移和转化及环境养分供应的特点。由于土壤氮素具有较强的移动性,氮素养分资源管理可通过根层氮素实时监控来实现;而磷和钾养分水平在土壤中相对比较稳定,可采取衡量监控技术决定养分的需要量。菜田有机肥的投入总量及其氮磷养分的释放特点也是养分资源管理中的重要内容。有机肥施用于新菜田应考虑“以氮定量”的原则,而施用于土壤有效磷过量累积的老菜田,应采取“以磷定量”原则,来控制有机肥中的磷素投入;根据不同有机肥的氮磷释放特点的差异,可搭配施用不同比例和类型有机肥,以满足作物主要生育期的养分需求,减少环境污染的风险。     

可持续发展与项目环评的调整完善

可持续发展战略的目标的确定与区域环境影响评价的兴起，使建设项目环境影响评价面临着新的形势和要求，本文式就项目层次环境的调整完善方向与相关的问题进行讨论。     

Sustainable development and tourism destination management: A case study of the Lillehammer region,Norway

This paper reviews some of the literature and guidance provided for businesses considering responses to the environmental aspects and impacts of their tourist activities. It concentrates on the role of destinations and stakeholders within the destination cooperating and networking to improve environmental performance and on generating a ‘green’ image. In order to move towards a type of tourism consistent with sustainable development (sustainable tourism), it is argued that we need to see enhanced management of a destination, creating opportunities for networking and cooperation between, in particular, service providers. In a case study of Lillehammer, Norway, three projects negotiated, developed and delivered by service providers in the area are examined. These projects looked at hotel management, transport and aesthetics. Success factors are identified, including the involvement of stakeholders, the development of locally orientated codes of conduct, the role and participation of local authorities and the importance of leadership. Findings add to the body of practical help in moving destinations towards sustainable tourism.     

天目湖水环境现状及生态旅游可持续发展对策

天目湖是江苏省开发建设的重点旅游风景区之一，然而旅游业的蓬勃发展也造成了天目湖的水环境的巨大破坏。文章根据对天目湖的全湖周年水质观测以及相关的历史资料的分析，在阐述天目湖水环境现状、旅游资源的优势的基础上，提出天目湖生态旅游可持续发展的对策与建议：良好的水质是天目湖持续发展生态旅游的首要条件；明确划定天目湖水源保护区的范围；因地制宜发展具有地方特色的旅游产业；增强污水处理能力，实施截污工程；恢复植被，控制氮磷的入湖量；养殖业适度发展；加强生态旅游资源开发利用中的保护与管理。     

Conservation and management of the mediterranean coastal sand dunes in Israel

The aims of this study are to review the current situation of the Israeli Mediterranean coastal sand dunes, to examine the causes for this situation, and to propose options for future conservation and management of the protected dune areas based on ecological, environmental, landscape and recreational demands and interests. The coastal dunes of Israel are characterized by diverse plant communities, with 173 plant species occurring on sand (8.2% of the total flora of Israel) including many endemic species (26% of all endemic species in Israel). Most of the species are annuals. The importance of the coastal strip as a centre of floral and faunal speciation is also manifested in the existing sand-bound animals. However, many species are rare. This is mainly due to the extensive industrial and urban development along the coastal plain and the direct and indirect destruction of the remaining open dune areas by tourism, recreation and sand mining. Only ca. 17% of the Israeli coastal dunes are still of good or reasonable ecological value, while < 5% of this area has been designated as protected area. Management policies differ from place to place and depend on local objectives. These objectives derive mainly from the knowledge and data that exist for each location, and its statutory status. Since 1995 several projects, which aim to develop integrated management tools for nature conservation and recreation uses for all coastal sand dunes in Israel have been conducted. These projects are summarized in the present paper.     

