Downstream and Coastal Impacts of Damming and Water Abstraction in Africa

Anthropogenic factors associated with damming and water abstraction, and the resultant environmental pressures, are reviewed in six African river catchments using records and forecasts of climatic, demographic, and land-use change. Changes in the states of the flow regime through catchment drainage systems to the coastal sea are considered in conjunction with climate change and other human-induced pressures. The impacts of these changes on downstream and coastal environments and their communities are described in past, present, and future perspectives. Linkages between the issues and the pressures of damming and water abstraction are appraised and scientific, policy, and management responses proposed aimed at remedying existing and perceived future negative impacts. The study proposes that there is a need to integrate catchment and coastal management to account for the whole water flow regime together with its human dimensions. Management priorities relating to the operation of existing damming and abstraction schemes and planning of future schemes include the following: consideration of ways in which water discharges could be adjusted to provide improvements in downstream and coastal environmental and socioeconomic conditions; addressing the problem of sediment trapping impacting on the sustainability of dam reservoirs; and assessment of downstream and coastal impacts of future schemes in the light of climate change forecasts.     

Assessment of Eutrophication in Estuaries: Pressure–State–Response and Nitrogen Source Apportionment

A eutrophication assessment method was developed as part of the National Estuarine Eutrophication Assessment (NEEA) Program. The program is designed to improve monitoring and assessment of eutrophication in the estuaries and coastal bays of the United States with the intent to guide management plans and develop analytical and research models and tools for managers. These tools will help guide and improve management success for estuaries and coastal resources. The assessment method, a Pressure-State-Response approach, uses a simple model to determine Pressure and statistical criteria for indicator variables (where applicable) to determine State. The Response determination is mostly heuristic, although research models are being developed to improve that component. The three components are determined individually and then combined into a single rating. Application to several systems in the European Union (E.U.), specifically in Portugal, shows that the method is transferable, and thus is useful for development of management measures in both the Unites States and E.U. This approach identifies and quantifies the key anthropogenic nutrient input sources to estuaries so that management measures can target inputs for maximum effect. Because nitrogen is often the limiting nutrient in estuarine systems, examples of source identification and quantification for nitrogen have been developed for 11 coastal watersheds on the U.S. east coast using the WATERSN model. In general, estuaries in the Northeastern United States receive most of their nitrogen from human sewage, followed by atmospheric deposition. This is in contrast to some watersheds in the Mid-Atlantic (Chesapeake Bay) and South Atlantic (Pamlico Sound), which receive most of their nitrogen from agricultural runoff. Source identification is important for implementing effective management measures that should be monitored for success using assessment methods, as described herein. For instance, these results suggest that Northeastern estuaries would likely benefit most from improved sewage treatment, where as the Mid and South Atlantic systems would benefit most from agricultural runoff reductions.     

Preliminary Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Great Western Development Strategy: Safeguarding Ecological Security for a New Western China

The Great Western Development Strategy (GWDS) is a long term national campaign aimed at boosting development of the western area of China and narrowing the economic gap between the western and the eastern parts of China. The Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) procedure was employed to assess the environmental challenges brought about by the western development plans. These plans include five key developmental domains (KDDs): water resource exploitation and use, land utilization, energy generation, tourism development, and ecological restoration and conservation. A combination of methods involving matrix assessment, incorporation of expert judgment and trend analysis was employed to analyze and predict the environmental impacts upon eight selected environmental indicators: water resource availability, soil erosion, soil salinization, forest destruction, land desertification, biological diversity, water quality and air quality. Based on the overall results of the assessment, countermeasures for environmental challenges that emerged were raised as key recommendations to ensure ecological security during the implementation of the GWDS. This paper is intended to introduce a consensus-based process for evaluating the complex, long term pressures on the ecological security of large areas, such as western China, that focuses on the use of combined methods applied at the strategic level.     

