Transnational multistakeholder partnerships for sustainable development: Conditions for success

This perspective discusses nine conditions for enhancing the performance of multistakeholder partnerships for sustainable development. Such partnerships have become mainstream implementation mechanisms for attaining international sustainable development goals and are also frequently used in other adjacent policy domains such as climate change, health and biodiversity. While multistakeholder arrangements are widely perceived as a positive contribution to addressing global change, few studies have systematically evaluated the existing evidence for their positive performance. This poses an urgent and important challenge for researchers and practitioners to understand and improve the effectiveness of partnerships, in particular since their popularity increases despite their past track record. The recommendations presented are based on own research, a literature survey and discussions with a large number or international Civil Society Organizations at two occasions during 2014. This article proceeds as follows: first, we define multistakeholder partnerships, outline their rational and summarize available assessments on partnership success; second, we provide a set of concrete recommendations based on lessons-learned from over 10 years of scholarship; and third, we conclude with some reflections on the future of multistakeholder governance for sustainability.     

Landscape–seascape dynamics in the isthmus between S?rkapp Land and the rest of Spitsbergen: Will a new big Arctic island form?

Transformation of the glaciated isthmus between Sørkapp Land and the rest of Spitsbergen since 1900 is described. The landscape–seascape dynamics depends on the glacial recession determined by climate warming after the Little Ice Age (i.e., since the beginning of the twentieth century, and especially since the 1980s). The isthmus has been narrowed from 28 km in 1899–1900 to 6.2 km in 2013, and lowered by 60–200 m from 1936 to 2005. Two isthmus’ glaciers will have melted, given the current thermic conditions, by 2030–2035. It cannot be ruled out that Sørkapp Land will become an island after that period, because the altitude of the glaciers’ bedrock is close to the sea level. The disappearance of this huge ice mass, even without origin of a sound and island, will lead to a great transformation of the landscape and the ecosystem.     

升温对铜锈环棱螺形态及春季个体增补影响的模拟实验研究

气候变暖已成为近几十年研究的热点,但是有关温度升高对螺类形态变化的研究还为数不多。利用中型室外模拟控制系统(Mesocosm)模拟百年之后长江中下游地区浅水湖泊水生态系统,实验设置对照组与升温组两个处理,以此探求水体温度升高对铜锈环棱螺(Bellamya aeruginosa)形态的影响。应用几何形态测量学得到铜锈环棱螺壳高、壳宽、轮廓面积与周长4个形态参数,并分别与质量进行回归分析。通过协方差分析比较两种处理回归方程的差异,发现螺类周长随温度升高发生显著变化,同时升温增加了螺类春季个体增补数量。升温对于螺类形态变化影响体现在以下3方面:升温显著增加了铜锈环棱螺的密度,加剧了种群个体间竞争,促使性成熟个体趋于小型化;升温改变铜锈环棱螺食物质量,通过影响螺类生长过程对螺类形态变化产生作用;升温改变了水体p H值,进而影响螺类外壳的钙化率和水体中钙可利用程度,对螺类外壳形成产生直接的影响,最终导致螺类形态变化。     

Human bones obtained from routine joint replacement surgery as a tool for studies of plutonium, americium and ⁹⁰Sr body-burden in general public

The paper presents a new sampling method for studying in-body radioactive contamination by bone-seeking radionuclides such as ⁹⁰Sr, ^239+240Pu, ²³⁸Pu, ²⁴¹Am and selected gamma-emitters, in human bones. The presented results were obtained for samples retrieved from routine surgeries, namely knee or hip joints replacements with implants, performed on individuals from Southern Poland. This allowed to collect representative sets of general public samples. The applied analytical radiochemical procedure for bone matrix is described in details. Due to low concentrations of ²³⁸Pu the ratio of Pu isotopes which might be used for Pu source identification is obtained only as upper limits other then global fallout (for example Chernobyl) origin of Pu. Calculated concentrations of radioisotopes are comparable to the existing data from post-mortem studies on human bones retrieved from autopsy or exhumations. Human bones removed during knee or hip joint surgery provide a simple and ethical way for obtaining samples for plutonium, americium and ⁹⁰Sr in-body contamination studies in general public.     

