Sensitive issues in natural resource management and discursive strategies addressing them

In natural resource management facilitation literature, little attention is paid to sensitive issues in multi-stakeholder interaction and learning. This article aims to fill this gap. It discusses the variety of discursive strategies used by stakeholders to address sensitive issues with regard to fishery management in Benin, in three different settings: individual interviews, homogeneous groups' discussions, and a heterogeneous group meeting. Issues that proved sensitive were discussed openly in the interviews or homogeneous groups' discussions, but not at all, or only indirectly, in the heterogeneous group meeting. With indirect discursive strategies, two out of the seven sensitive issues were put on the discussions' agenda. We conclude that the other issues were too sensitive among others because of historically grown interdependency between interventionists and fishers. We suggest that dealing with sensitive issues is an important dimension of the facilitation of interactive learning processes and provide methodological guidelines to detect and address such issues.     

Constructions of Climate Change on the Radio and in Nepalese Lay Focus Groups

To date analyses of media climate change constructions have mostly focused on coverage in western newspapers. Consideration of coverage in developing countries, and analyses of media constructions alongside local understandings of climate change are comparatively rare. This article provides an analysis of the construction of climate change on Nepalese radio and lay constructions of environment and climate change within the country. Data from a radio program and six focus groups are analyzed. Analysis of the radio program indicated that climate change was portrayed as a certain reality with national impacts caused by the actions of the West. While climate change dominated the radio headlines, in focus groups local environmental problems received far more attention. The paper aims to both inform directions for future climate change communication in Nepal and the wider research agenda.     

GIS与环境模拟在环境地学研究中的作用和意义

21世纪全球环境问题将更加突出,环境地学应为研究、解决环境问题做出更多的贡献。但是,环境地学研究所采用的方法和手段还不能满足客观的需要。文章着重讨论了环境模拟系统(EnvironmentalImitationSystem,EIS)的建立及EIS与地理信息系统(GeographicalInformationSystem,GIS)的耦合等问题。作者通过研究,认为上述问题已基本得到解决．从而可以弥补GIS中环境模拟功能的不足,可使EIS纳入GIS的信息空间管理系统,进行信息空间管理、应用分析和信息叠加,并使信息可视化。文章最后指出．目前,可建立GIS-EIS联合系统,以实现信息互换和信息资源的二次开发、利用。     

西北地区可持续发展应注意的主要问题与对策

本文在分析西北地区社会、经济及自然状况的基础上 ,着重从资源与环境方面指出该地区可持续发展应注意的主要问题 ,并针对这些问题 ,提出以可持续发展为目标的资源、环境策略。     

长江中游盆地地质环境系统演变与防治对策

在构造沉降,泥沙淤积及人工围的相互的相互作用下,长江中游盆地质环境系统分割为演变化方向不同的两部分,堤外水域成为人工过饱盆地,堤内垸地成人为人工饥饿盆地。,长江某些区段及洞庭湖 水位抬升,垸地高程不断降低,洪涝渍害不断加剧。     

Integrated testing and intelligent assessment—new challenges under REACH

BACKGROUND, AIM AND SCOPE: Due to a number of drawbacks associated with the previous regime for the assessment of new and existing chemicals, the European Union established a new regulation concerning the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals (REACH). All relevant industrial chemicals must now be assessed. Instead of the authorities, industry itself is responsible for the risk assessment. To achieve better and more efficient assessments while reducing animal testing, all information-standard, non-standard and non-testing-has to be used in an integrated manner. To meet these challenges, the current technical guidance documents for risk assessment of new and existing chemicals had to be updated and extended considerably. This was done by experts in a number of REACH Implementation Projects. This paper presents the most relevant results of the expert Endpoint Working Group on Aquatic Toxicity in order to illustrate the change of paradigm in the future assessment of hazards to the aquatic environment by chemical substances. MAIN FEATURES AND CHALLENGES: REACH sets certain minimum data requirements in order to achieve a high level of protection for human health and the environment. It encourages the assessor to use alternative information instead of or in addition to standard one. This information has to be equivalent to the standard information requirement and adequate to draw overall conclusions with respect to the regulatory endpoints classification and labelling, persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) assessment and predicted no-effect concentrations (PNEC) derivation. The main task of the expert working group was to develop guidance on how to evaluate the toxicity of a substance based on integration of information from different sources and of various degrees of uncertainty in a weight of evidence approach. INTEGRATED TESTING AND INTELLIGENT ASSESSMENT: In order to verify the equivalence and adequacy of different types of information, a flexible sequence of steps was proposed, covering characterisation of the substance, analysis of modes of action, identification of possible analogues, evaluation of existing in vivo and in vitro testing data as well as of QSAR results. Finally, all available data from the different steps have to be integrated to come to an overall conclusion on the toxicity of the substance. This weight of evidence approach is the basis for the development of integrated testing strategies (ITS), in that the available evidence can help to determine subsequent testing steps and is essential for an optimal assessment. Its flexibility helps to meet the different requirements for drawing conclusions on the endpoints classification and labelling, PNEC derivation as well as PBT assessment. The integration of all kinds of additional information in a multi-criteria assessment reduces the uncertainties involved with extrapolation to the ecosystem level. The weight of evidence approach is illustrated by practical examples. CONCLUSIONS AND PERSPECTIVES: REACH leads to higher challenges in order to make sound decisions with fewer resources, i.e. to move away from extensive standard testing to an intelligent substance-tailored approach. Expert judgement and integrated thinking are key elements of the weight of evidence concept and ITS, potentially leading to better risk assessments. Important sub-lethal effects such as endocrine disruption, which are not covered by the current procedure, can be considered. Conclusions have to be fully substantiated: Risk communication will be an important aspect of future assessments.     