公路建设项目生态环境评价方法研究进展

本文阐述了目前国内研究和应用较广泛的公路建设项目生态环境评价方法。模糊综合法、层次分析法、生态足迹法等评价方法还处于学术理论探讨研究和应用尝试阶段;生态机理法、生产力法、生物多样性法等评价方法是目前公路建设项目生态环境评价工作中常采用的评价方法,但这些方法缺乏宏观性、综合性。定性和定量分析相结合,单项环境因子指标评价和综合评价相结合,点段相结合评价,生物个体、种群、群落、生态系统和景观相结合是今后评价公路建设项目生态环境影响的主要发展方向。     

Division Scheme for Environmental Management Regionalization in China

Based on regional heterogeneity of environmental characteristics and factors influencing those characteristics, environmental units may be classified into homogeneous zones. Then, essential strategies and mitigation measures in each zone may be developed and environmental quality may be holistically improved using a system of environmental management regionalization (EMRZ). Here, an EMRZ scheme for China was devised by outlining regional management using integrated qualitative and quantitative methods. First, the land was subdivided into four environmental management domains using China’s three physical geographic domains. Second, using a regionalization indicator system, the environmental characteristics of neighboring provinces in four domains was quantified using the one-dimensional Euclidean distance method; regions with high similarity were merged into one environmental management region (EMR) and the preliminary draft of EMRs was obtained. Based on the preliminary scheme, eight EMRs using prefecture-level administrative regions were obtained through boundary adjustment based on important natural geographical boundaries and existing regional plans. These include the Northeastern China Region, the North China Plain Region, the Loess Plateau Region, Southeast Coast Region, the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, the Southwestern China Region, the Northwestern China Region, and the Tibetan Plateau Region. Priority environmental problems of each EMR were discussed. The main contribution of this study is that it develops a novel methodological framework for EMRZ integrating qualitative and quantitative methodologies, and considers the spatial contiguity of each EMR and the spatial integrity of each administrative unit. Future research will focus on priority goals and establishment of suitable environmental management policies for each EMR based on known local environmental problems.     

Plan integration for resilience scorecard: evaluating networks of plans in six US coastal cities

Planning for hazard mitigation is frequently detached from other planning activities that influence development patterns in hazardous areas. Consistent integration of mitigation reduces hazard vulnerability for people and the built environment. We apply a plan integration for resilience scorecard in six US coastal cities to evaluate the integration of local networks of plans and the degree to which they target areas most vulnerable to flooding hazards. We find that plan integration scores vary widely across the six cities, and that some plans actually increase vulnerability in hazard zones. Policies also frequently support mitigation in areas with low vulnerability, rather than in areas with high vulnerability. The plan integration for resilience scorecard can generate information to improve hazard planning by allowing planners to identify conflicts between plans, assess whether plans target areas that are most vulnerable, and better inform decision makers about opportunities to mainstream mitigation into multiple sectors of planning.     

Definition of Homogeneous Environmental Management Units for the Catalan Coast

Geographical areas constitute the basic implementation locus for integrated coastal zone management strategies and activities. Because the definition of territorial planning objectives may be affected by socioeconomic and environmental characteristics, one of the main steps in the process involves dividing the coast into homogeneous environmental management units (HEMUs). This article presents a general and simple method for regionalizing the landside of a coastal zone into HEMUs and illustrates it through application to the Catalan coast. Socioeconomic and natural (biophysical) subsystems were selected as the most appropriate dimensions of the regionalization process. Dimensions were described using 11 spatial themes, which were managed in a geographic information system environment that proved to be an adequate tool for the purpose. A final coastal zone map of four classes of HEMUs connected to local administrative units was obtained, and because it reflects the current natural and socioeconomic dynamics, it can be considered as an initial step in the planning process for the Catalan coast. Although the proposed method was developed based on the characteristics of the Catalan coast, it is general enough to be adapted and applied to most developed or developing coastal areas.     

Assessing Critical Source Areas in Watersheds for Conservation Buffer Planning and Riparian Restoration

A science-based geographic information system (GIS) approach is presented to target critical source areas in watersheds for conservation buffer placement. Critical source areas are the intersection of hydrologically sensitive areas and pollutant source areas in watersheds. Hydrologically sensitive areas are areas that actively generate runoff in the watershed and are derived using a modified topographic index approach based on variable source area hydrology. Pollutant source areas are the areas in watersheds that are actively and intensively used for such activities as agricultural production. The method is applied to the Neshanic River watershed in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. The capacity of the topographic index in predicting the spatial pattern of runoff generation and the runoff contribution to stream flow in the watershed is evaluated. A simple cost-effectiveness assessment is conducted to compare the conservation buffer placement scenario based on this GIS method to conventional riparian buffer scenarios for placing conservation buffers in agricultural lands in the watershed. The results show that the topographic index reasonably predicts the runoff generation in the watershed. The GIS-based conservation buffer scenario appears to be more cost-effective than the conventional riparian buffer scenarios.     