Arsenic and Mn levels in Isaza (Gymnogobius isaza) during the mass mortality event in Lake Biwa, Japan

The present study measured the concentrations of 25 elements (Li, Mg, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Mo, Ag, Cd, In, Sn, Sb, Cs, Ba, Hg, Tl, Pb and Bi) in the whole body of Isaza which is an endemic fish species to Lake Biwa, Japan, and compared the values in the specimens from the mass mortality Isaza (MMI) and normal fresh Isaza (NFI). The mean levels of Mn and total As (T-As) were relatively higher in MMI than in NFI. In the T-As, highly toxic inorganic As was detected in MMI. Moreover we found Mn and As concentrations in surface sediment were extremely high and temporally increased. From all these results, we could infer that the dissolution of Mn and As from surface sediment of Lake Biwa might have been one of the cause for the mass mortality of Isaza.     

陆地植物系统对大气CO2浓度影响的模拟技术

分析了现有的植被对大气CO2浓度影响模型——地球化学模型和生态学模型的主要技术特征;针对较为有前途的生态学模型,就模型的基础数据,模型的结构和模型内的函数参数等三方面,讨论了现有模型的技术缺陷和可能的改进措施;最后,进一步研究了发展新的生态学模型的两条途径,并提出一种新的机理型生态学模型的构架。      

气候变暖对黑龙江省灾害气候影响及减灾对策

黑龙江省自上世纪80年代以来的20年里，年均温度较前30年上升了1℃。增温最大的季节是冬季，增温1．6℃，其次春季，夏秋季分列第3，4位；增温高值中心在呼玛。增温主要表现在最低气温的增高，年平均最低气温增高1．7℃，年较差变小1．16℃。气候变暖对灾害天气的影响包括：(1)风速减弱，大风次数减少；(2)暴雨次数增加；(3)干旱增强；(4)大涝次数减少；(5)低温次数减少；(6)初霜日后延；(7)寒潮次数减少；(8)大雪次数增加。针对这一情况，提出了防灾减灾的3项对策。     

Greenhouse gas emissions along the rural-urban gradient

This paper investigates how land use relates to greenhouse gas emissions, using data sources that are readily available to municipal planners. It presents a causal framework linking settlement patterns to greenhouse gas emissions via landscape impacts (deforestation, carbon sequestration by soils and plants, urban heat island), infrastructure impacts (transportation-related emissions, waste management-related emissions, electric transmission and distribution losses) and buildings (residential, commercial). This is not a full accounting because it does not include impacts from industrial activities, agriculture and consumer behavior not related to land use, such as food consumption and air travel. Exploratory case studies of municipalities lying along a gradient of increasing population density suggest that per-capita carbon dioxide emissions vary widely, following an inverted ‘U’ shape, with post-war suburbs riding the pinnacle. Reflecting their central regional roles, municipalities with good jobs-to-housing ratios have higher per-capita emissions because they host both residential and commercial buildings. Buildings typically contribute more emissions than personal transportation. Vehicle-miles traveled per capita shrink most dramatically at very high population densities and where transit options exist. Changing land-use patterns is a political challenge because localism and outdated zoning ordinances subvert regional solutions. Technical fixes, especially green buildings, must be part of the solution.     

Nitrogen dynamics of a mountain forest on dolomitic limestone--a scenario-based risk assessment

The dominant nitrogen (N) fluxes were simulated in a mountain forest ecosystem on dolomitic bedrock in the Austrian Alps. Based on an existing small-scale climate model the simulation encompassed the present situation and a 50-yr projection. The investigated scenarios were current climate, current N deposition (SC1) and future climate (+2.5 degrees C and +10% annual precipitation) with three levels of N deposition (SC2, 3, 4). The microbially mediated N transformation, including the emission of nitrogen oxides, was calculated with PnET-N-DNDC. Soil hydrology was calculated with HYDRUS and was used to estimate the leaching of nitrate. The expected change of the forest ecosystem due to changes of the climate and the N availability was simulated with PICUS. The incentive for the project was the fact that forests on dolomitic limestone stock on shallow Rendzic Leptosols that are rich in soil organic matter are considered highly sensitive to the expected environmental changes. The simulation results showed a strong effect due to increased temperatures and to elevated levels of N deposition. The outflux of N, both as nitrate (6-25kg Nha(-1)yr(-1)) and nitrogen oxides (1-2kg Nha(-1)yr(-1)), from the forest ecosystem are expected to increase. Temperature exerts a stronger effect on the N(2)O emission than the increased rate of N deposition. The main part of the N emission will occur as N(2) (15kg Nha(-1)yr(-1)). The total N loss is partially offset by increased rates of N uptake in the biomass due to an increase in forest productivity.