The Indian Ocean tsunami and private donations to NGOs

Non‐governmental organisations (NGOs) are widely believed to raise their flag in humanitarian hotspots with a strong media presence in order to attract higher private donations. We assess this hypothesis by comparing the changes in donations between US‐based NGOs with and without aid operations in the four countries most affected by the tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004. Simple before‐after comparisons tend to support the hypothesis that ‘flying the flag’ helps attract higher private donations. However, performing a difference‐in‐difference‐in‐differences (DDD) approach, we find only weak indications that private donors systematically and strongly preferred NGOs with operations in the region. Extended specifications of the baseline regressions reveal that our major findings are robust. NGO heterogeneity matters in some respects, but the DDD results hold when accounting for proxies of the NGOs’ reputation and experience.     

Economic and financial analysis of harvesting and utilization of river reed in the Okavango Delta, Botswana

The Okavango Delta, the largest Ramsar wetland site, is one of the most resource-rich ecosystems in Botswana. A range of resources, including reeds, contribute in various ways to the well-being of many of the communities through subsistence and income generation. The economic value of reeds and other resources found in wetlands has been poorly understood, leading to the perception that wetlands are wastelands, and have little or no economic values. Such resources are therefore likely to receive lower priority in conservation when evaluated against other alternative activities. The aim of this research was to determine the benefit and financial and economic viability of harvesting river reed in the Okavango Delta. Primary data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered at three villages in the Okavango Delta. Secondary data were collected from existing literature. Financial and economic analysis was undertaken using static and financial models. Market prices were used to calculate the net income generated from the sale of harvested reed. The measurement criteria for static models were the annual net cash income, net annual economic benefit, and return on investment (ROI), while those under the dynamic models were the net present value (NPV), benefit cost ratio (BCR), and the net benefit investment (N/K) ratio. It was more financially profitable and economically viable to harvest and sell reeds at Shorobe village (a village relatively close to the District economic centre, Maun), than Shakawe or Etsha-13.     

关于深化环保投资体制改革的若干思考

在分析现行环保投资体制改革进程的基础上,提出了深化我国环保投资体制改革的总体目标、基本内容及其外部条件。为了保证足够的环保投入,提高环保投资效益,当前,政府部门应抓住改革的有利时机,稳妥、适时和有重点地推进环保投资体制的深化改革。      

推动环境信息披露能改善投资效率吗？

落实企业环境责任,推动环境信息披露,有利于推动结构调整和高质量发展。本文根据《环境信息公开办法（试行）》,对发布企业社会责任报告的上市公司环境信息披露进行刻画,基于Richardson投资期望模型对投资效率进行测度,分析环境信息披露对上市公司投资效率的影响。研究发现,环境信息披露能在一定程度上缓解投资不足,但对过度投资的影响并不显著,而且环境信息披露对投资不足的缓解作用在国有企业、两权分离度高等代理成本较高的企业中表现更为显著。本文因此提出推动环境信息披露的建议,一方面发挥政府作用,加大监管压力,确保企业环境责任的落实,健全环境治理企业责任体系;另一方面发挥市场的决定性作用,强化诱致企业披露环境信息的动力,让市场形成对环境信息披露的强需求,促使企业提升环境信息披露水平。     

Scale dependency of conservation outcomes in a forest-offsetting scheme

Offset schemes help avoid or revert habitat loss through protection of existing habitat (avoided deforestation), through the restoration of degraded areas (natural regrowth), or both. The spatial scale of an offset scheme may influence which of these 2 outcomes is favored and is an important aspect of the scheme's design. However, how spatial scale influences the trade-offs between the preservation of existing habitat and restoration of degraded areas is poorly understood. We used the largest forest offset scheme in the world, which is part of the Brazilian Forest Code, to explore how implementation at different spatial scales may affect the outcome in terms of the area of avoided deforestation and area of regrowth. We employed a numerical simulation of trade between buyers (i.e., those who need to offset past deforestation) and sellers (i.e., landowners with exceeding native vegetation) in the Brazilian Amazon to estimate potential avoided deforestation and regrowth at different spatial scales of implementation. Allowing offsets over large spatial scales led to an area of avoided deforestation 12 times greater than regrowth, whereas restricting offsets to small spatial scales led to an area of regrowth twice as large as avoided deforestation. The greatest total area (avoided deforestation and regrowth combined) was conserved when the spatial scale of the scheme was small, especially in locations that were highly deforested. To maximize conservation gains from avoided deforestation and regrowth, the design of the Brazilian forest-offset scheme should focus on restricting the spatial scale in which offsets occur. Such a strategy could help ensure conservation benefits are localized and promote the recovery of degraded areas in the most threatened forest landscapes.     

