An Assessment of the Valuation Methods Used to Calculate the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW), Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI), and Sustainable Net Benefit Index (SNBI)

For some time now, ecological economists have been putting forward a ‘threshold hypothesis’ – the notion that when macroeconomic systems expand beyond a certain size, the additional cost of growth exceeds the flow of additional benefits. In order to support their belief, ecological economists have developed a number of similar indexes to measure and compare the benefits and costs of growth (e.g., the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare and the Genuine Progress Indicator). In virtually every instance where an index of this type has been calculated for a particular country, the movement of the index appears to reinforce the existence of the threshold hypothesis. Of late, a number of observers have expressed concerns about whether these alternative indexes reflect concrete reality or the prejudices of ecological economists. In view of these concerns, this paper closely examines the valuation methods used in the calculation the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare, the Genuine Progress Indicator, and the Sustainable Net Benefit Index. It is argued that a consistent and more robust set of valuation techniques is required in order for these alternative indexes to gain broad acceptability.*Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

太湖不同湖区生态系统健康评价方法研究

基于长期的监测资料，计算了表征湖泊生态系统健康的系统能（Ex）、系统能结构（Exs1）和生态缓冲容量（｜β｜）指标，以及湖泊营养状态指数（Its）。结果表明，太湖不同湖区生态系统健康状况差异明显，1998-2001年太湖典型湖区健康状况由好到差的相对顺序为：东太湖、贡湖和湖心区、梅梁湾、五里湖。在此基础上，提出了富营养化浅水湖泊生态系统健康指标阈值和湖泊系统能量健康指数（IEx）及其健康状况分级。经2002、2003年太湖不同湖区实测检验表明，所提出的湖泊系统能量健康指数及其健康状况分级适用于评价太湖不同湖区生态系统健康的区域分异状况。     

Evaluation of ecological restoration success in mining‐degraded lands

This review article analyzes the importance of assessing the success of ecological restoration by using four indicators: assemblage of the plant and animal communities; enzyme activity; litter accumulation and decomposition; and the improvement of soil quality. These indicators can be used alone or in combinations. Even though the Society for Ecological Restoration International provided a primer containing nine attributes to use as standards for measuring ecological restoration, only three of these attributes could be easily applied due to their low costs and low time requirements. These three attributes include: diversity, vegetation structure, and ecological processes. This review article emphasizes that the criteria for the selection of the indicator species should be based upon: habitat types, abundance of species, ease of measuring, quantifying and interpreting the results, gradual enhancement with time and cost‐effectiveness, sensitivity, variability of response, size, residential status, and requirements of the area. Principal component analysis was applied to calculate the reclaimed mine soil quality index (RMSQI) and the forest soil quality index (FSQI) and the RMSQI value was compared with FSQI (optimum index value of reference ecosystem) to evaluate the restoration success. Available phosphorus, exchangeable magnesium, organic carbon, clay content, field moisture, available nitrogen, electrical conductivity, and pH are identified as the most influential parameters that regulate the health of reclaimed mine soil. Exchangeable calcium, magnesium, cation exchange capacity, sand, silt, clay content, field moisture, available phosphorus, and pH are the controlling properties for forest soil. The observed values of the above‐stated soil indicator properties were converted into a unitless score (0–1.00) and integrated into index calculations (RMSQI and FSQI). The contribution of each soil indicator properties on the calculated index was analyzed, which provides insight into the reason for the measured index. A higher RMSQI indicates better ecological restoration success. The calculated RMSQI was found to be 0.473 in the reclaimed dump, which is 6% lower than the reference ecosystem.     

中国灌区粮食生产水足迹及用水评价

以1998、2005 及2009 年459 个灌区资料为基础,从区域尺度计算粮食生产水足迹,建立粮食生产用水水平综合评价指标I对灌区粮食生产与水资源利用之间的关系进行评价。结果显示:粮食生产水足迹及其组成的区域间差异均较大,大值省区主要分布于东北、华南,小值省区以黄淮海平原为核心集中分布;全国粮食生产水足迹多年均值为1.336 m³/kg,蓝、绿水比例分别为63.7%和35.8%,有35.1%的水足迹损失于粮食生产过程。空间自相关分析表明,粮食生产用水水平综合评价指标I相似的省区在空间上显著地聚集,局部自相关属性为HH和LL的省区超过了20 个,不同年份总体和局部的空间分异特征随时间变化均不明显;省区间粮食生产综合用水水平差异大,I值介于0.079~0.889 之间,变异系数为0.59,黄河中下游省区用水水平较高而东北及西北大部分省区则相反。结合人均粮食占有量与I值在全国的地位,对各省区粮食生产与农业用水发展方向进行了讨论。     

区域环评中生态适宜度分析指标体系的探讨

从城市生态学的内涵和自然与社会两大生态系统出发,结合上海城市特点,建立应用于上海市城镇区域开发建设环境影响评价的生态适宜度分析指标体系,它包括开发区居住用地和工业用地的三级指标体系,其中居住区包含环境质量、绿化景观和地理位置等6项自然生态指标,和生活设施、布局设计、人口密度和综合管理等10项人文社会生态指标;工业区包含环境质量和自然地理等8项自然生态指标,和基础设施、人力资源和综合条件等9项人文生态指标.指标体系以上海市罗店镇和庄行镇城镇作为评价对象进行实例验证分析,结果表明,与实际情况基本相符.     

