Perceived landscape values and public participation in a road-planning process – a case study in Sweden

The European Landscape Convention indicates that assessment of different dimensions that exist in landscapes should be taken into account in planning. In this study, we first investigated ecological, cultural and social values as perceived by the local people in a highway-planning process in Sweden. Next, we explored which factors influenced the local people's participation in the road-planning process. We used questionnaires, planning documents and the Theory of Planned Behavior to investigate the relations between different factors and local people's participation in the planning process. The results showed that people presumed the ecological values in the landscape to be adversely affected by the new road, while the social values would remain the same. Landowners had heard of the participatory-process, but few participated. Those who lived within 300 m of the road were more active in the planning process than people living further away. The findings suggest that people living within a few hundred metres of the road should be treated as key stakeholders in the planning process. The involvement of other stakeholders, and when in the public participation process stakeholders should be involved, is also discussed.     

Local Cultural Knowledge and Water Resource Management: The Wind River Indian Reservation

Ecology and culture comprise interacting components of landscapes. Understanding the integrative nature of the landscape is essential to establish methods for sustainable management. This research takes as a unifying theme the idea that ecological and cultural issues can be incorporated through management. As a first step in developing integrative management strategies, information must be collected that compares and contrasts ecological and cultural issues to identify their areas of intersection. Specifically how can local cultural knowledge enable water resource management that reflects cultural and ecological values? This research examines Native American cultural knowledge for setting water resource management priorities in the Wind River Indian Reservation in central Wyoming. A cross-cultural approach is adopted to assess the relationship between indigenous cultural knowledge and Euro-American perspectives through a comparative examination of the Wind River Water Code and Wyoming Water Law. This research indicates that cultural perspectives provide a rich arena in which to examine management issues. Understanding and identifying cultural practices may be an important first step in collaborative resource management between different cultural groups to prevent conflict and lengthy resolution in court.     

Mowers versus growers: Riparian buffer management in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains,USA

Despite long-standing knowledge of the benefits of riparian buffers for mitigating nonpoint source pollution, many streams are unprotected by buffers. Even landowners who understand ecological values of buffers mow riparian vegetation to the streambank. Do trends in rural riparian conditions reflect the development of riparian forest science? What motivates residential riparian management actions? Using high-resolution orthoimagery, we quantified riparian conditions and trends between 1998 and 2015 in the rural upper Little Tennessee River basin in Macon County, North Carolina and explored how landowners view riparian zone management and riparian restoration programs. Buffer composition in 2015 was as follows: no buffer (32.5%), narrow (19.3%), forested (26.7%), shrub (7.2%), and intermediate (7.0%). Relative to 1998, the greatest decrease occurred in the no buffer class (−17.7%, 46 km) and the largest increases occurred in the shrub (+72.5%, 20 km) and narrow (12.6%, 14 km) classes. Forested buffer marginally increased. Semi-structured interview data suggest that landowners prioritize recreational and scenic aspects of riparian buffers over ecological functions such as filtration and bank stabilization. Riparian restoration programs might be made more enticing to non-adopters if outreach language appealed to landowner priorities, design elements demonstrated intentional management, and program managers highlighted areas where ecological goals and landowner values align.     

A LANDSCAPE‐BASED APPROACH TO ESTIMATE RIPARIAN HYDROLOGICAL AND NITRATE REMOVAL FUNCTIONS1

ABSTRACT: This study evaluates a conceptual model developed for riparian zones in Ontario, Canada, that links landscape hydrogeological characteristics to riparian ground water hydrology and nitrate removal efficiency. Data from a range of riparian sites in the United States and Europe suggest that the riparian zone types identified in the model are consistent with patterns of riparian hydrology and nitrate flux and removal in many humid temperate landscapes. These data also support the view that a riparian width of less than 20 m is often sufficient for effective nitrate removal unless riparian sediments are coarse grained or nitrate transport occurs mainly in surface‐fed ground water seeps. This study assesses the possibility of using topographic, soil, surficial geology, and vegetation maps to determine landscape attributes linked by the model to riparian zone hydrological functioning and nitrate removal efficiency. Although mappable data can help in determining broad classes of riparian zones, field visits are necessary to determine non‐mappable riparian attributes such as seeps, organic horizons, and permeable sediment depth in the riparian zone. This research suggests that the conceptual model could be used for landscape management purposes in most temperate landscapes with minor modifications and that the hydrological component of the model could be adapted for contaminants other than nitrate.     

