The ‘green’ and ‘self’ in green self-governance – a study of 264 green space initiatives by citizens

Scholars observe an increased involvement of citizens in green space governance. This paper focuses on green self-governance, in which citizens play a major role in realizing, protecting and/or managing green space. While existing research on green self-governance focuses mostly on specific cases, we aim to contribute towards a large overview via an inventory of 264 green self-governance practices across The Netherlands. With this, we discuss the relevance of green self-governance for nature conservation and its relationship with authorities. In our analysis, we show that green self-governance practices are very diverse: they pursue a wide variety of physical and social objectives; employ a multitude of physical and political activities; involve different actors besides citizens; mobilize different internal and external funding sources; and are active within and outside of protected areas. While green self-governance can contribute towards protection and management of green space and towards social values, we highlight that this contribution is mostly of a local relevance. Most practices are small scale and objectives do not always match those of authorities. Although we speak of self-governance, authorities play an important role in many practices, for example, as financial donor, landowner or regulatory authority. In this, self-governance is often not completely ‘self’.

Abbreviations: PAA: Policy Arrangement Approach; NNN: National Nature Network; N2000: Natura 2000; NCOs: Nature Conservation Organizations; NGOs: Non-governmental organizations     

Following Old Paths or Shaping New Ones in Natura 2000 Implementation? Mapping Path Dependency in Instrument Choice

This article reviews the influence of two specific European Union (EU) laws, the Birds and Habitats Directives, on the choice of national policy instruments by Member States. Both Directives leave the choice for policy instruments to manage the sites designated under the Directives to the Member States. Using path dependency as a leading concept, this article analyses the continuity or changes in policy instruments due to the implementation of the Directives in 15 countries. This article shows that the tendency to use existing instruments to implement EU policy is limited, as in almost all countries new instruments were developed. Yet, states do tend to choose instruments from their predominant policy instrument mix and preferred implementation style to address the management requirements of the Directives. Additionally, in Central and Eastern European countries where the implementation of EU policy coincided with a process of transition to a market economy, new instruments were introduced outside the existing implementation style. The introduction of new policy instruments is the result of historical turns, domestic pressure and a shift to new modes of governance. National case studies are needed to shed more light on the interaction between EU policy and domestic factors during the process of instrument choice.     

森林自然保护区保护效果评价方法:挑战与进展

建立自然保护区是保护生物多样性的最有效的保护措施之一,但如何评估自然保护区保护效果一直是自然保护研究的难点。本文针对热带森林自然保护区保护效果评价方法进行综述,分析热带森林自然保护区保护效果评价面临的挑战:空间不可比、时间不可比;明确了热带森林自然保护区保护效果评价可比性建立的基本模式:确定森林退化指标,选择协变量,平衡协变量,选择对比方式,判断并去除空间溢出的影响范围;回顾了自然保护区保护效果评估常用统计方法:回归评估法和匹配评估法。为了加强热带森林自然保护区保护效果评估,在今后评估方法选择过程中建议:强化时空对比;强化多学科交叉方法的应用;强调多维度评估指标的选择和应用。     

加强生态环境保护建设走可持续发展道路

加强生态环境保护建设走可持续发展道路的客观依据是人与自然必须协调发展。如何正确对待人与自然之间的关系问题,实质上是一个如何正确处理人类社会实践的问题。本文列举了我国生态环境恶化的现状,分析了造成这种状况的主要原因。同时就我国生态环境保护建设中应如何增强全民的生态环境保护意识、依靠科技进步、建立和完善生态环境保护建设的法律及监督体系进行了全面阐述,提出了在整体上形成生态环境保护建设工作机制,走可持续发展道路的对策与措施。     

Making nature conservation modern: an analysis of developments in nature conservation policy in relation to macro-social changes—the Netherlands as a case study