An approach to environmental assessment within the land‐use planning process: Northern Spanish experiences

The problems involved in environmental assessment of land‐use plans are discussed. A methodology is proposed for incorporating into the assessment of a plan the modifications that the physical environment would experience as a result of the plan's implementation. Thus, EIA can be integrated into the planning process. Impact assessment and comparison between alternative plans can be made using quantitative and qualitative indicators, some of which are proposed. Several case studies in northern Spain are used as the basis for the suggestions made.     

Scenario-based stakeholder engagement: incorporating stakeholders preferences into coastal planning for climate change

Climate change poses many challenges for ecosystem and resource management. In particular, coastal planners are struggling to find ways to prepare for the potential impacts of future climate change while dealing with immediate pressures. Decisions on how to respond to future risks are complicated by the long time horizons and the uncertainty associated with the distribution of impacts. Existing coastal zone management approaches in the UK either do not adequately incorporate changing stakeholder preferences, or effectively ensure that stakeholders are aware of the trade-offs inherent in any coastal management decision. Using a novel method, scenario-based stakeholder engagement, which brings together stakeholder analysis, climate change management scenarios and deliberative techniques, the necessary trade-offs associated with long term coastal planning are explored. The method is applied to two case studies of coastal planning in Christchurch Bay on the south coast of England and the Orkney Islands off the north coast of Scotland. A range of conflicting preferences exist on the ideal governance structure to manage the coast under different climate change scenarios. In addition, the results show that public understanding of the trade-offs that have to be made is critical in gaining some degree of public support for long term coastal decision-making. We conclude that scenario-based stakeholder engagement is a useful tool to facilitate coastal management planning that takes into account the complexities and challenges of climate change, and could be used in conjunction with existing approaches such as the Shoreline Management Planning process.     

东北亚主要沿海国家海洋环境管理比较研究

海洋环境管理对于保护和保全海洋环境、推动海洋经济发展、构建生态文明具有重要意义。由于不同国家和地区的政治、经济、海洋战略和文化背景的差异,海洋环境管理的实施没有一个统一的标准模式,所解决的重点问题也不一样。这种多样性使得目前还没有一套通用的海洋环境管理评价体系。为此,本文以东北亚沿海各国为例,借鉴已有研究,从机构设置、法律体系和海洋环境状况三个方面出发,构建了包含定性和定量指标的海洋环境管理效果评价指标体系,在此基础上对东北亚沿海各国海洋环境管理效果进行定量评价与对比分析。结果表明,在机构设置和法律体系方面,日本领先于其他国家;在海洋环境管理方面,朝鲜较优;综合各方面后,日本表现最优,韩国、中国次之,朝鲜、俄罗斯较差。本研究提出的评价方法,可以较为客观地反映不同政治、经济和文化背景下国家在海洋环境管理方面的努力,可为我国审视自身不足、立足国情构建我国特色的海洋环境管理体制提供重要的方法指导和实践经验。     

Accountability,Reporting, or Management Improvement? Development of a State of the Parks Assessment System in New South Wales,Australia

Management effectiveness evaluation has been recognized as an important mechanism for both reporting on and improving protected area management. The Convention on Biological Diversity’s program of work on protected areas calls on all countries to implement such systems. In 2004, the first whole of system assessment of park management effectiveness, based on the IUCN-WCPA Management Effectiveness Evaluation Framework, was undertaken in New South Wales, Australia as part of a State of the Parks reporting requirement. This article describes the development of the State of the Parks assessment tool, its elements, and how it addresses the management effectiveness difficulties associated with assessments conducted across an extensive and diverse range of park types. The importance of engaging staff, at all levels, throughout the process is highlighted, as well as the adjustments made to the assessment tool based on staff feedback. While some results are presented, the main purpose of the article is to identify and discuss important procedural and methodological considerations. These include balancing quantitative and qualitative assessment approaches, achieving a comprehensive understanding of the management processes, and responding to any problems associated with assessments.     

