Use of a Business Excellence Model to Improve Conservation Programs

Abstract: The current shortfall in effectiveness within conservation biology is illustrated by increasing interest in “evidence‐based conservation,” whose proponents have identified the need to benchmark conservation initiatives against actions that lead to proven positive effects. The effectiveness of conservation policies, approaches, and evaluation is under increasing scrutiny, and in these areas models of excellence used in business could prove valuable. Typically, conservation programs require years of effort and involve rigorous long‐term implementation processes. Successful balance of long‐term efforts alongside the achievement of short‐term goals is often compromised by management or budgetary constraints, a situation also common in commercial businesses. “Business excellence” is an approach many companies have used over the past 20 years to ensure continued success. Various business excellence evaluations have been promoted that include concepts that could be adapted and applied in conservation programs. We describe a conservation excellence model that shows how scientific processes and results can be aligned with financial and organizational measures of success. We applied the model to two well‐documented species conservation programs. In the first, the Po’ouli program, several aspects of improvement were identified, such as more authority for decision making in the field and better integration of habitat management and population recovery processes. The second example, the black‐footed ferret program, could have benefited from leadership effort to reduce bureaucracy and to encourage use of best‐practice species recovery approaches. The conservation excellence model enables greater clarity in goal setting, more‐effective identification of job roles within programs, better links between technical approaches and measures of biological success, and more‐effective use of resources. The model could improve evaluation of a conservation program's effectiveness and may be used to compare different programs, for example during reviews of project performance by sponsoring organizations.     

城市污泥热解中试系统集成一体化研究及运行效果评估

为了促进城市污泥热解工艺的工程化应用,组建了污泥热解系统、热解产物分离回收利用系统、废气净化排放系统于一体较完整的热解中试装置,在实现污泥有效处置的同时也实现了高值能源回收利用。中试工况优化,较好工况为：热解时间30-40 min,热解终温450-500℃,在此条件下,干化污泥（含水率5%）减量率为50%;热值为33.8 MJ/kg的热解油产率为17.1%左右。通过对中试运行效果的评估,得出热解油和热解气两者能量或污泥炭自身能量可供干化污泥热解本身所需能量,从而为推动污水污泥热解工艺的工程化利用提供了支持。     

A Multi-Years Analysis of the Energy Balance,Green Gas Emissions,and Production Costs of First and Second Generation Bioethanol

Contemporary reports on the energy and environmental benefits of bioethanol have suggested that the cellulosic ethanol is significantly more efficient. To understand the development potential of energy crops in Taiwan, the present study has assessed the resources and cost inputs for the planning, harvesting, transporting, and storing procedures of the first generation energy crops during 2007–2010 with the perspective of LCA. In addition, a field investigation focusing on rice straw, the largest agricultural waste in Taiwan, has been conducted since 2010 to obtain fundamental data.This study further analyzes the first and second-generation feedstocks from the perspective of LCA based on field investigated data. Taiwan has not yet established an ethanol plant; therefore, this study established production data by simulating the production efficiency of an economical scale using parameters obtained through production trials, and proposed an evaluation model for the energy input, GHG, and production costs of bioethanol in Taiwan. The results of this study were cross-compared with foreign literature to explore the development potential of bioethanol in Taiwan. The results indicate that based on the current cellulosic ethanol technology in Taiwan, regarding the energy balance, GHG, and production costs, is less efficient than that of the first generation bioethanol.     

A framework for assessing and implementing the co-benefits of nature-based solutions in urban areas

To address challenges associated with climate resilience, health and well-being in urban areas, current policy platforms are shifting their focus from ecosystem-based to nature-based solutions (NBS), broadly defined as solutions to societal challenges that are inspired and supported by nature. NBS result in the provision of co-benefits, such as the improvement of place attractiveness, of health and quality of life, and creation of green jobs. Few frameworks exist for acknowledging and assessing the value of such co-benefits of NBS and to guide cross-sectoral project and policy design and implementation. In this paper, we firstly developed a holistic framework for assessing co-benefits (and costs) of NBS across elements of socio-cultural and socio-economic systems, biodiversity, ecosystems and climate. The framework was guided by a review of over 1700 documents from science and practice within and across 10 societal challenges relevant to cities globally. We found that NBS can have environmental, social and economic co-benefits and/or costs both within and across these 10 societal challenges. On that base, we develop and propose a seven-stage process for situating co-benefit assessment within policy and project implementation. The seven stages include: 1) identify problem or opportunity; 2) select and assess NBS and related actions; 3) design NBS implementation processes; 4) implement NBS; 5) frequently engage stakeholders and communicate co-benefits; 6) transfer and upscale NBS; and 7) monitor and evaluate co-benefits across all stages. We conclude that the developed framework together with the seven-stage co-benefit assessment process represent a valuable tool for guiding thinking and identifying the multiple values of NBS implementation.     

