Evaluation of the economic and environmental impact of converting cropland to forest: a case study in Dunhua county, China

The Sloping Land Conversion Program (also known as "Grain for Green" or the Upland Conversion Program) for converting cropland to forest is one of China's most ambitious environmental initiatives, and is one of the world's largest land-conservation programs with a budget of RMB 337 billion (over US$ 40 billion). Although environmental impacts have played a vital role in the general reasoning and argumentation for forest plantations, environmental impact analyses have often received less attention than economic analyses in the planning of plantation forestry projects. The overall goal of this paper is to evaluate the program's environmental impact considering the farmer's interests and the potential social benefits due to carbon sequestration in different scenarios based on household and field survey data in Dunhua County. Our findings are that: (1) in many cases, the program did not give adequate consideration to land productivity and environmental heterogeneity when selecting plots; (2) more than half of the reforestation plots were on flat cropland (slopes of less than 5 degrees ); (3) in five of the eight townships, net incomes on reforested land were substantially above or below previous crop incomes, raising questions about the efficiency of the allocation of compensation to farmers participating in the program; (4) the potential carbon co-benefit increased the NPV of the program by 5954-7009 RMB/ha. In conclusion, we recommend that more attention should be paid to the quality of reforestation programs rather than just their scale and note that consideration of potential carbon sequestration co-benefits enhances the benefits of cropland conversion programs.     

The Spatio-Temporal Dynamic Pattern of Rural Residential Land in China in the 1990s Using Landsat TM Images and GIS

Through interpreting Landsat TM images, this study analyzes the spatial distribution of rural settlements in China in 2000. It calculates rural residential land percentage for every 1-km² cell. The entire country is divided into 33 regions to investigate the spatio-temporal dynamic patterns of rural residential land during the 1990s. According to the remote sensing survey, the rural residential land increased by 7.88 × 10⁵ ha in the 1990s. The increment of rural residential land was 0.55 million ha in 1990–1995 and 0.23 million ha in 1995–2000. In 1990–1995, rural residential land increased dramatically in the eastern regions such as the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, and North China Plain, accounting for 80.80% of the national growth; the expansion in the western regions was much more moderate. In 1995–2000, the expansion of rural residential land in eastern regions slowed, accounting for only 58.54% of the increase at the national level, whereas the expansion in the western regions accelerated. Rapid rural residential development resulted from increasing home construction and the limited control on rural land. The great regional disparity reflected the regional economic development and land-use policy change. Our finding shows that nearly 60% of the rural residential area came from cropland.     

油田含油污水生化处理技术研究及应用

国内油田在原油生产过程中的产出污水,大部分经过处理后作为水驱采油的水源,部分多余的水经过适当处理后排放,对油田周边环境造成污染.1998年国务院颁布了<关于环境保护若干问题的决定>,决定要求,2000年以前,全国所有工业污染源必须达到国家或地方规定的排放标准.     

石化企业突发性环境污染事故的应急监测

介绍了在石化企业突发性环境污染事故应急监测中,如何进行布点、采样、确定监测项目、选择检测方法、数据处理和编制监测报告.提出企业应根据生产过程中的原料和产出物的毒理性质,建立相应的数据库.企业应组建应急监测队伍,配备必要的监测仪器,定期组织应急演练.     

化工生产装置活性危害评估

活性危害的评估由理论筛选,热稳定性的实验筛选,动力学参数的检测装置,紧急排放系统的设计、筛选和放大,过程设计和优化等几个部分组成.     

Cry1Ab protein from Bt transgenic rice does not residue in rhizosphere soil

Expression of Cry1Ab protein in Bt transgenic rice (KMD) and its residue in the rhizosphere soil during the whole growth in field, as well as degradation of the protein from KMD straw in five soils under laboratory incubation were studied. The residue of Cry1Ab protein in KMD rhizosphere soil was undetectable (below the limit of 0.5 ng/g air-dried soil). The Cry1Ab protein contents in the shoot and root of KMD were 3.23-8.22 and 0.68-0.89 microg/g (fresh weight), respectively. The half-lives of the Cry1Ab protein in the soils amended with KMD straw (4%, w/w) ranged from 11.5 to 34.3d. The residence time of the protein varied significantly in a Fluvio-marine yellow loamy soil amended with KMD straw at the rate of 3, 4 and 7%, with half-lives of 9.9, 13.8 and 18d, respectively. In addition, an extraction method for Cry1Ab protein in soil was developed, with extraction efficiencies of 46.4-82.3%.     

Monitoring seasonal distribution of an endangered anadromous sturgeon in a large river using environmental DNA

Monitoring dynamic distribution is crucial to conservation management of anadromous sturgeons, but traditional survey methods are less efficient for low-density populations in a large river. Natural propagation of Chinese sturgeon has been monitored annually mainly at the spawning ground using netting for eggs and hydroacoustics for broodstock. However, absence of spawning was observed sporadically in recent years, indicating further crises for the declining population. We analyzed eDNA of water samples collected from 24 sites across 1360 km of the migratory route of anadromous Chinese sturgeon in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Chinese sturgeon was detected at 9 sites during the spawning season and 14 sites after the spawning season. We found that positive eDNA detection rates remained constant in the middle reaches but dramatically changed in the lower reaches, reflecting seasonal migration pattern of Chinese sturgeon. Invasive sturgeons were detected in the river, indicating their possible escape from aquaculture facilities. This study established a protocol for the use of eDNA to monitor distribution of Chinese sturgeon and could be valuable in making better policies for the conservation of this endangered species.     

Balance the Paradox between Limited Health Resources and Growing Demands for Medical Services

Health institutions in the People＇s Republic of China are under considerable challenge. Innovations in management systems may support the challenge to increase both efficiency and effectiveness. The balanced scorecard （BSC） is one such innovation. We have used a model to explore the factors that may impact the diffusion of the BSC in Chinese government hospitals. In particular, we concentrate on three factors - the outer context, the nature of the innovation and the communication and influence. The outer context and the nature of the innovation do provide an inducement to implement a BSC. The strength of the communication and influence may affect the level of take-up. However, we recognise that they may choose ＂the BSC not for any apparent technical excellence but for the legitimation that Western management practices may bring to local managers.     

中国进出口贸易中的隐含碳估算

采用投入产出法。估算了1997-2006年中国进出口贸易中的隐含碳。对进出口商品都采用中国的碳耗水平所作的保守估计发现：1997-2006年，通过产品的形式，我国为国外排放了大量的碳，1997-2004年。隐含碳净出口占当年碳排放总量的比倒在0．5％-2．7％之间,2004年之后迅速增加。2006年该数字达10％左右。按照日本的碳耗效率对进口产品进行调整后的乐观估计发现。中国为j国该外转移排放的碳数量更为惊人。1997-2002年隐含碳净出口量占当年碳排放总量的12％～14％。2002年之后迅速增加，到2006年，该数字已达29.28％。作为生产者和消费者，中国和其出口国都是这些碳排放的受益者，都应该对气候变化负责。一味对中国增长的碳排放进行指责是不全面的。