Ecological Information System: Analyzing the Communication and Utilization of Scientific Information in Mexico

/ This study is concerned with the role that communication can play in facilitating the utilization of ecological information by different sectors of society involved in environmental decision-making. The ecological information system is used as a conceptual framework. This system is a model for the analysis of interactions between three sectors involved in the management of natural resources: researchers in ecology, change agents, and rural producers. Two case studies of organizations carrying out scientific research aimed at finding and implementing sustainable strategies of resource management were carried out. The purpose was to examine how real situations function in terms of communication strategies and to analyze such situations in relation to the model proposed. The analysis revealed the importance of promoting the feedback of information from change agents and rural producers to the research sector and the incorporation of this information into the research process. It also emphasized the relevance of having "active utilizer constituencies" within the rural producers who make demands upon the entire system in order to satisfy information needs. The creation of linkage systems facilitating the connection between the generation and utilization of information was supported. In particular, the establishment of special teams within research institutions is proposed, which could promote the links between the sectors through the use of communication as an instrument of work.     

Valuing wildlife: a review of methods

The paper analyses the costs and benefits of conserving wildlife and reports part of a wider research project which aims to estimate the benefits of certain ecological types and habitats, and to compare the outcome of different techniques used to value wildlife. The authors outline a range of philosophical, technical and methodological problems in deriving cardinal measures of costs and benefits.     

SOIL CONSERVATION PRACTICES AND WATER QUALITY: IS EROSION CONTROL THE ANSWER?1

ABSTRACT: This paper is a computer simulation analysis of an agricultural nonpoint pollution problem. Computer modeling is a universally applicable tool that can be used for establishing the linkages between and the quality of agricultural runoff in both surface and subsurface flow. The tradeoffs between the costs of soil conservation practices and water quality are reported, and the economic implications of such tradeoffs are discussed. Soil and nutrient losses resulting from crop production practices are analyzed using a field-scale computer simulation model (CREAMS). No-till planting, reduced tillage, and sod waterway systems are more cost effective than other practices for controlling soil and nutrient runoff losses. Nitrate leaching losses are increased slightly by most soil conservation practices. Terrace systems and permanent vegetative cover impose the greatest societal cost for water quality protection. Public cost sharing and tax incentives encourage farmers to adopt expensive structural practices, and policies are needed to get cost-effective practices implemented on critical acreage. Extensive treatment of land is necessary for agricultural best management practices (BMPs) to significantly improve water quality in areas that are intensively farmed.     

Public intervention in rural housing markets

This paper is a revised version of one presented to the Regional Science Association Conference, University of Leeds, September 1983.

The extent of rural poverty is largely hidden, yet mean rural incomes are lower than in urban areas. Equally, the differential between low incomes and high minimum house prices in rural areas not always acknowledged. This paper looks at the planning response to these problems against alternative approaches including discriminatory policies against second home owners in rural areas. The paper concludes by identifying a solution restricting private development and augmenting public‐sector provision in rural areas.     

Flood information systems: Needs and improvements in Eastern India

Flood warning systems offer a large potential for reducing human losses and property damage in flood-prone regions. This article illustrates why official organized systems should not be relied on completely in either developing or developed societies. It then discusses an indigenous flood warning system in a rural area of Eastern India, its value, and its importance in providing an alternative means of detecting, interpreting, and relaying flood warning information to the ultimate users of this information, i.e., those populations most at risk from floods.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is operated by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research and is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.     

“Down in the forest something stirred”: issues raised by the Lyndhurst planning inquiry

The Planning Inquiry is used in Britain as a vehicle for resolving conflicts between energy developments and land use in areas of high ecological or amenity value. This is a report of one such inquiry; the Lyndhurst Inquiry which has been regarded as a test case of establishing oil and gas reserves against the importance of environmentally sensitive areas. The ultimate decision is seen as indicative of the complexity of issues involved.     

From the ground up: holistic management and grassroots rural adaptation to bovine spongiform encephalopathy across western Canada

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) has been documented in 28 countries and adversely affected farmers and rural communities around the world. Our study examines the impacts of and adaptive responses of producers to BSE in western Canada. Moreover, it explores the role that holistic management (HM), and its combined focus on environmental, social, and economic sustainability, might play in mitigating the effects of BSE. One survey was sent to 835 HM producers and another to 9,740 producers across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. The disease, and concomitant climate change and low commodity prices, had devastating impacts on both groups. Yet, HM producers were much more optimistic about their ability to adapt to BSE and the future of agriculture than their non-HM counterparts. Social networks, namely HM clubs and the larger HM community, enabled these producers to mitigate the impacts of BSE. Agronomic responses, especially those associated with rotational grazing and increases in on-farm biodiversity were also important. That HM has been such an effective adaptive response to BSE indicates the importance of this and other grassroots responses to rural crises, whether they be associated with zoonotic diseases or indeed environmental change as a whole.     

加强农村环境保护构建城乡一体化环保模式

随着农村城市化进程不断加快,人口不断增加,农业生产、生活方式的随经济社会发展而变更,经济快速发展,资源的利用强度的日益扩大,农村环境污染负荷也在不断加大,环境问题突出,与当前强化县域发展,构建和谐社会,实现科学发展不相适应。在对徐州市农村环保情况调查分析的基础上,结合实际,提出了解决问题的对策和建议。     

沈阳市农村污水处理设施运营管理机制研究

介绍了目前国外发达国家农村污水处理设施运营管理机制、成熟经验及我国农村污水处理设施运营管理的现状和存在的问题,并结合沈阳市现有农村污水处理设施运行管理的实际情况,在运营模式、监管机制、经费筹措、绩效考核与政策支持等方面提出了一系列措施和建议,以期对沈阳市农村污水处理设施的长效运营起到积极的促进作用。     

浅析成都市农村生活垃圾分类收运处理的试点经验

为实现成都市农村生活垃圾分类收运处理,本文通过对成都市农村生活垃圾分类收运处理试点区域的实地调研,分析了农村生活垃圾的组分,详细介绍了试点区域垃圾分类方式、收运流程、分类成效和保障措施等,提出一些农村生活垃圾分类收运处理的重要的实践经验。