Awareness of environmental legislation as a deterrent for wildlife crime: A case with Masaai pastoralists,poison use and the Kenya Wildlife Act

Illegal wildlife crime is a global phenomenon, accelerating the ongoing biodiversity crisis. In the Old World, and particularly in Africa, illegal use of poisons to eliminate carnivores is the main driver of the continental vulture crisis. Knowledge about the underlying source and drivers of this threat is lacking for most areas, including Kenya, a global vulture and biodiversity hotspot. An extensive questionnaire survey of over 1300 respondents was run, using a specialized questioning technique and quantitative analytical approaches. Results show that, while pastoralists have a positive attitude towards vultures, over 20% of them use poisons to eliminate predators. Poisoning was largely driven by livestock losses to predators, and by negative attitude towards predators. Poisoning was less prevalent among respondents aware of the Kenya Wildlife Act. Overall, we suggest that a combination of top-down, e.g. legislation, and bottom-up (such as corrals or compensation) along with awareness campaigns may help reduce poisoning on the ground.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13280-021-01695-8.     

协同治理理论视角下连云港湾长制试点存在的问题及对策

近岸海域环境综合治理是典型的公共产品和公共服务,需要多个主体协同治理。连云港湾长制已实施两年多,虽取得了一定成效,但从协同治理理论来看,仍存在治理主体相对单一、公众参与不足问题。因此,今后应以协同治理理论为指导,形成多元的治理主体,树立各个治理主体的权威性,加强各治理主体的协同性,充分发挥各治理主体的积极性,共同推进湾长制的实施。     

Can we take the pulse of environmental governance the way we take the pulse of nature? Applying the Freshwater Health Index in Latin America

Quantitative assessments have long been used to evaluate the condition of the natural environment, providing information for standard setting, adaptive management, and monitoring. Similar approaches have been developed to measure environmental governance, however, the end result (e.g., numeric indicators) belies the subjective and normative judgments that are involved in evaluating governance. We demonstrate a framework that makes this information transparent, through an application of the Freshwater Health Index in three different river basins in Latin America. Water Governance is measured on a 0–100 scale, using data derived from perception-based surveys administered to stakeholders. Results suggest that water governance is a primary area of concern in all three places, with low overall scores (Guandu-26, Alto Mayo-38, Bogotá-43). We conclude that this approach to measuring governance at the river basin scale provides valuable information to support monitoring and decision making, and we offer suggestions on how it can be improved.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-020-01407-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Combined effects of human pressures on Europe’s marine ecosystems

Marine ecosystems are under high demand for human use, giving concerns about how pressures from human activities may affect their structure, function, and status. In Europe, recent developments in mapping of marine habitats and human activities now enable a coherent spatial evaluation of potential combined effects of human activities. Results indicate that combined effects from multiple human pressures are spread to 96% of the European marine area, and more specifically that combined effects from physical disturbance are spread to 86% of the coastal area and 46% of the shelf area. We compare our approach with corresponding assessments at other spatial scales and validate our results with European-scale status assessments for coastal waters. Uncertainties and development points are identified. Still, the results suggest that Europe’s seas are widely disturbed, indicating potential discrepancy between ambitions for Blue Growth and the objective of achieving good environmental status within the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.Supplementary informationThe online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-020-01482-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

危险废物城市环境风险评估方法及案例研究

在不同经济社会发展情况下,危险废物的风险源危险性和风险受体脆弱性存在很大差异。因此,城市对危险废物采取的风险防控和应急措施应该因城市而异。然而,目前我国大部分城市对危险废物的管理仍然是全过程从严管理,并未建立基于风险评估的环境管理体系。本研究以城市为边界,从危险废物的风险源危险性、风险受体脆弱性和风险防控与应急能力3个维度构建评估指标体系,然后在层次分析法的基础上,采用等比例分配法对指标进行赋权,并运用线性加权法合成经过正向化处理的指标评分值,从而得出危险废物城市环境风险评估结果。通过计算3个维度评分值的耦合度,可以确定风险防控与应急能力维度与风险源危险性维度和风险受体脆弱性维度的匹配程度。运用该方法对深圳市开展案例研究,结果表明,深圳市在“无废城市”建设试点期间,主要通过提升风险防控与应急能力,将危险废物城市环境风险值降低了20.7%;并且风险防控与应急能力维度与风险源危险性维度和风险受体脆弱性维度的匹配度较高,属于高风险高能力城市。因此,建议深圳市在下一步工作中,继续完善涉危险废物项目环境准入审查,严格评估危险废物再利用安全,不断加强信息化手段在环境监管中的应用,避免涉危险废物突发环境事件的发生,全面降低危险废物对城市造成的环境风险。     

