Zoning limestone deposits in Jamaica

In recent years social and environmental pressures have been threatening the supply of limestone aggregates in the urban areas of Jamaica. Faced with the problem of providing low price aggregates without creating intolerable environmental problems, a study made of the aggregate industry in the Kingston area showed that one possible solution was the relocation of all quarries in specially zoned areas.Three zones have already been designated in the Kingston Area and the Ministry of Mining and Natural Resources is at present engaged in a long-term programme aimed at creating quarry zones for all major urban and industrial areas.The important factors on which the strategy of zoning depends are: future consumption of limestone products; the Island's limestone resources; and the laws which govern the extraction of limestone.The expansion of urban areas and the increasing demand for aggregates strongly favours zoning in order to conserve resources for future use. However, this strategy requires the support of precise legislation aimed at reducing the environmental impact of quarrying and also very good planning and controlling machinery.     

Legislating soil reconstruction on surface-mined land in the United States

The author, who participated with an interdepartmental team in advising the US Congress in writing the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, outlines the often conflicting requirements which determined the genesis of the Act. The paper also discusses the criteria for judging the effectiveness of restoring soil productivity and the emphasis on the restoration of prime farmland. It also notes that the nature of the balance between environmental protection, farmland productivity and the needs of coal are still uncertain and that there is a contradiction in US attempts to alleviate hunger while national soil resources are being destroyed.From 1972 to 1977, the author participated with an interdepartmental tcam that assisted the U.S., Congress in writing the Surface Mining Control and Reelamation Act.     

Aggregate mining and rehabilitation

In the past 10 years the Government of Ontario has taken a leadership role in assessing the quantity, quality, and distribution characteristics of aggregate resources in that Province. Concomitant with that has been a drive to determine operational standards, design criteria and rehabilitation programmes that more closely reflect contemporary social and environmental expectations and how they might be imposed on aggregate producers. That the problem is not simply a technological one has become apparent and this article stresses the wide range of interests and concerns that practitioners in the mining/rehabilitation field should be aware of.     

Groundwater resources at risk in the glaciofluvial formation of Jokkavaara in Rovaniemi area, Northern Finland

The best groundwater resources in Finland are generally situated in glaciofluvial formations with thick sand and gravel deposits. The glaciofluvial formation of Jokkavaara, in northern Finland near the town of Rovaniemi, is important for both its groundwater reserves and its sand and gravel resources. The groundwater and mineral resources of Jokkavaara was studied to define their quantity and quality, and to develop a land-use plan which would help civil servants of the municipality to make the decisions necessary for exploiting sand and gravel. The land-use plan shows the areas where exploiting mineral resources is not allowed or recommended because of the risks of contamination of groundwater, or because of injurious effects on the environment caused by noise and dust from gravel pits, or by spoilt landscape. The size of Jokkavaara is 5 km2, and its mineral resources are about 53 million cubic metres. The sand and gravel deposits are at the most, 50 m thick. Risks of contamination by fallout are small, due to the thick sand and gravel deposits above groundwater level. Exploiting mineral resources have no effect on groundwater quality either. By the land-use plan and legislation, good groundwater can also be protected in the future. Legislation limits the exploitation of mineral resources especially in groundwater areas.     

浅议郴州市废弃矿山生态恢复途径

郴州市矿产资源丰富,采矿业发达,矿山资源开发导致了环境污染、生态破坏等一系列问题,矿山废弃地的生态恢复及景观重建已成为郴州市经济和社会发展需要迫切解决的问题之一.概括地介绍了郴州市的基本状况,分析了郴州市采矿业的无序发展对生态环境的影响,并针对矿山废弃地环境的污染问题,探索性地提出了郴州市废弃矿山生态恢复的途径.     

Extraction,reclamation and after use at gravel quarries near Canterbury,Kent

A study of the extraction, reclamation and after use of flood plain gravel quarries between Bagham and Thannington, south west of Canterbury in Kent, South-east England, was made, based on a review of the literature and field work. The area represents a linear extension of the urban fringe of Canterbury. Gravel production has been the most significant industry in terms of environmental impact over the last thirty years, and the result of such activity has been the creation of an extensive area of lakes and wetland habitats. Present and future gravel production will more than double the existing lakes and wetlands areas. It is suggested that, in terms of land use, this man-made environment is best suited for water-based recreation and that three zones should be recognised for an amenity park, angling and wildlife respectively. Further mineral production between Ashford and Bagham may mean a reappraisal of the proposed water resource use, particularly for wildlife. As a result of this study, attention is drawn to the spatial relationships between recreational demand groups and flood plain location with respect to the urban centre and to each other.     