The call of different wilds: the importance of definition and perception in protecting and managing Scottish wild landscapes

Concepts of wild land have recreational, ecological and cultural dimensions, and place varying emphasis on physical landscape attributes and the perceptions of users. In Scotland, national and NGO policies show reasonable consistency in interpreting and defining ‘wild land’, emphasising the (perception of) lack of current human influence as a key criterion. This research used semi-structured interviews with key individuals and a questionnaire survey of land managers to evaluate concepts and perceptions of wild land in Scotland. Recognising that the conceptual and spatial definition of wild land is a key issue, a new typology is proposed. Weaknesses in the policy framework, as well as key potential threats to, and opportunities associated with, wild landscapes are identified. Management initiatives are fitted to the typology and divided into four management themes. Key recommendations are: (i) that national policy for wild landscapes needs to incorporate criteria, which recognise the multiple values deriving from such areas; and (ii) that future research should combine user group preferences with physical attribute information in determining what constitutes wild landscapes.     

The landscape design of forestry

The value placed by the public on the nation's rural landscapes is emphasised by vociferous criticism of insensitive, large‐scale afforestation. As forestry causes massive changes in the landscape in the short term, with results that last for decades, the opportunity provided to improve and conserve should be positively grasped. There is evidence that concensus exists over a considerable part of landscape and design, and this paper explores some of the major factors in landscape design which are consistently important in forest landscapes.     

社区自组织机制与农村公共生态文化服务体系建设研究

农村社区自组织发展的不足,特别是在农村公共生态文化服务体系建设中的缺位,是农村生态文化建设滞后的重要原因。通过创新农村公共生态文化服务体系建设的主体构成,明确各个主体的角色定位和职责,充分发挥社区自组织的优势,开展农村公共生态文化服务设施的建设和农村公共生态文化服务活动的创新,可以推动农村生态文化建设和生态经济发展。     

Landscape change: Perceptions and physical measures

This paper addresses questions of affective responses of residents of rural Arizona to changes in proximate community and riparian landscapes and the congruence of their perceptions of change with physical measures of change in those landscapes. Based on findings and concepts from previous studies, perceptions of change were assessed using a mail survey. Physical measures of land use and vegetation change were obtained from aerial photography for two points in time spanning approximately 13 years and were analyzed using a geographic information system. Significant differences were found in perceptions of change in the community and riparian landscapes. In contrast with previous findings, a majority of respondents found the changes as either improving or having no effect on landscape quality. Those who were more frequent users of the riparian landscape tended to be more aware of changes in it. The findings also suggest challenges for planners and resource managers working in rural areas adjacent to riparian landscapes.     

Land use in Korean tidal wetlands: impacts and management strategies

The coastal landscapes in southwestern Korea include a diverse array of tidal wetlands and salt marshes. These coastal zones link the ecological functions of marine tidal wetlands and freshwater ecosystems with terrestrial ecosystems. They are rich in biological diversity and play important roles in sustaining ecological health and processing environmental pollutants. Korean tidal wetlands are particularly important as nurseries for economically important fishes and habitats for migratory birds. Diking, draining, tourism, and conversion to agricultural and urban uses have adversely affected Korean tidal wetlands. Recent large development projects have contributed to further losses. Environmental impact assessments conducted for projects affecting tidal wetlands and their surrounding landscapes should be customized for application to these special settings. Adequate environmental impact assessments will include classification of hydrogeomorphic units and consideration of their responses to biological and environmental stressors. As is true worldwide, Korean laws and regulations are changing to be more favorable to the conservation and protection of tidal wetlands. More public education needs to be done at the local level to build support for tidal wetland conservation. Some key public education points include the role of tidal wetlands in maintaining healthy fish populations and reducing impacts of nonpoint source pollution. There is also a need to develop procedures for integrating economic and environmental objectives within the overall context of sustainable management and land uses.     