“无废指数”反馈机制研究——以浙江省“无废城市”建设为例

“无废指数”是定量、客观、科学、系统、简明的综合性指数,是为了反映“无废城市”建设和固体废物治理成效。“无废指数”建立发布之后如何将指数结果反馈给相关部门,提高指数对管理部门的决策指导作用和时效性是“无废指数”最重要的应用功能。基于我国“无废城市”建设指标体系和浙江省“无废城市”建设水平和任务安排,在前期“无废指数”研究基础上建立了“无废指数”反馈机制,通过拆解指标和分析时效数据,强化“无废指数”的实时反馈功能和 “无废城市”建设任务的指导作用。根据浙江省某年“无废指数”测算结果,分别针对性的给出了省级层面和市级层面的应用建议和实例分析,深化了“无废指数”多维度比较分析和研判的应用功能,实现了在工作考核之前的数据动态更新和及时反馈,将提升基层管理策略调整的精准性、时效性,确保年度等目标的实现。为“无废城市”建设中不同层级管理部门制定管理决策提供依据和支撑。“无废指数”反馈机制创新了固体废物污染防治管理工作机制,进一步形成比学赶超的赛马机制,充分发挥了“无废指数”对全域“无废城市”建设的导向引领作用。     

“无废城市”建设期间工业固体废物管理体系构建

我国工业固体废物产生量大、种类繁多、风险具有隐蔽性,亟需构建规范化管理体系。“无废城市”建设可充分调动社会资源,统筹推动工业固体废物全过程管理工作,在此期间构建我国工业固体废物管理体系具有重要意义。从我国工业固体废物产生与管理现状出发,剖析工业固体废物管理存在的短板,针对性地提出我国工业固体废物管理体系构建原则、方法和主要内容,以期为提升工业固体废物管理工作提供参考。     

突发性环境污染事故应急预警系统发展探讨

在介绍突发性环境污染事故的概念、类型与特性的基础上,综述了近年来国内外对这一领域的研究进展．并结合“5S”技术提出突发性环境污染事故应急预警系统的全程模拟。     

我国危险废物环境管理的法律法规和标准现状及建议

对我国危险废物管理现行法律、行政法规、部门规章和环境标准的状况进行了梳理,结果显示,法律中确立的一些危险废物管理制度尚未得到全面落实,管理过程中主要侧重无害化防治,而减量化和综合利用化的管理较为薄弱;危险废物管理的环境标准体系也还需进一步完善。建议修改、完善现行的行政法规、部门规章等,全面落实现有危险废物管理制度的实施,在危险废物管理中采取优先顺序策略,加强源头减量,促进资源化利用,在加强危险废物管理过程中的新技术和新方法研究的基础上尽快完善环境标准体系。     

突发环境事件风险源识别与监控技术创新进展——（I）环境风险源识别技术与应用

环境风险防控与环境风险源管理是我国当前环境管理的重要工作之一。为了防控重大环境污染事件、实现环境风险源有序管理、科学决策,开展了重大环境污染事件风险源识别监控与管理技术的研发创新。借鉴国外环境风险源管理经验,遵循环境风险源“分类、分级、分区”管理原则,研发了环境风险源分类、识别与定量分级方法,实现了典型化工园区、特大城市及全国尺度的环境风险源分级,初步提出了全国石化化工行业重点风险企业名单。开发了环境风险源综合管理系统,以期为重点风险源监管、环境风险防控提供技术支持。