Fishing quota markets

In 1986, New Zealand responded to the open-access problem by establishing the world's largest individual transferable quota (ITQ) system. Using a 15-year panel dataset from New Zealand that covers 33 species and more than 150 markets for fishing quotas, we assess trends in market activity, price dispersion, and the fundamentals determining quota prices. We find that market activity is sufficiently high in the economically important markets and that price dispersion has decreased. We also find evidence of economically rational behavior through the relationship between quota lease and sale prices and fishing output and input prices, ecological variability, and market interest rates. Controlling for these factors, our results show a greater increase in quota prices for fish stocks that faced significant reductions, consistent with increased profitability due to rationalization. Overall, this suggests that these markets are operating reasonably well, implying that ITQs can be effective instruments for efficient fisheries management.     

A new policy‐related measure of population dispersal and sparsity using GIS

Policy indicators applied at a national scale can have considerable financial impact for resource allocations to individual counties, especially if there are extreme local factors. This article develops arid explores a new measure of population dispersal and sparsity and discusses the impact of this indicator in a variety of locations, by using GIS techniques.     

The Scottish economy: the development of underdevelopment?

This paper describes the recent economic history of the Scottish economy and uses a synthesised theory of labour market segmentation and the dual economy to identify the origins of the relative decline of Scottish industry and labour over the period, critically evaluating the role of the SDA and of government policy in general. Incorporating the impacts of takeover and merger of indigenous companies, the promotion of the branch plant economy, the selective effects of emigration and training schemes, and the reliance on small and medium sized companies to regenerate the economies of city‐regions, an analysis based on the importance of the centre‐periphery relations of monopoly capitalism for the Scottish economy is undertaken.     

The exuberant planet: A global look at the role of utilities in protecting biodiversity

Biodiversity is a critical environmental issue. Biodiverse species as a source of unique genetic information, for example, continues to provide society with lifesaving drugs and important industrial chemicals. Since US utilities are substantial landholders and virtually every aspect of utility operations are in some way tied to environmental/biodiversity issues, it is important and essential that the utility industry step forward as a leader. This paper details the past, present, and future role that utilities have played and need to play in the very important arena of biodiversity.     

A model for improving endangered species recovery programs

This paper discusses common organizational problems that cause inadequate planning and implementation processes of endangered species recovery across biologically dissimilar species. If these problems occur, even proven biological conservation techniques are jeopardized. We propose a solution that requires accountability in all phases of the restoration process and is based on cooperative input among government agencies, nongovernmental conservation organizations, and the academic community. The first step is formation of a task-oriented recovery team that integrates the best expertise into the planning process. This interdisciplinary team should be composed of people whose skills directly address issues critical for recovery. Once goals and procedures are established, the responsible agency (for example, in the United States, the US Fish and Wildlife Service) could divest some or all of its obligation for implementing the plan, yet still maintain oversight by holding implementing entities contractually accountable. Regular, periodic outside review and public documentation of the recovery team, lead agency, and the accomplishments of implementing bodies would permit evaluation necessary to improve performance. Increased cooperation among agency and nongovernmental organizations provided by this model promises a more efficient use of limited resources toward the conservation of biodiversity.     

对注册安全工程师定位并充分发挥其作用的探讨

自2002年9月在我国实施注册安全工程师执业资格制度以来,已有11044人获得《中华人民共和国注册安全工程师执业资格证书》。可以预见,今后几年的时间里,将有数万人取得注册安全工程师执业资格。但是,如何解决注册安全工程师的定位问题,如何提高注册安全工程师的地位和充分发挥注册安全工程师的作用,以及如何推进和完善注册安全工程师执业资格制度,仍需继续出台一系列的政策。笔者就注册安全工程师的定位问题以及如何充分发挥注册安全工程师的作用进行了探讨。     

多相抽提和原位化学氧化联合修复技术应用——某有机复合污染场地地下水修复工程案例

某电子机械厂搬迁后原址约1 500 m区域地下水受到了多种类型的有机物复合污染,包括石油烃、苯系物和多环芳烃,并且部分区域发现有明显轻质非水溶相流体(LNAPL)。该案例首先应用多相抽提技术强化回收地下水中的LNAPL,并去除土壤气体和地下水中溶解态的污染物。当地下水中不存在明显LNAPL且污染物浓度不再明显降低后,继续应用原位化学氧化技术进行修复,所使用氧化剂为"过硫酸钠+Na OH"。经过45 d的多相抽提以及4t过硫酸盐氧化剂注射之后,验收监测表明污染区域地下水污染物浓度均达到了修复目标。该案例表明,多种修复技术的联合应用能够明显加快修复进度、提高修复效率、节约修复成本。对于存在LNAPL,且修复目标较严格的有机复合污染场地,多相抽提结合原位化学氧化联合修复是一种较好的修复技术选择。     

新常态下我国环境政策的需求和建议

文章以新常态下经济社会新特点、新方向为出发点,分析了经济增速放缓、结构转型等对资源环境的新影响以及环境管理的新需求,并从释放政策潜力、激活市场活力、提高创新能力3方面,提出了我国环境政策发展的新思路与建议。     

Policy sciences contributions to analysis to promote sustainability

The policy sciences, in offering the most comprehensive approach to policy analysis and the sociopolitical processes that shape policy outcomes, is particularly appropriate for guiding the analysis required to promote sustainability. This article presents the main components of the policy sciences framework and demonstrates its potency in the crucial task of deepening the problem definitions required to select and enact policies to promote sustainability. As such, it provides background for the policy sciences articles of this special feature.

Education and advice contribute to increased density of broadleaved conservation trees, but not saplings, in young forest in Sweden

The effectiveness of different conservation policies is debated, but the policies are rarely evaluated quantitatively. A voluntary or 'soft' policy based mainly on education provides information about ecosystems and effects of land use, to encourage conservation action. Swedish forestry relies mainly on soft policy, with substantial resources for education and advice to more than 200,000 forest owners, while legal regulation is weak. Increased retention of broadleaved trees at clear-cutting, with environmental benefits in the conifer-dominated forestry, is important in the policy. We used the Swedish National Forest Inventory to analyse this policy for young forests in southern Sweden. Between 1983-1987 and 1998-2002 the policy had no positive effect on saplings (1.3m tall to 4.9 cm dbh) of birch, oak, beech and other species that mostly decreased in density, due to planting of conifers and browsing by ungulates. However, broadleaved conservation trees (>or=15 cm dbh) increased in density, e.g. to about one oak and six birches per ha in young coniferous forest in 1998-2002. The relative increase in density was higher for large (>or=20 cm dbh) than for small trees (15-20 cm dbh). The density of conservation trees was higher on forestland of high than of low productivity. Thus, the soft conservation policy did not influence regeneration of saplings in this type of forestry system, but large broadleaved trees were increasingly saved at 'clear-cuttings'. Advice and educational programmes probably contributed to this result. A continued increase in conservation trees at harvest may require economical support to forest owners.