新邵县工矿破坏土地的生态重建模式探索

对新邵县现有的因工程建设、矿产开发而形成的破坏土地进行调查、分类.根据不同的类型采取不同的工程、林学措施,试图重建以木本植物为主的生态群落结构.     

Endogenous Monitoring and Enforcement of a Transferable Emissions Permit System

The literature on noncompliant firms in transferable emissions permit systems offers little guidance to policymakers that must determine how to commit resources to monitor firms and punish violations in such systems. We consider how a budget-constrained enforcement authority that seeks to minimize aggregate noncompliance in a transferable emissions permit system should allocate its monitoring and enforcement efforts among heterogeneous firms. With a conventional model of firm behavior in a transferable permit system, we find that differences in the allocation of monitoring and enforcement effort between any two types of firms should be independent of differences in their exogenous characteristics.     

Sterilisation and safeguarding of mineral deposits in Britain

This paper gives a detailed account, from a British viewpoint, of the sterilisation of mineral deposits by development and of approaches that can be adopted to safeguard mineral resources in the long term. The ways in which mineral deposits can become sterilised are discussed along with an account of sterilisation trends. Policies on avoidance of sterilisation and safeguarding are traced from their origins through to the present day. Central and local government roles are examined along with responsibilities of those in the mineral industry.Following policy approaches there is consideration of how widely policies have been implemented in practive and how far these approaches to implementation match the aims on safeguarding. Emphasis is placed upon mineral consultation areas and their definition and operation, though landbanks and prior extraction are also considered. Finally, discussion brings out some salient points which form the basis of some concluding recommended courses of action.     

Population size and mortality of juveniles of the marine teleost Rhabdosargus holubi (Pisces: Sparidae) in a closed estuary

The populations of juvenile Rhabdosargus holubi (Steindachner) present in a South-east African estuary which was closed off from the sea in 1971 and 1972 were estimated using mark-recapture techniques. The estuary opened to the sea in August, 1971, and did not close again until January, 1972, by which time a different population of R. hulubi had established itself. The Petersen method and a multiple markrecapture method gave comparable population estimates. Catch per unit effort data supported the trends shown by the population estimates. At the beginning of 1971, the population was about 55,000 but, at the end of 7 months, had declined to 11,000, the monthly mortality varying between 9 and 49%. Mortality was insignificant in 1972, when a different population of approximately 12,000 individuals was present. Evidence is presented to show that the decline in numbers in 1971 was possibly due to bird predation, and was densitydependent.     

采石场生态重建的有关问题

综述了采石场生态重建的相关问题,包括采石场生态重建的重要性,生态重建研究的历史,生态重建的基础理论,采石场的水土流失治理,采石场植被恢复及植物品种的选择与配置等。无论是国内还是国外,采石场的生态重建只是到了最近二十多年才受到相当的重视。我国特别是东南沿海地区采石场已经引起了严重的生态问题,其重建也取得了很大进展,但仍然存在着许多需要改进的地方,如植被恢复效果不理想,植物品种选择的任意性,复绿方式的单一性等。文章提出了目前采石场生态重建存在问题及改进方法。     

Trends in the exploitation of South Atlantic shark populations

Approximately 25% of globally reported shark catches occur in Atlantic pelagic longline fisheries. Strong declines in shark populations have been detected in the North Atlantic, whereas in the South Atlantic the situation is less clear, although fishing effort has been increasing in this region since the late 1970s. We synthesized information on shark catch rates (based on 871,177 sharks caught on 86,492 longline sets) for the major species caught by multiple fleets in the South Atlantic between 1979 and 2011. We complied records from fishing logbooks of fishing companies, fishers, and onboard observers that were supplied to Brazilian institutions. By using exploratory data analysis and literature sources, we identified 3 phases of exploitation in these data (Supporting Information). From 1979 to 1997 (phase A), 5 fleets (40 vessels) fished mainly for tunas. From 1998 to 2008 (phase B), 20 fleets (100 vessels) fished for tunas, swordfishes, and sharks. From 2008 to 2011 (phase C), 3 fleets (30 vessels) fished for multiple species, but restrictive measures were implemented. We used generalized linear models to standardize catch rates and identify trends in each of these phases. Shark catch rates increased from 1979 to 1997, when fishing effort was low, decreased from 1998 to 2008, when fishing effort increased substantially, and remained stable or increased from 2008 to 2011, when fishing effort was again low. Our results indicate that most shark populations affected by longlines in the South Atlantic are currently depleted, but these populations may recover if fishing effort is reduced accordingly. In this context, it is problematic that comprehensive data collection, monitoring, and management of these fisheries ceased after 2012. Concurrently with the fact that Brazil is newly identified by FAO among the largest (and in fastest expansion) shark sub‐products consumer market worldwide.     