The water-energy-food nexus: Trade-offs,thresholds and transdisciplinary approaches to sustainable development

Global challenges have exacerbated a search for solutions to poverty and environmental degradation. Integration it was argued would help address the twin challenge. Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) was supposed to be that magic bullet and was embraced by scientists because of the clinical efficiency with which it argued for integrated analysis of sectors and resources and of systems and scale conditions. This paper argues that effective implementation of the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus can be supported by robust science. The corollary that robust science automatically leads to effective implementation is not always known to be true. The nexus approach sheds light on the challenges of implementation by introducing concepts of trade-offs and thresholds and consequently emphasizes the importance of transdisciplinary approaches to sustainable development. This paper reviews the results of recent research to offer tentative answers to the following questions: (a) Why is the governance dimension important to undertake an integrated analysis of water-energy-food challenges? (b) What does the nexus approach connote in normative and institutional terms? (c) What does implementation mean in nexus terms? (d) How can we establish if the nexus approach is an improvement over business as usual? and (e) What tools are available that would enable translation of results of scientific research to create an evidence base that would enable decision makers to act in support of sustainable development?     

The effectiveness of the revised scaffold safety standard in the construction industry

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the revised scaffold safety standard in the construction industry and to evaluate time trend analyses on scaffold-related fatalities and injuries, as well as inspections conducted and cited violations of the scaffold safety standard set forth in Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 1926, Subpart L. Data on scaffold-related fatalities, injuries, and lost workdays, as well as cited violations of scaffold safety, were assembled from sources such as the US Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Integrated Management Information System, and Bureau of Labor Statistics. Data for the period prior to the revision of the standard were compared with data from the period after the revision. We used autoregressive analyses to evaluate the percentage of change in the mean scaffold-related fatalities, injuries and lost workdays and in the OSHA inspections and cited violations of scaffold safety. Effectiveness analysis was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the revised scaffold safety standard in preventing fatal or nonfatal injuries in the construction industry. Complying with the revised scaffold safety standard would prevent approximately 4.6 fatalities, 404 nonfatal injuries, and 2896 lost workdays per year. A total cost savings associated with compliance was estimated at $5.8 million (2001 US$) per year. Compliance with the revised scaffold safety standard would provide a safer workplace and generate a significant cost saving in the construction industry.     

Channel change,sediment transport,and fish habitat in a coastal stream: Effects of an extreme event

A study on sediment transport and channel change was conducted on Zayante Creek and the lower San Lorenzo River in Santa Cruz County, California. A rainstorm with a recurrence interval locally in excess of 150 years occurred during the study year, 1982 WY. Stream surveys indicated that significant aggradation occurred during and after the peak flood. Upper study reaches were substantially recovered after high flows of early April, but the lower study reaches still had significant filling of pools and burial of riffles by sand. Increases in width-depth ratio were minor and localized in upper reaches, but were significant in lower reaches. Large inputs of sand, primarily from landsliding, altered the sediment transport regime. A higher proportion of the bedload is now transported by lower flows than before the January event. Roads and sand quarries contributed significantly to sediment input to the stream. A proposed dam may alter the sediment transport regime of Zayante Creek. Mitigating the effects of this dam on downstream fish habitat may require occasional bankfull discharges.     

含氯化亚铁添加剂细水雾灭火有效性的实验研究

为了提高常规细水雾的灭火有效性,拓展其应用范围,本文采用小尺度实验的方法,研究了含氯化亚铁添加剂细水雾在不同燃料种类、添加剂浓度、压力下扑灭池火的有效性。实验结果表明：向细水雾中添加氯化亚铁,显著地影响了它的灭火性能;细水雾的灭火时间随着加入的氯化亚铁的质量浓度变化而发生改变,而且存在一个最短灭火时间浓度;细水雾喷头的工作压力和燃料的类型也对细水雾的灭火性能有影响,喷头工作压力越大,细水雾的平均灭火时间越短;在相同的实验条件下,细水雾灭煤油火的时间要短于灭乙醇火的时间。     

Frontiers of protected areas versus forest exploitation: Assessing habitat network functionality in 16 case study regions globally

Exploitation of natural forests forms expanding frontiers. Simultaneously, protected area frontiers aim at maintaining functional habitat networks. To assess net effects of these frontiers, we examined 16 case study areas on five continents. We (1) mapped protected area instruments, (2) assessed their effectiveness, (3) mapped policy implementation tools, and (4) effects on protected areas originating from their surroundings. Results are given as follows: (1) conservation instruments covered 3–77%, (2) effectiveness of habitat networks depended on representativeness, habitat quality, functional connectivity, resource extraction in protected areas, time for landscape restoration, “paper parks”, “fortress conservation”, and data access, (3) regulatory policy instruments dominated over economic and informational, (4) negative matrix effects dominated over positive ones (protective forests, buffer zones, inaccessibility), which were restricted to former USSR and Costa Rica. Despite evidence-based knowledge about conservation targets, the importance of spatial segregation of conservation and use, and traditional knowledge, the trajectories for biodiversity conservation were generally negative.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13280-021-01628-5.     

农村生活污水治理示范工程的成本有效性研究——以上海和苏南地区为例

成本有效性是农村生活污水治理工程从示范到普及推广的生命线.本文在上海和苏南地区9个示范工程调研的基础上,将农村生活污水的治理技术简化为"城镇污水处理厂小型化"和"自然处理系统"两种工艺,对示范工程的成本有效性进行了分析.研究发现,示范工程在管网费用、设备费用、主地占用成本和日常运营费用等方面都存在成本下降的空间.针对这些问题,本文提出了相应的政策建议:合理的项目选址是影响管网费用的决定性因素;政府层面的集中研发可以削减单个项目的重复研发费用;设定工程建造标准可以避免土地利用和工程建设中不必要的浪费;农民和第三方企业的广泛参与则可以节省建设和运营成本,更重要的是可以保证工程建成后的有效运行.