广东连州地区珍稀濒危植物及其保护

通过对广东连州地区植物资源的考查和研究，发现该地区有珍稀濒危植物31科42唐45种，其中国家一级保护植物4种，国家二级保护植物27种。对它们的种类组成、区系成分、分布特征进行了分析，结果显示这些珍稀濒危植物具有组成多样、亚热带性质明显、起源古老、特有现象突出等特点，分析了这些植物濒危的原因，提出了相应的保护对策。     

全球气候变化下的中国粮食安全问题研究

粮食是人类生存的基础,保障粮食安全是“2030年可持续发展议程”的重要目标之一。论文基于粮食系统视角,从全球气候变化对粮食系统的作用、保障粮食安全对全球气候变化的影响,以及应对全球气候变化的粮食安全适应性策略出发,揭示粮食安全与全球气候变化的相互作用,系统梳理全球气候变化下的中国粮食安全问题。研究结果表明：1）全球气候变化导致粮食系统不确定性增加,且对中国粮食生产的影响加剧;2）粮食需求是全球气候变化的主要驱动力,粮食生产要素的重新配置加剧了全球气候变化;3）多尺度有机结合应对全球气候变化保障粮食安全需在微观上“藏粮于技”实现提质增效,在中观上“藏粮于地”注重生态建设,在宏观上坚持市场为主导完善粮食政策体系。全球气候变化背景下,保障粮食安全研究呈现从单一学科、单一维度、单一手段向依靠多学科开展多尺度、多要素、系统综合集成研究保障粮食安全转变,从高碳粮食系统向低碳高效粮食系统转变的趋势。     

江苏沿海化工区环境风险分级及优先管理策略研究

以江苏沿海40家化工园区为例,综合考虑化工园区评价单元与环境风险区域性、系统性和行业性特征,构建了包括风险源、控制机制、风险受体3项一级指标、9项二级指标的环境风险分级综合模型,提出以指标贡献率作为优先管理策略的半定量筛选依据.结果表明,研究区域内共有江苏响水陈家港化工集中区、江苏连云港化工产业园区、如皋精细化学工业园等7个高风险园区,其风险产生与园区产业结构、园区地理布局紧密相关.根据指标贡献度将7个高风险化工园区划分为两类化工园区:一类是以受体敏感性为主控风险因素的化工园区;一类以风险源以及风险控制为主控因素的化工园区.针对这两类化工园区,分别从环境监管、提高清洁生产水平、化工企业数量总量控制、污水处理厂及配套管网建设等方面提出优先管理策略.     

中国老工业城市的发展状态评价及衰退机制

近150 a以来,中国工业建设培育、塑造了大量的工业基地或工业城市,但在改革开放后的市场经济过程中,呈现出不同的发展态势,部分老工业城市明显衰退并逐步成为问题区域。论文在界定老工业城市概念的基础上,设计了由核心指标和辅助指标组成的评价体系,采用1985年数据,对我国老工业城市进行识别和筛选,认为全国共有100个老工业城市,分析了其空间格局和基本特征。然后,以1985—1986年和2008—2009年为时间点,根据工业产值和GDP比重两个指标,通过两维象限方法对我国老工业城市的工业地位和城市发展效益变化进行了对比研究,对其发展状态进行评价和分析,将其分为4类城市,认为我国有46个衰退滞后型老工业城市。然后,从发展路径、重大项目、产业结构、企业和体制等角度,深入揭示了衰退滞后型老工业城市的发展机制。