Fishing effort: Its testing,specification, and internal structure in fisheries economics and management

The concept of fishing effort is central to fisheries economics and management. However, effort is an aggregate index of inputs which can be consistently formed only under the condition on production technology of homothetic separability of inputs. This paper develops the conditions under which effort can be consistently formed. It then provides the first empirical test for effort and jointness in inputs in a fishery by estimating a multiproduct function for the New England otter trawl fleet. After not rejecting input-output separability and rejecting nonjointness in inputs, the construction of a superlative index for effort is demonstrated through estimating a translog production function. The implications of effort's internal structure for fisheries management are then considered.     

Assessment of groundwater contamination caused by uncontrolled dumping in old gravel quarries in the Besòs aquifers (Barcelona,Spain)

The contamination of groundwater in the aquifer of the La Llagosta basin (Besòs river basin) due to waste disposal in quarries formerly used for the extraction of dry raw materials has led to the cessation of groundwater extraction for public water supply. The mobilization of pollutants was largely caused by fluctuations in piezometric levels, which led to the washing of buried waste. The hydrogeochemical processes associated with uncontrolled waste disposal in these landfilled areas of the La Llagosta basin aquifer were studied along a flow path that crosses the contaminated area. The PHREEQC code was used to establish the reactions associated with the different mineral phases through inverse modeling. This transport code, ionic exchange phenomena, surface reactions and balance (mineral phase) reactions were used to simulate the dilution phenomenon associated with the pollution after the potential removal of the sources of contamination. One-dimensional advective–dispersive modeling indicates a substantial reduction in Ca, Mg, Na and SO₄²⁻ within one year and stabilization within four years.     

Echelon approach to areas of concern in synoptic regional monitoring

Echelons provide an objective approach to prospecting for areas of potential concern in synoptic regional monitoring of a surface variable. Echelons can be regarded informally as stacked hill forms. The strategy is to identify regions of the surface which are elevated relative to surroundings (Relative ELEVATIONS or RELEVATIONS). These are areas which would continue to expand as islands with receding (virtual) floodwaters. Levels where islands would merge are critical elevations which delimit echelons in the vertical dimension. Families of echelons consist of surface sectors constituting separate islands for deeper waters that merge as water level declines. Pits which would hold water are disregarded in such a progression, but a complementary analysis of pits is obtained using the surface as a virtual mould to cast a counter-surface (bathymetric analysis). An echelon tree is a family tree of echelons with peaks as terminals and the lowest level as root. An echelon tree thus provides a dendrogram representation of surface topology which enables graph theoretic analysis and comparison of surface structures. Echelon top view maps show echelon cover sectors on the base plane. An echelon table summarizes characteristics of echelons as instances or cases of hill form surface structure. Determination of echelons requires only ordinal strength for the surface variable, and is thus appropriate for environmental indices as well as measurements. Since echelons are inherent in a surface rather than perceptual, they provide a basis for computer-intelligent understanding of surfaces. Echelons are given for broad-scale mammalian species richness in Pennsylvania.     

完善公司治理,强化信息披露--索克斯法案的简介与评点

2002年7月美国通过了关于会计和公司治理一系列重大改革的索克斯法案(SOX Act),该法案以加强公司治理、强化信息披露为核心,主要内容是强化对高级管理人员的监管和防止外部审计失败.本文简单系统地介绍和分析了该法案中重要措施的相关内容和出台的原因,以期对我国当前公司治理和审计业发展有所启迪和帮助.     