Environmental sustainability and land reform in South Africa: A neglected dimension

Despite supportive policy frameworks and increased environmental awareness, a growing body of evidence indicates that environmental sustainability is not central to planning and decision-making processes in land reform in South Africa. Increasing pressures on government to meet land reform targets, cumbersome and often inappropriate environmental assessment procedures, and a confusing multitude of laws all contribute to neglect of long-term environmental sustainability considerations in land reform. This is exacerbated by poor recognition of resource rights, a lack of proactive and pre-emptive environmental management plans, and insufficient implementation capacity. This paper argues that the early incorporation of environmental sustainability issues in pre-settlement and post-settlement land reform planning processes could significantly improve the environmental, social and economic outcomes of these projects. A simple, participant-driven environmental sustainability assessment tool is proposed to achieve these environmental and developmental goals.     

Multicriteria analysis as a tool to investigate compatibility between conservation and development on Salina Island,Aeolian Archipelago,Italy

Several multicriteria evaluation techniques have been developed since the 1970s. The need to compare different territorial policies has justified their introduction into environmental research. These methods are based on the numerical manipulation of heterogeneous information, which varies in terms of reference scale and type of measure (continuous, ordinal, qualitative, binary, etc.). During recent years, diverse investigations have focused on general conditions on Salina, the “green island” of the Aeolian archipelago. Such studies, within an interdisciplinary project, aimed to explore the possibility of implementing conservation strategies that are compatible with human needs, landscape preservation, and sustainable economic development. Three different evaluation techniques are applied, namely multicriteria weighted concordance and discordance analysis and a qualitative procedure. They are used to compare four alternative plans for the socioeconomic development of Salina Island. These plans lie between extreme alternatives: total protection of natural resources and maximizing economic development based on tourism. The plans are compared to each other on the basis of 14 criteria that reflect the socioenvironmental perception of Salina's inhabitants. The approach used in this research seems particularly fruitful because of its flexibility: it offers decision makers the chance to manage heterogeneous data and information that is not easily quantifiable. Such “soft” information helps to evaluate environmental conditions more precisely, and to make a less damaging choice among alternative development plans.     

Evaluating the Management Effectiveness of Five Protected Areas in Taiwan Using WWF’s RAPPAM

This study adopts and modifies the WWF Rapid assessment and prioritization of protected areas management methodology (RAPPAM) to evaluate the management effectiveness of five protected areas in Taiwan. The results indicate that, unlike the situation in most developing countries, the threats and pressures faced by protected areas in Taiwan come mainly from the outside-with pollution as the most common pressure and threat, and difficult for their management authorities to deal with effectively. The categories and extent of these pressures and threats are related to remoteness and geographic location of the protected areas. All five cases under study reveal a similar management approach, clear management goals, adequate basic infrastructure and clear management decision-making; on the down side, however, all of them suffer from the lack of an effective comprehensive management plan, inadequate or poor quality human resources and insufficient funding. The present study suggests that first priority should be given to strengthening management planning in order to improve management effectiveness of protected areas in Taiwan. The adjustment made to RAPPAM in this study was to amend and take the format of the management plan as the basis for evaluation material preparations and open the discussion to encourage stakeholders' participation to open the dialogue among them. The results indicate that, although the system evaluation design still has some constraints, the quality of information collected is improved and can respond more directly to the specific demands of the respective areas.     

地震灾后重建规划环境影响评价特点和实施框架初探

5．12汶川特大地震灾害引起了社会和学术界对地震灾后重建规划广泛的关注。地震灾后重建规划几乎包含了当前规划领域中的所有挑战,是速度和质量兼顾、人性与理性权衡、社会经济与环境效益统一、多方博弈的过程,对灾后重建规划环评也从理论到实践层面提出了新的挑战。本文在对灾后重建规划特点进行归纳的基础上提出灾后重建规划环评相应具备的特点,即早期介入、与规划过程融合、增加灾害情景、突出规划协调性分析和应用反规划思路等特点,并进一步以《国家汶川地震灾后重建总体规划》为例说明了与灾后规划融合的环评流程、灾后规划环评的关键内容和评价思路。在对常用规划环评方法从信息成本、工作成本、客观和量化程度等原则进行评价后认为灾后重建规划环境评价中应有效利用比较评价法、GIS叠图法、生态承载力评价法等相对快捷、成熟或客观的方法。     

