Assessment of stormwater runoff management practices and governance under climate change and urbanization: An analysis of Bangkok,Hanoi and Tokyo

As human history is changing on many fronts, it is appropriate for us to understand the different perspectives of major global challenges, of which, water is a major priority. The water resources in urban areas are either approaching or exceeding the limits of sustainable use at alarming rates. Groundwater table depletion and increasing flood events can be easily realized in rapidly developing urban areas. It is necessary to improve existing water management systems for high-quality water and reduced hydro-meteorological disasters, while preserving our natural/pristine environment in a sustainable manner. This can be achieved through optimal collection, infiltration and storage of stormwater. Stormwater runoff is rainfall that flows over the ground surface; large volumes of water are swiftly transported to local water bodies and can cause flooding, coastal erosion, and can carry many different pollutants that are found on paved surfaces. Sustainable stormwater management is desired, and the optimal capture measure is explored in the paper. This study provides commentary to assist policy makers and researchers in the field of stormwater management planning to understand the significance and role of remote sensing and GIS in designing optimal capture measures under the threat of future extreme events and climate change. Community attitudes, which are influenced by a range of factors, including knowledge of urban water problem, are also considered. In this paper, we present an assessment of stormwater runoff management practices to achieve urban water security. For this purpose, we explored different characteristics of stormwater runoff management policies and strategies adopted by Japan, Vietnam and Thailand. This study analyses the abilities of Japanese, Vietnamese and Thai stormwater runoff management policies and measures to manage water scarcity and achieve water resiliency. This paper presents an overview of stormwater runoff management to guide future optimal stormwater runoff measures and management policies within the governance structure. Additionally, the effects of different onsite facilities, including those for water harvesting, reuse, ponds and infiltration, are explored to establish adaptation strategies that restore water cycle and reduce climate change-induced flood and water scarcity on a catchment scale.     

苏丹1/2/4区紧急撤离带来的境外公共安全管理启示

近些年,境外中资企业员工遭遇武装袭击、绑架劫持事件屡有发生,如何加强境外公共安全管理,有效保障企业员工生命和设备财产安全成为了所有走向海外企业必须面对的一道严峻课题.以2012年3月26日中资公司施工队应对北南苏丹边界1/2/4油区爆发的军事冲突事件为例,详细描述了该中资公司队伍紧急避险和快速撤离的过程,对应急行动成功的经验进行了分析和总结,并进一步提出做好境外公共安全管理工作的重点.案例不但为境外中资企业应对和处置境外公共安全突发事件提供了样板,更为广大境外中资企业强化境外公共安全管理提供了借鉴和参考.     

Access for all? Barriers to accessing woodlands and forests in Britain

This paper presents results from research that identified and analysed barriers to accessing British woodlands and forests. This paper aims to contribute to an understanding of access and accessibility and to inform the design of policy and management interventions to encourage increased access by under-represented social groups. A brief review of policy and academic literature places the issue of inclusive woodland and forest access in the context of contemporary debates surrounding public health, well-being, diversity and the perceived role of public green space. There follows an analysis of quantitative and qualitative research findings, informing the presentation of a working typology of barriers. The typology is structured around the access needs of various social groups, allowing an analysis of the social distribution of barriers. The findings indicate the deep-seated psychological, emotional and socio-cultural nature of some barriers and highlight the need for carefully designed interventions that may lie outside the conventional remit of woodland management. This paper will be of particular interest to decision-makers and practitioners and to those involved in the design and delivery of policies, programmes and projects aimed at encouraging inclusive use of woodlands, forests and other types of green space.     

Residential Care in Los Angeles: evaluating the spatial distribution of facilities and neighbourhood access to care among older adults

ABSTRACT

Residential care has increased in number of facilities and has grown in density in urban areas, yet it is disproportionately dispersed in cities and only beginning to meet the current long-term care need of older adults as an alternative to institutional and in-home care. California State Department of Social Services residential care facility data were linked with Los Angeles County census tract data to examine the spatial distribution of facilities through hot spot analysis of clusters of small and large facilities and zero-inflated negative binomial regression of census tract facility counts on older age and race groups, older disabled adults, and older adults in poverty in the area. The results show clusters of large facilities west of downtown Los Angeles and clusters of small facilities in the northern suburbs of the city in the San Fernando Valley. Increases in pre- and early-retired adults and older Hispanics in census tracts are associated with the greatest decreases in facility tract capacity in the area, whereas increases in the oldest old and older disabled adults are associated with the greatest increases. Understanding spatial disparities in residential care can help local agencies and developers plan and partner in more intentional and equitable development of facilities. The greatest opportunity for such development may lie in institutional tools for eldercare facility development such as the eldercare facility ordinance of Los Angeles and development of board and care facilities in residential zones of Los Angeles and other cities.     

