A responsibility–accountability framework for private sector use of a World Heritage Area

The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is a natural asset of global significance, spanning 2600?km’s along the Australian coastline. On the southern tip of the GBR is the Gladstone region, where high levels of industrial activity have been juxtaposed with the natural wonder, and World Heritage Listed, GBR. Given these competing local priorities, this research explores local perceptions of the GBR and its management. Exploratory analysis of 38 interviews with residents and stakeholders from Gladstone revealed a potential incongruence between environmental concern and support for more stringent management of the tourism and resources sectors on the GBR. A responsibility–accountability framework (RAF) for managing the use and protection of the GBR is developed by drawing on current theoretical frameworks and the results of the interviews. Importantly the framework highlights the importance of business responsibility combined with monitoring and control mechanisms to ensure accountability and to deliver transparency, education and partnership. Future research should apply the RAF for testing and application in other marine World Heritage Area contexts.     

庐山旅游景区环境保护浅析

庐山风景秀美、人文历史丰富,伴随着庐山旅游业的迅速发展,庐山环境问题也逐渐突显出来。本文通过问卷调查、实地考察、访谈等方式了解游客关于庐山旅游景区环境的看法,利用数理统计方法分析了水、空气、固体垃圾的污染现状,提出了改善庐山旅游环境质量的举措,将为庐山旅游景区的可持续发展提供依据。     

Public participation in NGO-oriented communities for disaster prevention and mitigation (N-CDPM) in the Longmen Shan fault area during the Wenchuan and Lushan earthquake periods

ABSTRACT

The Longmen Shan fault area in southwest China is one of the world’s most active earthquake zones. The epicenters of the two most recent earthquakes, the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake (8.0?Ms) and the 2013 Lushan earthquake (7.0?Ms), both of which caused serious losses, were only 85?km apart. Community-based disaster risk reduction is the foundation of the disaster management system pyramid and is critical to the success of ‘sustainable hazard mitigation’. Based on multiple collaborative stakeholder perspectives, this paper examines public participation in an NGO-oriented Community for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (N-CDPM) in the period between the two earthquakes as a multi-stage problem; N-CDPM establishment, normal operations, disaster testing, and continuous improvement. Multi-stage field research was conducted in the affected areas in the Longmen Shan fault area to examine the collaboration in each stage, after which the differences were compared across the four stages based on eight key indices; scales, core stakeholders, core network stability, mean number of lines, mean collaborative level, governments, and individual and public organization participation. The government participation, individual participation, and public organization participation are then discussed. This paper provides a novel research approach to CDPM in multiple earthquake regions and gives rich insights into the collaboration between the government and the public for N-CDPM.     

Targeting vulnerability after the 2005 earthquake: Pakistan's Livelihood Support Cash Grants programme

The 7.6 magnitude (Richter scale) earthquake that struck northern Pakistan on 8 October 2005 was devastating. This paper gauges success in targeting vulnerable families during the transition from relief to reconstruction through cash assistance provided by the Livelihood Support Cash Grants (LSCG) programme. Families without a male member, with a disabled male member aged between 18 and 60 years or with more than five children, defined as vulnerable, were provided with USD 50 per month for six months via a bank transfer. The LSCG scheme enrolled around 750,000 families and selected 267,402 vulnerable families to whom it disbursed a total of USD 86.95 million. Using a community‐based survey, this paper assesses leakage and under‐coverage (exclusion). Approximately 30 per cent of families received the cash grant. However, only one in two was eligible for the benefit, and one in two deserving families was excluded. This is a matter of grave concern.     

杭州无车日大气细颗粒物化学组成形成机制及光学特性

在世界无车日期间对PM2.5化学组分、光学参数及气态污染物进行同步监测,评估机动车尾气排放对杭州市细颗粒物污染及能见度的影响.结果表明:管制期间NO2、NOx、CO和PM2.5浓度分别为45.0, 50.8, 1119, 85.8μg/m3,比平日分别下降了17.5%、23.3%、20.6%和32.6%.管制期间PM2.5中OC、EC和二次无机组分浓度为8.58, 4.29, 25.95μg/m3,比管制前下降了13.8%、12.6%和15.7%,管制后则达到20.24, 10.85, 27.39μg/m3,上升了136.0%、152.7%和5.5%.管制期间较高的NO3-/PM2.5和NOR(0.15)表明PM2.5的形成更多受二次无机转化影响,管制后PM2.5中上升的OC、EC比例和较低的NOR(0.07)则说明PM2.5主要来自机动车排放的碳质组分的贡献.硫酸盐、硝酸盐、有机气溶胶和EC是最主要的消光组分,共解释了总消光系数的74.0%~89.7%.管制后,机动车排放的有机物和EC消光比例达到26.6%和24.6%,大气消光系数则达到438.7Mm-1,比管制期间上升了60.5%,表明机动车污染排放已成为影响杭州大气细颗粒物污染和能见度下降的重要因素.     

Public sector perspectives and policy implications for the Pitons Management Area World Heritage Site,St. Lucia

St. Lucia faces numerous challenges associated with striking a balance between its economic and conservation goals with respect to the Pitons Management Area (PMA) World Heritage Site. Among the various stakeholders, the public sector, which largely constitutes the administrative authorities representing the general public, plays an instrumental role in site management. They are primarily responsible for policy formulation as well as the provision of fiscal incentives and funds to assist in the maintenance of the site. Based on a qualitative inquiry approach, this study explored the perspectives of key persons among pertinent public and non-profit organizations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted among local and national representatives from the public sector. Results revealed that the designation of the PMA as a World Heritage Site has presented both opportunities and challenges to the management of the site. Findings strongly indicate that the integrity and sustainability of the site is at stake due to a lack of commitment, coordination and political will in the public sector.     