农林复合经营在农村可持续发展中的地位和作用

论述了农林复合经营的概念及内涵，现代农林复合经营崛起的历史必然性，并通过对农林复合经营在农林牧相互促进、协调发展方面，实现经济、社会、生态三大效益统一的论述，充分揭示了其在农村可持续发展中的重要地位和作用。     

Sustainable cooperation as the challenge for a new coastal management paradigm

Coastal management is a collective action. As such, it depends for its effective implementation on the cooperation of a multitude of stakeholders, i.e. civic organizations, economic interest groups, environmental groups, governmental agencies, scientists and other individuals. Where ‘effective implementation’ implies the achievement of targeted objectives within targeted time horizons and ‘cooperation’ connotes that stakeholders elect to pursue cooperative strategies that may yield higher gains for all stakeholders instead of competitive strategies that may maximize individual benefits. Thus, the fundamental challenge of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) is to maximize the effectiveness of this management by maximizing and sustaining stakeholder cooperation. I submit that sustainable cooperation can be maximized and nurtured for its voluntariness only by a process-oriented, cooperative CZM. The alternative, outcome-oriented, normative CZM can force, directly or indirectly, cooperation but it cannot sustain it. My purpose in this paper, is to highlight arguments supporting this view as well as the analytical challenges of cooperative ICZM. Certain points are also viewed in the light of preliminary findings of a research project designed to probe these challenges.     

Contribution of tourism development to protected area management: local stakeholder perspectives

Ecotourism in protected areas plays an important role in establishing mutually beneficial relationships among local people, the protected area, and tourism that are essential in protected area management. However, to properly manage protected areas, local people should be major stakeholders in order to maximize local economic benefits and obtain support for conservation efforts. This study assesses the current status of local people's economic participation in tourism in the Wolong Nature Reserve using a questionnaire survey. Through evaluation of geographic origin, income, and occupational distribution of operators engaged in tourism-related business, we identified and discussed constraints and opportunities for economic participation of local people. Economic inequity was found among local people, as well as between locals and non-locals, due to limited startup capital and operational skills. At present, only a small percentage of local people receive revenue directly from tourism. In addition, economic leakage and local dependence on natural resources still exist in the study area. To promote ecotourism and sustainable development, the relationships among tourism, local people, and biodiversity conservation in the study area must be strengthened. According to the findings, some suggestions are offered to protected area managers to foster better relationships.     

Integrated shoreline management and tourism development on the cross-border World Heritage Site: A case study from the Curonian spit (Lithuania/Russia)

The varied and very dynamic landscape with a high biological diversity is a distinctive feature of the Curonian spit at the regional scale. Throughout the 20th century the main morphodynamic trend in the littoral of the Curonian spit was shoreline grading on the lagoon side, whereas on the marine side the increasing erosion at the foot of the spit, and increasing accretion at the head of the spit prevailed. The results of a discriminant analysis (Wilkes’ λ = 0.001626 and F = 29.267 when p < 0.001) show that sites with prevailing erosion, accretion and sediment input from the drifting dunes form regular inter-related spatial structures in the littoral with distinctive resulting discontinuities of the sediment drift along the lagoon coast. Dune littoral cells are characterized by Aeolian sediment input and distribution ‘down-drift’, (usually northwards) from the source. The most likely changes in the current development trends of the lagoon shore zone of the Curonian spit are related to expected climate changes and further slowing down of the dune drift. The probability of storms and ice-drift events, and their impact on coasts is expected to increase as a result of climate change. The dune advance will gradually slow down, and with it, the sand input to the coastal zone will decline. In this paper, we define integrated shoreline management as a system of long-term shoreline management measures, which is based on a littoral cell approach and aimed at harmonizing human activity in the coastal zone with the natural development of the shoreline. We propose an integrated management program for the lagoon shoreline of the Curonian spit, which is site-specific for each littoral cell as a coastal management unit. Drifting dunes and seaside beaches are the natural amenities, which are best known and best appreciated on the Curonian spit by 49% of the respondents representing the total Lithuanian population. A responsible tourism development should be considered as the key means for proper appreciation of the drifting dunes and natural coasts by society, which means to acknowledge and cherish the aesthetic and conservation values of dune and coastal landscapes of the Curonian spit as a World Heritage Site. There are at least two pre-conditions for this: (1) to provide visitors with sufficient information about diverse values and functions of the Curonian dunes and coasts within a broader regional and global heritage conservation context; (2) to enable tourists to enjoy the most impressive dune and coastal landscapes at close range. In this paper we propose to encourage active dune tourism, to reintroduce grazing into the Curonian dune areas, to restore and to preserve the most impressive landscapes of the highest white drifting dunes by bringing the blown out sand from the leeward foot of the dunes back to the crest artificially.     