Effects of habitat and landscape fragmentation on humans and biodiversity in densely populated landscapes

Landscape fragmentation has often been seen as an only ecological problem. However, fragmentation also has a societal perspective, namely, in how humans perceive landscape fragmentation and in how landscape fragmentation potentially influences human well-being. These latter aspects have rarely been addressed so far. The inter-relationship of ecological and human dimensions of landscape fragmentation becomes especially evident when looking at the landscape where most people in industrial countries live, namely in suburban and urban areas. In these areas, landscape planners and environmental managers are confronted with the problem that landscapes should fullfil various functions, often with conflicting goals, e.g. nature reserves to enhance species richness vs. recreational areas for city-dwellers. We reviewed the ecological and sociological literature relevant for fragmentation in suburban and urban landscapes. In an interdisciplinary approach, we evaluated whether there are similarities and dissimilarities between the ecological and the human aspects of landscape fragmentation. We found important similarities. An example is that for both, humans and biodiversity, the loss of semi-natural areas has more drastic effects than the fragmentation of these areas per se. However, there are also relevant differences. We concluded that in densely populated landscapes a shift from responsive planning to an intentional design of environments is therefore needed.     

Community participation in the planning and management of cultural landscapes

The maintenance of valued landscapes often requires the active collaboration of local communities in their planning, management and sustainable development. This paper examines a variety of situations in which local stakeholders have actively participated in the protection and maintenance of ‘cultural’ landscapes. It reviews and interprets evidence on the ways in which central and local governments, non‐governmental organizations, interest groups and the wider public can collaborate in planning and managing cultural landscapes. Particular attention is given to: the role of stakeholders, participation by communities‐of‐interest and communities‐of‐place; the management of specific landscape features; and policy and funding frameworks. It is concluded that community‐based initiatives are unlikely to substitute for formal management of extensive protected areas, but that participatory approaches can be effective in more targeted situations.     

生态环境对我国居民幸福感的影响机制与实证研究

深入揭示生态环境与居民幸福感的内在关系对创造人民美好生活具有重要的理论与现实意义。本研究基于幸福感产生机制对生态环境影响居民幸福感的机制进行了深入的理论探讨,利用2013-2014年我国居民大样本调查数据,定量分析了水、大气,绿化三个关键生态环境要素对我国居民幸福感的影响。研究认为,生态环境对居民幸福感的影响受制于经济发展与居民收入水平及居民对环境价值的认知与重视程度;尽管研究期居民对生态环境质量满意度不高,但生态环境对我国居民幸福感的并没造成显著影响;比较而言,水环境对居民幸福感的影响小于空气环境,而空气环境的影响又小于绿化环境。为提升我国居民生态幸福感并激励居民亲环境行为,应通过科普教育切实提高居民对环境及其价值的认知度,努力营建人地和谐的文化氛围;应在普遍提高居民收入和物质生活水平的基础上,引导和促进居民向环境审美消费需求的升级;当前应重视生态补偿等经济手段的运用,通过影响居民经济利益激发居民环保行为;应优先解决居民直观感知明显且反映强烈的环境问题。     

Evaluating stream restoration projects

River and stream restoration projects are increasingly numerous but rarely subjected to systematic postproject evaluation. Without conducting such evaluation and widely disseminating the results, lessons will not be learned from successes and failures, and the field of river restoration cannot advance. Postproject evaluation must be incorporated into the initial design of each project, with the choice of evaluation technique based directly upon the specific project goals against which performance will be evaluated. We emphasize measurement of geomorphic characteristics, as these constitute the physical framework supporting riparian and aquatic ecosystems. Techniques for evaluating other components are briefly discussed, especially as they relate to geomorphic variables. Where possible, geomorphic, hydrologic, and ecological variables should be measured along the same transects. In general, postproject monitoring should continue for at least a decade, with surveys conducted after each flood above a predetermined threshold. Project design should be preceded by a historical study documenting former channel conditions to provide insights into the processes suggest earlier, potentially stable channel configurations as possible design models.     