The role of population projections in environmental management

California and other regions in the United States are becoming more populated and ethnically diverse, and thus, ecological impacts on the wildland–urban interface are a significant policy concern. In a socioeconomic assessment focused on the geographic regions surrounding four national forests in southern California, population projections are being formulated to assist in the update of forest plans. In southern California, the projected trend of explosive population growth combined with increased ethnic and racial diversity indicates four challenges for environmental management. First, patterns of recreation use on wildlands are likely to change, and management of these areas will have to address new needs. Second, as land-management agencies face changing constituencies, new methods of soliciting public involvement from ethnic and racial groups will be necessary. Third, growth in the region is likely to encroach upon wildland areas, affecting water, air, open space, and endangered species. Fourth, in order to address all these concerns in a climate of declining budgets, resource management agencies need to strengthen collaborative relationships with other agencies in the region. How environmental managers approach these changes has widespread implications for the ecological sustainability of forests in southern California.     

Risk-based targeting of diffuse contaminant sources at variable spatial scales in a New Zealand high country catchment.

Management of agricultural diffuse pollution requires targeting or prioritising critical source areas at various spatial scales within watersheds. This study develops, evaluates and illustrates a risk-based approach for assessment and targeting of source areas at catchment, subarea and individual farm scales. Catchment water quality data are used in conjunction with information on watershed characteristics from the New Zealand Land Resources Inventory at the subarea scale and land use information at the farm scale to assess risk and target source areas. Total phosphorus in the Lake Hayes Catchment, a high country pastoral catchment in the South Island of New Zealand, is used as a case study. Use, comparison and evaluation of several different methodologies for subareas and individual properties showed that a subarea in the upper catchment and one immediately upstream from the lake were the worst source areas. Targeting of other subareas varied dependent on the method used. The worst individual properties were targeted based on the combination of intensity of cattle and sheep grazing, fertilizer usage, bank erosion and location in the worst subareas. Water quality results are critical to successful targeting, particularly for convincing landowners that streams will benefit from best management practices on their properties. In addition to concentrations, average and extreme loadings are important. Data on catchment characteristics, particularly land use, are needed for targeting, but are not always readily available at small scales. This study demonstrated simple but useful methods for application of assessment information for quantitative targeting of contaminant source areas at different spatial scales.     

A Framework for Designing Ecological Monitoring Programs for Protected Areas: A Case Study of the Galachos del Ebro Nature Reserve (Spain)

The assessment of management effectiveness in protected areas, i.e., the evaluation of whether management strategies are actually helping to achieve stated goals, is becoming a priority. In any such evaluation, accurate information concerning the dynamics of the managed system is required—information that is gathered through monitoring. Few protected areas, however, have well-developed monitoring plans, and reserve managers are faced with a shortage of protocols for their design. This paper proposes a methodology, applicable to a wide range of situations, for designing such plans. The process begins with the precise definition of the aims of the monitoring plan, followed by the identification of key ecological processes and management objectives for the area, and finally the selection of a reduced set of indicators. These indicators are represented at three levels of growing complexity, allowing the plan to be followed in a modular fashion and in agreement with available resources.     

Assessing and Prioritizing Ecological Communities for Monitoring in a Regional Habitat Conservation Plan

In nature reserves and habitat conservation areas, monitoring is required to determine if reserves are meeting their goals for preserving species, ecological communities, and ecosystems. Increasingly, reserves are established to protect multiple species and communities, each with their own conservation goals and objectives. As resources are always inadequate to monitor all components, criteria must be applied to prioritize both species and communities for monitoring and management. While methods for prioritizing species based on endangerment or risk have been established, approaches to prioritizing ecological communities for monitoring are not well developed, despite a long-standing emphasis on communities as target elements in reserve design. We established guidelines based on four criteria derived from basic principles of conservation and landscape ecology--extent, representativeness, fragmentation, and endangerment--to prioritize communities in the San Diego Multiple Species Conservation Plan (MSCP). The MSCP was one of the first multiple-species habitat conservation areas established in California, USA, and it has a complex spatial configuration because of the patterns of surrounding land use, which are largely urbanized. In this case study, high priority communities for monitoring include coastal sage scrub (high endangerment, underrepresented within the reserve relative to the region, and moderately fragmented), freshwater wetlands, and coastal habitats (both have high fragmentation, moderate endangerment and representativeness, and low areal extent). This framework may be useful to other conservation planners and land managers for prioritizing the most significant and at-risk communities for monitoring.