吉林西部盐碱水田区全球变暖潜势研究

为了探讨吉林西部土地整理工程对区域全暖所做贡献,基于实测的水田土壤温室气体数据,进行区域温室气体排放分析,为进一步评估水田开发对全球变暖的影响提供科学依据。以吉林省西部盐碱水田区为研究对象,将野外调查采样和小区试验相结合,采集了水田的0-30 cm表层土壤样品带回进行小区实验。在小区内挖取100 cm×100 cm×50 cm的坑,在土坑底部铺设塑料布后,将从采样点带回的土壤填进坑内灌水,种植水稻,6块样地分别为不同开发年限,其处置模式与前郭当地的水肥管理相同,样地周围挖掘了排水渠。通过静态箱-气相色谱法监测水稻生长期土壤所释放的温室气体 CH4,N2O 和CO2,计算水稻不同生长时期温室气体排放量及贡献率,估算研究区的区域变暖潜势（GWP）,结合30年水田面积变化加权法分析温室气体GWP贡献率。结果表明：水田生长期温室气体排放总量（以CO2气体计）随着开发年限的增加呈递增趋势,水田开发过程中CO2、CH4和N2O各时期温室气体排放的贡献率都有一定变化,CO2气体排放贡献率占主导地位在80%左右,CH4的贡献率16.69%-20.39%,是N2O的14-22倍,水田CH4气体的排放对研究区综合温室效应有较大贡献,水田开发初期N2O气体贡献率较成熟水田相比较高。在水稻生长旺盛期CO2气体贡献率下降明显,CH4气体贡献率显著升高,N2O气体贡献率变化不大,在返青期和成熟期CH4和N2O 2种气体贡献率均较小,其中,除成熟期外新开发水田的CH4气体贡献率均高于成熟水田,在水稻生长发育较快速的分蘖期、拔节孕穗期和抽穗开花期,CO2气体贡献率下降且降幅明显,该阶段CH4气体对温室效应的贡献比重加大,远高于N2O气体。在水稻成熟期,3种温室气体的贡献率与其他时期相比发生较大变化,CH4比 N2O 略有优势,CO2所占比例恢复至95%。?     

城市垃圾管理综合体系改革探讨

以漳州为例，分析我国城市垃圾政策体系，管理体制、资金状况、产业市场调控机制的现状，提出城市垃圾管理改革的方向和目标应以“谁污染谁治理”为原则，以实现城市可持续发展为目标，应用生命周期评价理论，在环境可持续性、经济可负担性、社会可接受性的基础上，以清洁生产、最小量化、资源化、无害化和产业化为指导思想，加强立法和政策制定；按政企分开、政事分开原则，建立适应社会主义市场经济的垃圾管理新体制；依靠市场和政府双重动力，全方位、全过程、开放垃圾产业；建立多元化项目投资机制。     

Chalk and limestone quarries as wildlife habitats

Natural recolonisation by volunteer species of chalk and limestone quarries has led to the development of attractive and species-rich communities in many parts of the United Kingdom. These communities have a basic similarity in floristic composition wherever they occur, but they also show a great deal of individual variation resulting from differences in the location, history and variability of the quarry itself and in the nature of the surrounding habitats. The interest of old quarries may be enhanced by the presence of individually rare or local species and especially by their refuge status in relation to the loss of semi-natural calcareous grassland in the district. It is suggested that some sites play an important role in wildlife conservation and that this factor should be considered in any programme of land reclamation. Natural regeneration is very slow compared with the rate of land use in modern quarrying but the development of ecological techniques may make it possible to rehabilitate derelict and barren sites for amenity and conservation purposes using older quarries as models.     

Zoning,a fundamental cornerstone of effective Marine Spatial Planning: lessons learnt from the Great Barrier Reef,Australia

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park was established to provide for conservation and ecologically sustainable multiple use of 344,400 km² of a large marine ecosystem. Management is based on multiple use, with zoning as a fundamental component of marine spatial planning. The legislative framework, including a specific Act and Regulations, address the objectives of ecosystem-based, integrated management of human uses and impacts consistent with best contemporary understanding of biological diversity. Zoning is one of a suite of management tools that include other spatial and temporal management tools and non-spatial measures including public education, community engagement, codes of environmental best practice, industry partnerships and economic instruments. The first section of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park came into operation in 1981 and the most recent zoning came into operation in mid 2004. The paper discusses some common misunderstandings about zoning and identifies lessons that appear relevant for others addressing management and use of marine ecosystems and natural resources.