River Chief System (RCS): An experiment on cross-sectoral coordination of watershed governance

The trans-regional characteristics of watershed governance produce more problems beyond the capacity of each individual water-related department, leading to the fragmentation of watershed management. The River Chief System (RCS) has experienced swift developments over the past decade in China by appointing the local government heads as river chiefs. RCS works efficiently in the short-term due to its superiority in the inclusion of clear responsibility, authority, and multi-sectoral collaboration. However, the characteristics of the authority-based vertical coordination of the hierarchical system remain unchanged, and therefore the problems of organizational logic and the responsibility dilemma still exist. Tasks including perfecting of laws, integrated watershed management, and public participation still need to be completed. RCS reflects the routine and characteristics of the migration of national governance, and as such provides new insights for other developing countries in the design of river management systems.     

The future of disasters studies: new disasters and the case of the Horn of Africa

Past disasters have been well studied, but the challenge of using the findings to improve the management of future events remains a daunting task. This paper argues that there are new and complex disasters of which the state itself has become the main source, as reflected in the Horn of Africa. This region is characterised by increasing vulnerability owing to the alarming decline of democracy and the rise of authoritarianism. These new disasters are less researched because of the hazard of conducting fieldwork in such environments. However, there is mounting evidence to highlight the possibility of performing research in these settings, but not by employing traditional methods; rather, these tools may need to be customised for use. One key policy implication here is that donors may need to invest more money in analysing these new disasters and they may need to consider building and strengthening genuine partnerships between Northern and Southern research institutions     

司法的流域性——兼论我国长江经济带司法协同治理

推动长江经济带发展是中共中央作出的重大决策,是关系国家发展全局的重要战略。法治是长江经济带实现高质量发展的根本保障。2021年3月1日,我国第一部流域法律《长江保护法》正式施行。长江流域司法协同治理是实现《长江保护法》提出的统筹协调、系统保护机制的重要保障。当前,我国长江经济带司法治理呈现碎片化特征,流域生态系统在司法保护尺度内尚未统一。本文基于对司法空间属性的理论分析,结合美国流域司法治理相关案例的考察,提出从空间协同性和专业协同性两个角度构建我国长江司法协同治理机制。     

新时代环境社会治理体系的构建和创新——中国环境科学学会环境社会治理专委会2020年年会综述

环境社会治理是现代环境治理体系和治理能力中的重要组成部分,但同时也是突出短板。2020年11月13日,环境社会治理专委会2020年年会成功召开,多位专家学者从多种角度围绕“新时代环境社会治理体系的构建和创新”进行了分享与讨论,对推动环境社会治理工作带来启示:一是环境社会治理是调整环境治理主体和客体之间关系的一系列制度手段,需要在新时代背景下完成从“物理”到“人文”的转变,体现平等参与的价值观。二是在转型期社会力量博弈变迁的背景下,环境问题须通过社会力量解决,并配套相应的环境社会治理新策略和手段,提高治理效率、降低治理成本。三是坚持系统性思维,以目的为导向、理清治理主体和客体作用,协调布局环境社会治理的制度安排,以环境社会治理核心要素、重点关注内容为抓手,构建环境社会治理体系。面对当前深刻变化的内外部环境,有必要进一步重点加强环境与社会相互关系与影响研究、环境社会风险防范体系研究、全民行动体系研究、关键理论和技术创新研究等内容。     

Local‐level governance of risk and resilience in Nepal

This paper explores the circumstances in which communities may effectively reduce risks. It draws on the example of two ‘Risk and Resilience Committees’ (RRCs) that were established in Nepal as part of an action research project: one in Panchkhal in the central region, operating as a community‐based organisation (CBO); and the other in Dhankuta in the eastern region, embedded in municipal government. In‐depth interviews were conducted with RRC members. Wider community preferences for risk reduction were examined through a questionnaire survey. In Dhankuta, the RRC obtained further funding, developed strong upward and downward institutional links, and applied a ‘disaster risk reduction lens’ to existing local government responsibilities. In Panchkhal, RRC activities have been limited by funding and have focused on the strengthening of livelihoods. It may be concluded tentatively that community‐based disaster risk reduction activities are more successful when they are institutionally embedded in local government structures.     