It is often said that we live in the ecological era. It is also often said that society has entered a new phase, which—depending on the theoretical orientation—is called post-modern, post-industrial or risk society. This article analyses to what extent the presupposed shift to a phase beyond modernity is reflected in nature conservation policy. To do so, an analysis is first made of whether the basic perception and appreciation of nature in latter-day society differs essentially from perceptions and appreciations that were dominant during the heyday of modernity. When this turns out not to be the case, the development of nature conservation policy in the Netherlands during the last decades of the twentieth century is investigated to establish if conservation policy—that is, the way in which society deals with nature—has fundamentally changed. The conclusion is that Dutch policy with regard to nature has been undergoing a process of belated modernization in the sense that it is striving towards a firmer base in science and a more objective and quantifiable process of policy development. This can be seen as removing a pre-modern relic from modern society. At the same time, there is a late-modern drive towards consensus building and communication, which cannot be reconciled entirely with the stronger orientation towards science as the sole basis for deciding which kind of nature and how nature should be protected. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Management of mountain areas in Norway and the persistence of local–national conflicts

We have investigated why conflicts linked to the distribution of power between governments and actors at the national and local levels concerning environmental management of mountain areas in Norway persist despite political intentions to strengthen local powers. We seek to explain this by analysing changes in policies, institutional frameworks, and regional contexts, and the local perceptions of these changes. Paradoxically, the national government's power has apparently been strengthened by new sectoral regulations and more stringent enforcement of the existing ones, increases in the number and extent of protected areas, and failures to act on intentions to devolve power. An additional factor spurring conflicts is the increased importance of tourism to mountain communities. To become more relevant to policies and development in mountain areas, future studies on multilevel governance must address multilevel politics, entire mountain areas, and the context of their development, rather than focusing on minor projects and protected areas.     

西部管道通过国家级自然保护区的环保对策研究 ──以通过甘肃省安西极旱荒漠国家自然保护区为例

西部管道工程需要通过安西极旱荒漠国家级自然保护区的试验区,该保护区有中亚荒漠最具代表性的植被类型,为保护试验区的植被,建设单位从源头保护开始做起,在施工组织设计、施工期环境管理和生态恢复上采取了一系列措施,确保了管道施工对区域环境的影响控制在预测的范围内,实现了生产和环境保护双赢。     

珍稀濒危植物保护政策初探

本文根据我国珍稀濒危植物的保护现状和管理工作中存在的问题,系统地探讨了加强我国珍稀濒危植物和野生植物资源保护的政策措施。文中提出一系列具体、有效的政策构思,以及建立政府有关主管部门对珍稀濒危植物协调管理的体制等。     

Connectedness to nature,place attachment and conservation behaviour: Testing connectedness theory among farmers

The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between pro-environmental behaviour and two forms of emotional association: attachment to place and connectedness to nature. This relationship is explored in the context of farmers' management of native vegetation on their properties. A postal survey was conducted to measure the extent to which farmers felt connected to nature and to their property. The survey also measured vegetation management behaviours and associated valued outcomes. A total of 141 farmers in northwest Victoria, Australia, completed the survey. Results showed that vegetation protection behaviours increased with connectedness to nature (CNS), although CNS accounted for only a modest amount of the variation in behaviour. Place attachment was not related to management behaviours. Further analysis suggested that the relationship between CNS and management behaviour was mediated by importance given to environmental benefits of vegetation management. The findings lend weight to studies showing a relationship between CNS and more simple conservation behaviours (e.g. recycling). The findings are also consistent with frameworks suggesting that emotional association with nature leads to an expanded sense of self and greater valuing of non-human species, and so to pro-environment behaviour. This demonstrates the importance of using a range of instrumental and more affective strategies to promote conservation behaviours.     

中国环保法制建设对档案工作的作用

中国环境保护法制建设经历了不断强化与完善的过程,已形成具有中国特色的环境保护法律体系,对档案工作起到了指导、支持与促进作用,使环境保护档案工作更加具有法制性、科学性、实用性、规范性和多样性。