Mapping legal authority for terrestrial conservation corridors along streams

Wildlife corridors aim to promote species’ persistence by connecting habitat patches across fragmented landscapes. Their implementation is limited by patterns of land ownership and complicated by differences in the jurisdictional and regulatory authorities under which lands are managed. Terrestrial corridor conservation requires coordination across jurisdictions and sectors subject to site-specific overlapping sources of legal authority. Mapping spatial patterns of legal authority concurrent with habitat condition can illustrate opportunities to build or leverage capacity for connectivity conservation. Streamside areas provide pragmatic opportunities to leverage existing policy mechanisms for riverine and terrestrial habitat connectivity across boundaries. Conservation planners and practitioners can make use of these opportunities by harmonizing actions for multiple conservation outcomes. We formulated an integrative, data-driven method for mapping multiple sources of legal authority weighted by capacity for coordinating terrestrial habitat conservation along streams. We generated a map of capacity to coordinate streamside corridor protections across a wildlife habitat gap to demonstrate this approach. We combined values representing coordination capacity and naturalness to generate an integrated legal-ecological resistance map for connectivity modeling. We then computed least-cost corridors across the integrated map, masking the terrestrial landscape to focus on streamside areas. Streamside least-cost corridors in the integrated, local-scale model diverged (∼25 km) from national-scale least-cost corridors based on naturalness. Spatial categories comparing legal- and naturalness-based resistance values by stream reach highlighted potential locations for building or leveraging existing capacity through spatial coordination of policy mechanisms or restoration actions. Agencies or nongovernmental organizations intending to restore or maintain habitat connectivity across fragmented landscapes can use this approach to inform spatial prioritization and build coordination capacity. Article impact statement: Combined mapping of legal authority and habitat condition reveals capacity to coordinate actions along streams for clean water and wildlife.     

我国民营企业对美国直接投资的空间分布特征研究——以华为技术有限公司为例

自2005年以来,中国对外直接投资快速增长,美国是中国直接投资的重要东道国。而我国民营企业以其产权明晰、机制灵活、运作高效等优势成为我国对美国直接投资中最具发展潜力和最活跃的一部分。根据国家商务部提供的数据,对我国民营企业对美国直接投资的现状、投资的行业分布、投资的方式、投资的空间分布等进行了分析,并以我国最大的民营企业华为技术有限公司为例,研究其在美国的直接投资空间分布特征,从而为我国民营企业在美国直接投资的区位选择提供参考依据。     

基于偏离份额法的我国区域科技经费投入“来源—执行”结构分析

科技经费投入既应注重量的提升,又应关注科技经费投入结构的优化,在加大科技经费投入的同时积极优化投入结构是提高科技资源使用效率的途径。采用偏离份额分析法,从科技经费投入的＂来源—执行＂结构角度测算了我国八大经济区的科技经费投入结构,并从科技经费投入的增长效应、结构效应、竞争力三个方面进行分析,反映出区域科技经费投入发展的速度、动力机制和制度特征。     

On the influence of faulting on small-scale soil-gas radon variability: a case study in the Iberian Uranium Province

In order to evaluate the influence of faulting on the variability of geogenic radon at detailed scale (1:2000), data on gamma ray fluxes, U and Th concentrations in rocks, radon in soil-gas and radon in groundwater were collected in three target areas on the Oliveira do Hospital region (Central Portugal). This region stands on the Iberian Uranium Province, and is dominantly composed of Hercynian granites and metasedimentary rocks of pre-Ordovician age, crosscut by faults with dominant strike N35°E, N55°E and N75°E. Radiometric anomalies are frequent, associated with faults of the referred systems and metasedimentary enclaves; the analytical data confirms that these anomalies are produced by local high uranium contents in rocks and fault-filling materials (n = 34, range 13-724 ppm), while other radiogenic elements are relatively constant (e.g. Th 4-30 ppm). Radon concentration in soil can be extremely high, up to 12,850 kBq m⁻³ (n = 215), with a large proportion of results above 100 kBq m⁻³. Unsurprisingly, groundwater also shows high radon concentrations, with observed values in the range 150-4850 Bq.L⁻¹ (n = 17). From the results it is concluded that metasedimentary enclaves, as well as faults, can accumulate uranium from circulating fluids, and as a consequence, strongly locally enhance geogenic radon potential. Due to this fact, for the purpose of land use planning in such uranium-enriched regions, very detailed geological mapping is needed to precisely recognize radon high risk areas. A correlation between radon concentration in soil or in groundwater and gamma ray fluxes was established pointing to the possible use of these fluxes as a first step in assessing geogenic radon potential, at least to geological setting similar to the study area.     

Effect of Increase in Price of Oil on Behavior of Private Car Owners in Beijing

In order to understand the short-term response of private car owners to changes in the price of oil, a survey was conducted in Beijing after the gasoline price in China rose in June 2008. It showed that private car drivers in Beijing reduced their trips in the one month period following the price adjustment. Certain trip characteristics and drivers' demographics significantly influenced price elasticity in the short term, including the purpose of the trip, the distance covered and the income of the car driver.