鄂西生态文化旅游产业集群发展研究

在分析鄂西生态文化旅游产业集群发展的效应和意义的基础上,提出了鄂西生态文化旅游产业集群发展所遵循的市场导向、规划指导、产业互动、择优扶强、注重创新和可持续发展的原则,重点发展以旅游中心城市为依托的旅游服务业集群、以核心吸引物为中心的综合旅游产业集群、以旅游景观廊道为依托的餐饮购物业集群、以特色村镇为依托的旅游文化产业集群、以生产基地为依托的旅游商品产业集群,需要在产业要素整合、龙头企业培育、公共服务提供、重点项目建设、产品结构优化、区域品牌建设等方面推进鄂西生态文化旅游产业集群发展.     

NEW HAMPSHIRE WATER LAW: AN INTERPRETIVE OVERVIEW1

ABSTRACT: New Hampshire's riparian water law, first modified judicially, has been more drastically changed by recent legislative and administrative action. As it stands, however, the judicially enforced doctrine of reasonable use appears to be utterly inadequate to handle increasing water demands. The protection of the public interest has imposed substantial limitations on the use of riparian water rights, all under the guise of the exercise of the police power, i.e., the protection of the public health, safety, and welfare. The efficient use of the state's water resources has been further crippled by the widespread and indiscriminate exercise of eminent domain. As a result, the state is now considering the imposition of a permit system that has the potential to streamline the allocation of water. Such a system should take into consideration the public interest factors that have recently frustrated the exercise of riparian rights and the effective use of the state's water resources.     

Nitrate transport in shallow groundwater at the stream–riparian interface in an urbanizing catchment

Drive point peizometers were installed at the stream–riparian interface in a small urbanizing southern Ontario catchment to measure the effect of buffers (presence/ absence) and land use (urban/agricultural) on the movement of NO^? ₃-N in shallow groundwater from the riparian area to the stream. Mean NO^? ₃-N concentrations ranged from 1.0 to 1.3 mg L^?1 with maximum values of 9.4 mg L^?1. Holding land use constant, there was no significant difference (p>0.05) in NO^? ₃3-N concentration between buffered and unbuffered sites. Nitrate-N levels were not significantly different (p>0.05) as a function of land use. The lack of difference between sites as a function of buffer absence/presence and land use is probably due to the placement of some peizometers in low conductivity materials that limited groundwater flow from the riparian zone to the stream. Subsurface factors controlling the hydraulic gradient are important in defining buffer effectiveness and buffer zones should not be used indiscrim inately as a management tool in urban and agricultural landscapes to control nitrate-N loading in shallow groundwater to streams without detailed knowledge of the hydrogeo logic environment.     

Use of Standardized Visual Assessments of Riparian and Stream Condition to Manage Riparian Bird Habitat in Eastern Oregon

The importance of riparian vegetation to support stream function and provide riparian bird habitat in semiarid landscapes suggests that standardized assessment tools that include vegetation criteria to evaluate stream health could also be used to assess habitat conditions for riparian-dependent birds. We first evaluated the ability of two visual assessments of woody vegetation in the riparian zone (corridor width and height) to describe variation in the obligate riparian bird ensemble along 19 streams in eastern Oregon. Overall species richness and the abundances of three species all correlated significantly with both, but width was more important than height. We then examined the utility of the riparian zone criteria in three standardized and commonly used rapid visual riparian assessment protocols—the USDI BLM Proper Functioning Condition (PFC) assessment, the USDA NRCS Stream Visual Assessment Protocol (SVAP), and the U.S. EPA Habitat Assessment Field Data Sheet (HAFDS)—to assess potential riparian bird habitat. Based on the degree of correlation of bird species richness with assessment ratings, we found that PFC does not assess obligate riparian bird habitat condition, SVAP provides a coarse estimate, and HAFDS provides the best assessment. We recommend quantitative measures of woody vegetation for all assessments and that all protocols incorporate woody vegetation height. Given that rapid assessments may be the only source of information for thousands of kilometers of streams in the western United States, incorporating simple vegetation measurements is a critical step in evaluating the status of riparian bird habitat and provides a tool for tracking changes in vegetation condition resulting from management decisions.