庐山植物园11种植物的根际土壤氮磷有效性和酶活性

通过比较不同种源植物的土壤理化性质与生物学活性的差异及根际效应,探讨不同种源植物对庐山酸性山地土壤的环境适应性。在庐山植物园内选择引种多年的11种不同种源的常绿树种,在生长季节中采集根际土和非根际土,测定有机碳含量、碱解氮及有效磷含量、脲酶和酸性磷酸酶活性,并分析各树种根际土壤氮磷养分及酶活性的根际效应。结果表明,（1）不同树种之间的根际土壤酸性磷酸酶（P〈0.01）、有效磷（P〈0.05）和碱解氮（P〈0.01）存在明显差异,而脲酶没有差异。（2）根际与非根际土壤氮磷有效性和酶活性表现出不同的特征,大部分树种根际土壤有效磷及酸性磷酸酶存在一定的根际效应（R/S〉1）,例如红花木莲Manglietia insignis、桂南木莲Manglietia chingii及云南拟单性木兰Parakmeria yunnanensis的根际与非根际土壤有效磷含量存在显著差异（P〈0.05）,红花木莲、桂南木莲、巴东木莲Manglietia patungensis、红茴香Illicium henryi及红皮糙果茶Camellia crapnelliana与乡土树种云锦杜鹃Rhododendron fortunei根际与非根际土壤酸性磷酸酶存在显著差异（P〈0.05）。但是,根际与非根际土壤碱解氮和脲酶差异不明显,有的甚至出现脲酶的根际负效应（R/S〈1）,如巴东木莲和红花木莲等树种根际土壤低于非根际土壤（P〈0.05）。（3）不同种源树种影响下的土壤有效磷和酸性磷酸酶的根际效应（R/S比值）明显,原产西南地区的树种如桂南木莲、云南拟单性木兰和巴东木莲与华南地区的红花木莲、红茴香等土壤有效磷的根际效应（R/S〉1.5）比原产华东亚热带地区的深山含笑Michelia maudiae和云锦杜鹃更明显,相应的酸性磷酸酶的根际效应也较高。土壤脲酶和碱解氮的根际效应却不明显。（4）土壤有机碳与碱解氮、有效磷和酸性磷酸酶存在显著正相关关系（P〈0.01）,土壤碱解氮与有效磷（P〈0.01）和酸性磷酸酶（P〈0.05）具显著正相关关系,酸性磷酸酶与pH值（P〈0.05）显著负相关,说明根际土壤有机物质的积累对根际微区的理化环境及根际土壤养分活性具有重要影响。     

世行贷款云南城市环境建设项目的移民政策与实践

在世行贷款云南城市环境建设项目移民的实践基础上,对移民政策与实践进行初步探讨,对云南城市环境建设项目移民工作将会涉及的问题进行浅析,提出在云南城市环境建设项目中开展项目优化设计,参与者活动,制定合理的移民行动计划,制定和执行针对贫困群体的优惠收费政策,施工期间安全和便利的维护,建设项目后续管理机制的有关建议。     

Ken Burns and American Mythology in The National Parks: America's Best Idea

Ken Burns' series on the national parks reveals the evolving values of the American nation, particularly in relation to nature. Through both the beauty and the history of these set apart spaces, Burns presents and to some extent critiques America's mythic dreams of nature. Nature as new world garden and as frontier shapes the story that is told. This essay focuses on two themes, science and pluralism, and argues the presentation of each (the former with less depth, the latter with more) is constrained by the mythic narrative of pristine America that seems unable to evolve, either in the face of ecological values of interrelationships or pluralistic values that re-shape understandings of democracy. More attention to the problematic of the notion of preservation of pristine America would have enabled the film to speak more powerfully not only of the history of the parks, but also of their future.     

Pressure cookers or pressure valves: Do roads lead to deforestation in China?

The effect of roads on forests is ambiguous. Many studies conclude that building and upgrading roads increases pressure on forests but some find that new and better roads may reduce the rate of deforestation. In this paper we use satellite remote sensing images of forest cover in Jiangxi Province, China, to test whether the existence and the size of roads (ranging from expressways to tertiary roads) in 1995 affected the level of forest cover in 2000 or the rate of change between 1995 and 2000. To account for road access for each of our 1 km² (“pixel”) units of forest cover we measure whether or not and what type of roads penetrate the “watershed” in which the pixel lies. These watersheds allow more plausible measures of accessibility than do traditional “crowfly” distance measures that ignore topography. To account for possible confounding we also use 12 additional covariates: geographic and climatic variables (e.g., elevation, slope, rainfall, temperature, soil properties); demographic and economic variables (e.g., local population and GDP per square kilometer); and distance variables (e.g., distance to the nearest provincial capital). Although simple univariate OLS regressions show that forest levels are lower and deforestation rates higher either when there is a road, or when there is a higher quality road, these results are not robust. Controlling for all of the covariates and also using recently developed covariate matching techniques to estimate treatment effects, we find that roads in China’s Jiangxi Province can most safely be described as having no impact on the level of forests and no impact on the rate of deforestation.