Closing the knowledge-action gap in conservation with open science

The knowledge-action gap in conservation science and practice occurs when research outputs do not result in actions to protect or restore biodiversity. Among the diverse and complex reasons for this gap, three barriers are fundamental: knowledge is often unavailable to practitioners and challenging to interpret or difficult to use or both. Problems of availability, interpretability, and useability are solvable with open science practices. We considered the benefits and challenges of three open science practices for use by conservation scientists and practitioners. First, open access publishing makes the scientific literature available to all. Second, open materials (detailed methods, data, code, and software) increase the transparency and use of research findings. Third, open education resources allow conservation scientists and practitioners to acquire the skills needed to use research outputs. The long-term adoption of open science practices would help researchers and practitioners achieve conservation goals more quickly and efficiently and reduce inequities in information sharing. However, short-term costs for individual researchers (insufficient institutional incentives to engage in open science and knowledge mobilization) remain a challenge. We caution against a passive approach to sharing that simply involves making information available. We advocate a proactive stance toward transparency, communication, collaboration, and capacity building that involves seeking out and engaging with potential users to maximize the environmental and societal impact of conservation science.     

国内外环境安全研究进展述评

环境安全是环境问题日益加剧和恶化而对人类社会构成的安全层次上的威胁。本文研究的目标是从整体上描绘当前环境安全研究的大致轮廓和发展前景。本文将当前国内外环境安全研究划分为三种视角并分别进行了述评：①“传统安全视角”：从传统安全的视角研究环境问题对传统安全的影响;②“狭义环境安全视角”：从安全的视角研究日益恶化的狭义环境问题：③“广义环境安全视角”：从安全的视角研究生态、资源、灾害等领域的广义环境问题。通过比较和评论,认为“狭义环境安全视角”研究针对人类社会面临的“继续生存还是自我毁灭”的“新生存安全问题”,揭示了环境安全研究的核心科学问题,具有重要的研究意义和前景。就目前研究而言。在探讨环境安全基本理论和科学问题的同时。应注重加强在国家环境安全、生态环境安全、突发环境安全事件等领域的技术方法、案例的应用型研究。     

Socioeconomic benefits of conserving Iran’s water resources through modifying agricultural practices and water management strategies

Sustainable development requires modifying the current consumption pattern of natural resources. This study investigates efficient tactics for reducing the unsustainability and inefficiency of human’s food-related blue water consumption alongside improving national environmental and socioeconomic status. As a case study for Iran, 15 alternative management scenarios (AMS) were defined compared to the current on-farm management, and their effects were assessed on a monthly scale. Based on the results, 45.5 billion m³ y⁻¹ (BCM) blue water is consumed within the croplands, 78% and 34% of which are unsustainable and inefficient, respectively. AMCs reduces the unsustainable and inefficient blue water consumption by 2–17 BCM and 2–13 BCM, respectively. The combination of yield gap closure, drip irrigation, soil mulching, and deficit irrigation has the largest effect on blue water saving; it releases or changes the status of monthly blue water scarcity in 11 provinces; increases field-employees by 132%, food security by 9%, international food-export by 87%, and gross domestic production by 54%. However, it doesn’t fully address blue water overconsumption in the summer period; hence, further measures are needed to reduce blue water scarcity to the sustainable level in these environmental hotspots.     

我国耕地资源数量安全的时空差异分析

耕地资源数量安全是耕地资源安全非常重要的组成部分，它受到资源禀赋、经济发展水平、管理和政策等因素的影响。本文在分析耕地资源数量安全影响因素的基础上，构建其评价指标体系，并对我国耕地资源数量安全的时空差异规律进行了分析，结果表明。自改革开放以来，我国耕地资源数量安全状况呈先增后减的变化趋势；从安全水平的区域分布来看，北部和西部省份的安全水平普遍高于东部和南部省份，同时发现，区域安全水平与经济发展水平呈负相关关系。     

Multi-scales Analysis of Driving Forces on Land Use/Cover Change in China： Taking Farmland Returning to Forest or Grassland as a Case

Increasing populations are causing an increase in food demands, and the area of cultivated land expands every year. Inappropriate land transition from ecology to production results in the constant decline of the ecological security level and influences the regional sustainable development. Adjusting unreasonable land use mode and reconstructing natural land cover are important ways to maintain and improve the ecological environment. Also reclaiming farmland as areas for forests and grasslands （FRFG） is another way. Successful implementation of FRFG in China is the result of comprehensive effect of the multi-scales driving forces. This paper analyses the driving forces of FRFG in China on a national （country） -regional （province） - local （county） - household （farmer） level scale, and the results are： driving forces at the national scale include ecological and food security and the western development of China; at the regional scale, ecological and economic benefits become the main factors to influence the dimension of FRFG under the same policy. The driving forces can be divided into 6 types： industrial structure adjustment, water source protection, flood prevention, the Three-Gorge Project protection, reduction of the amount of sediment flowing into the Yellow River and wind erosion desertification prevention. The driving forces at the local scale can be divided into 12 types with developing leading industries, increasing farmers＇ income and improving agricultural production conditions as the main types; at the household scale, the national policy meeting farmers＇ demands and the optimization of individual interests are all driving forces.     

国家资源安全及其系统分析

资源安全是一个国家或地区可以持续、稳定、及时、足量和经济地获取所需自然资源的状态或能力。影响资源安全的因素主要包括结构、质量、数量、空间、价格、技术、制度等。分析了国家资源安全的主体目标导向性、实现过程可调控性、发展演化的长期性、空间层次差异性和系统内外互动性等特性。构建了包括社会、经济、资源、生态环境、政策法律等子系统在内的国家资源安全的系统分析框架。运用PSR模型，进行了国家资源安全系统动力学分析。