A Cumulative Energy Demand indicator (CED), life cycle based,for industrial waste management decision making

Life cycle thinking is a good approach to be used for environmental decision-support, although the complexity of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies sometimes prevents their wide use. The purpose of this paper is to show how LCA methodology can be simplified to be more useful for certain applications.In order to improve waste management in Catalonia (Spain), a Cumulative Energy Demand indicator (LCA-based) has been used to obtain four mathematical models to help the government in the decision of preventing or allowing a specific waste from going out of the borders. The conceptual equations and all the subsequent developments and assumptions made to obtain the simplified models are presented.One of the four models is discussed in detail, presenting the final simplified equation to be subsequently used by the government in decision making.The resulting model has been found to be scientifically robust, simple to implement and, above all, fulfilling its purpose: the limitation of waste transport out of Catalonia unless the waste recovery operations are significantly better and justify this transport.     

基于生态系统的水环境压力分区指标体系构建

为了科学合理的完成水环境压力分区,构建水环境压力分区指标体系是其关键和基础.鉴于水环境压力涉及因素的系统性.相互联系性,从生态系统的角度考虑选取水环境压力分区指标十分必要;由于水环境压力涉及方面的相互联系性,其表征指标之间往往存在信息量的重叠,为了避免信息的重复表达,减少不必要的工作量,同时避免冗余指标带来的干扰,需对...     

Effects of free ammonia on volatile fatty acid accumulation and process performance in the anaerobic digestion of two typical bio-wastes

The effect of free ammonia on volatile fatty acid(VFA)accumulation and process instability was studied using a lab-scale anaerobic digester fed by two typical bio-wastes:fruit and vegetable waste(FVW)and food waste(FW)at 35°C with an organic loading rate(OLR)of 3.0 kg VS/(m~3·day). The inhibitory effects of free ammonia on methanogenesis were observed due to the low C/N ratio of each substrate(15.6 and 17.2,respectively). A high concentration of free ammonia inhibited methanogenesis resulting in the accumulation of VFAs and a low methane yield. In the inhibited state,acetate accumulated more quickly than propionate and was the main type of accumulated VFA. The co-accumulation of ammonia and VFAs led to an "inhibited steady state" and the ammonia was the main inhibitory substance that triggered the process perturbation. By statistical significance test and VFA fluctuation ratio analysis,the free ammonia inhibition threshold was identified as 45 mg/L. Moreover,propionate,iso-butyrate and valerate were determined to be the three most sensitive VFA parameters that were subject to ammonia inhibition.     

双台子河口湿地植被修复生境健康评价方法研究

以2014—2015年双台子河口滨海湿地植被修复20个站位调查资料为基础,对湿地修复结构指标、功能指标和环境指标进行研究,结合湿地生态系统健康理论,构建湿地生态环境健康评价指标体系。运用层次分析法(AHP)确定权重,对各个指标赋予权重,将健康评价分为3个等级,确立了生态健康评价方法,对近岸破损湿地翅碱蓬修复生境进行评价。进一步引用评价净影响值(EI)方法判断生境修复前、后的健康对比状态,从而确定翅碱蓬对该破损湿地的修复效果显著。从景观生态学和健康评价角度分析来看,建立此评价方法是可行的,可为今后湿地的管理与保护提供科学依据。     

海南岛地表水的区域地球化学特征及其影响因素

始于2004年的海南岛多目标生态地球化学调查,对全岛的地表水进行了区域调查取样,分析测试了24项指标(部分样品增加测试12项)。测试结果表明,大多数指标优于国家地表水环境质量标准(GB3838-2002)中III类水体水质标准,只有Hg和总氮存在区域性的超Ⅲ类水体水质。经对样品的聚类分析研究表明,全岛地表水样品主要分为4类,分别反映了地表植被、海水入侵、灌溉水田排水、矿山废水排放对地表水化学成分的控制作用。在此认识的基础上,依地表水样品所处的土地利用方式的不同,按一定顺序对样品进行编号赋值(沿海的土地视为"海洋利用方式"),该赋值与聚类分析所得到的样品类别值之间存在极显著的正相关性,相关系数达0.8280,表明海南岛的土地利用方式是控制地表水地球化学特征的关键因素,从而为海南岛地表水环境质量的保护和提高指出了方向。