Using the sustainable development goals towards a better understanding of sustainability challenges

The United Nations General Assembly agreed and approved in September 2015 the document ‘2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’, which contains a set of measures aiming to balance economic progress and protection of the environment, whilst at the same time remain aware of the need to address the many disparities still seen between industrialised and developing countries. The Agenda document consists of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which among many other tasks, intend to eradicate poverty and create better health conditions in both developed and developing countries. But despite the need for and the relevance of the SDGs, it is unclear how they may help to address present and future sustainability challenges. Based on the need to shed some light on such a relationship, this paper describes each of the SDGs, and offers an analysis of the extent to which their implementation may offer support to ongoing attempts to handle some of the pressing problems seen in pursuing sustainable development. Three case studies are presented to show in practice how best the SDGs can be handled. The paper concludes that the process of implementing the SDGs offers unrivalled opportunities to advance equal opportunity and foster economic empowerment, helping countries to promote the cause of sustainable development in their territories, hence benefiting their populations.     

Sustainable development in the BRICS countries: an efficiency analysis by data envelopment

There is much concern about the social and environmental impacts caused by the economic growth of nations. Thus, to evaluate the socio-economic performance of nations, economists have increasingly addressed matters related to social welfare and the environment. It is within the scope of this context that this work discusses the performance of countries in the BRICS group regarding sustainable development. The objective of this study regards evaluating the efficiency of these countries in transforming productive resources and technological innovation into sustainable development. The proposed objective was achieved by using econometric tools as well as the data envelopment analysis method to then create economic, environmental, and social efficiency rankings for the BRICS countries, which enabled to carry out comparative analyses on the sustainable development of those countries. The results of such assessments can be of interest for more specific scientific explorations.     

土地资源永续利用的生态经济对策

土地资源是人类赖以生存的最基本的自然资源,土地资源的永续利用是实现社会、经济和生态全面可持续发展的基础。本文在分析土地资源利用特点,土地资源永续利用的内涵、原则与指南的基础上,提出了实现土地资源永续利用的一系列生态经济对策。     

Measuring and assessing indicators of sustainable development for Scotland: a pilot survey

In this paper, we review three broad classes of indicators of sustainable development. These are economic, ecological and sociopolitical indicators. We then report the results of a pilot study which measured five different indicators for Scotland: an approximate environmentally-adjusted Net National Product; the Pearce-Atkinson Measure; Net Primary Production; Appropriated Carrying Capacity; and the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare. We find that not all indicators point in the same direction, but a majority suggest that Scotland is at best only marginally sustainable. Data limitations, however, suggest a degree of caution in the interpretation of these results.     

知识经济在重庆可持续发展中的作用

知识经济是城市经济增长和社会可持续发展的重要基础,信息产业和高科技产业已成为推动经济增长的主导产业。结合重庆市的经济、资源环境发展现状,分析重庆发展知识经济的必要性和可行性,通过对重庆直辖以来资源环境可持续能力的评估和高新产业的发展调查,论证了高新产业的发展对资源环境的可持续发展的促进作用,并针对存在的不足提出了政策建议。     

Need for sustainable development awareness management in Cuba

The present paper acknowledges the need for sustainable development education in Cuba, after a short review of their national health status and educational system. The environmental situation of the island is outlined, including the role played by environmental education (EE) in the current environment system. The-EE in Cuba is presented, and the problems related to its implementation are analyzed. Recommendations and possible solutions towards the use of education for sustainability as a tool for environmental management are presented, so as to prove the need for environmental awareness management in Cuba.     

加拿大森林可持续管理标准和指标评介

介绍了加拿大森林可持续管理标准和指标的产生过程 ,详细介绍了该标准和指标的特点和其中的 6个标准、若干个要素、指标等 ,结合我国的实际分析了该标准和指标对我国可持续森林管理的启示和借鉴作用。     

城市道路交通可持续发展模式及其评价

首先在已建立的城市道路交通系统可持续发展评价指标体系的基础上提出了两种交通规划模式，即供需平衡模式和环保模式，然后讨论了基于这两种模式的规划方案的具体生成方法，最后，给出了各种发展模式自动评价系统的实现过程。     

论我国鱼类多样性与渔业的可持续发展

本文简要介绍了我国鱼类多样性现状和我国渔业发展中鱼类多样性的保护利用及其效益,并对鱼类多样性保护与利用策略进行了探讨.