The Wicked Problem of China's Disappearing Coral Reefs

We examined the development of coral reef science and the policies, institutions, and governance frameworks for management of coral reefs in China in order to highlight the wicked problem of preserving reefs while simultaneously promoting human development and nation building. China and other sovereign states in the region are experiencing unprecedented economic expansion, rapid population growth, mass migration, widespread coastal development, and loss of habitat. We analyzed a large, fragmented literature on the condition of coral reefs in China and the disputed territories of the South China Sea. We found that coral abundance has declined by at least 80% over the past 30 years on coastal fringing reefs along the Chinese mainland and adjoining Hainan Island. On offshore atolls and archipelagos claimed by 6 countries in the South China Sea, coral cover has declined from an average of >60% to around 20% within the past 10–15 years. Climate change has affected these reefs far less than coastal development, pollution, overfishing, and destructive fishing practices. Ironically, these widespread declines in the condition of reefs are unfolding as China's research and reef‐management capacity are rapidly expanding. Before the loss of corals becomes irreversible, governance of China's coastal reefs could be improved by increasing public awareness of declining ecosystem services, by providing financial support for training of reef scientists and managers, by improving monitoring of coral reef dynamics and condition to better inform policy development, and by enforcing existing regulations that could protect coral reefs. In the South China Sea, changes in policy and legal frameworks, refinement of governance structures, and cooperation among neighboring countries are urgently needed to develop cooperative management of contested offshore reefs. El Problema Malvado de la Desaparición de los Arrecifes de Coral en China     

Levels of community participation and satisfaction with decentralized wildlife management in Idodi-Pawaga Wildlife Management Area,Tanzania

Participatory approaches to conservation are viewed as a plausible alternative to the old ‘fortress conservation’ approach. The design and implementation of these approaches in developing countries have tended to embrace community participation through decentralized governance mechanisms in the past three decades. However, sustainable conservation approaches that maintain community livelihoods while conserving biodiversity are challenged with meeting both objectives. In addressing this challenge, little attention has been given to an empirical analysis of community’s satisfaction levels on how they participated in the design and implementation of this approach. In this article, we use a mixed method approach using both quantitative and qualitative data to examine levels of satisfaction and participation of local communities in the Idodi-Pawaga Wildlife Management Area (WMA), south-western Tanzania. We find that social economic factors (e.g. age, household size, gender, number of years living in the same location and participation/non-participation) influence, in different ways, the satisfaction levels of community’s participation towards the WMA creation. Due to inadequate participation, we find that the WMA design and implementation process failed from the beginning to actively involve the local communities and this has resulted in the near absence of the promised economic benefits from wildlife conservation. We suggest that participation should go beyond the simple information sharing to actively engage the local communities in key planning activities from the beginning of any WMA programme. It is also important to take into consideration their levels of satisfaction with the process of decision-making if meaningful decentralized governance is to be achieved.     

Living with disasters: social capital for disaster governance

This paper explores how social networks and bonds within and across organisations shape disaster operations and strategies. Local government disaster training exercises serve as a window through which to view these relations, and ‘social capital’ is used as an analytic for making sense of the human relations at the core of disaster management operations. These elements help to expose and substantiate the often intangible relations that compose the culture that exists, and that is shaped by preparations for disasters. The study reveals how this social capital has been generated through personal interactions, which are shared among disaster managers across different organisations and across ‘levels’ within those organisations. Recognition of these ‘group resources’ has significant implications for disaster management in which conducive social relations have become paramount. The paper concludes that socio‐cultural relations, as well as a people‐centred approach to preparations, appear to be effective means of readying for, and ultimately responding to, disasters.     

环境污染责任保险地方试点政策创新与实践研究

本文在环境污染责任保险试点调研和数据分析的基础上,总结了近年来环境污染责任保险政策的实践发展趋势,发现环境污染责任保险政策具有趋于强制、投保范围明确且趋同、产品性价比提升、保险市场受政策影响波动大的显著特点,地方试点实践中面临缺少环境风险定价方案、事故预防难开展、政府部门权责不清及数据信息共享缺乏的现实困境;同时在分析环境污染责任保险贵州新一轮试点对环境污染责任保险试点困境的实践突破基础上,总结统一条款、统一风险定价、统一投承保平台的"贵州模式"。基于以上分析本文提出如下建议:进一步明确环境污染责任保险强制的上位法依据,建立全国统一的环境污染强制责任保险管理制度;根据环境风险形成全过程理论,采用"两步走"方式,平衡科学性与成本关系,建立保前风险评估—保后隐患排查标准体系;建立国家—省级—地市多层级多主体环境污染责任保险治理信息化平台。     

区域管制在实现国家资源安全过程中的作用研究

本文分析了国家资源安全的特点 ,提出区域管制是实现国家资源安全的重要手段。认为建立资源市场 ,对自然资源进行资产化管理 ,制定资源开发利用技术标准 ,实行资源开发许可审批制度 ,采取激励政策 ,建立安全押金制度是实现国家资源安全的重要途径