Sustainable development in the mining industry: clarifying the corporate perspective

This paper examines sustainable development in the corporate mining context, and provides some guidelines for mining companies seeking to operate more sustainably. There is now a burgeoning literature that examines sustainable development in the context of minerals and mining, most of which is concerned with sustainability at global and national scales. What is often challenging to ascertain, however, from these numerous perspectives on sustainable mineral extraction, minerals and metals recycling, environmental management, and social performance, is how sustainable development applies to mining companies themselves, and what steps a mine must take in order to improve the sustainability of operations. Since mining processes have the potential to impact a diverse group of environmental entities, and are of interest to a wide range of stakeholder groups, there is ample opportunity for the industry to operate more sustainably. Specifically, with improved planning, implementation of sound environmental management tools and cleaner technologies, extended social responsibility to stakeholder groups, the formation of sustainability partnerships, and improved training, a mine can improve performance in both the environmental and socioeconomic arenas, and thus contribute enormously to sustainable development at the mine level.     

四川龙泉湖自然保护区可持续性评价与撤销建议

龙泉湖自然保护区位于川中盆地西缘,以石盘水库为保护对象。本文首先从自然生态条件、资金与管理、周边社区发展3方面,选取稀有性、多样性、自然性、典型性、面积适宜性、资金状况、管理状况、社区发展8项指标,构建我国自然保护区可持续性综合评价的指标体系。对于面积适宜性,笔者统计得出判别功能区面积比是否适宜的标准,将该指标具体细化。核心一缓冲一实验区面积的合理比例约为0．4：0．1～0．2：O．5～0．4。以这一指标体系,对该保护区予以评分,验证该指标体系的可操作性。评分结果龙泉湖保护区仅得33分,处于不可持续水平。限制因素在自然生态、管理方面,尤其是生态功能重要性太低。进而分析该保护区不具备自然属性,动、植物物种数占四川省的比例很小,无特殊保护价值;且至今未设立保护区管理机构,无专业管护人员,不能履行管理职责。因此,本文建议撤销龙泉湖省级自然保护区,改设为省级水利风景区或湿地公园。     

Design of an institutional decision-making process: the case of urban water management

Urban water infrastructure expenditures cause a major financial burden to municipalities. In the opinion of many policy-makers, public funds may alleviate this burden and facilitate environmental policies. However, practice has shown that despite ambitious policies, funding often follows traditional cost-dominated thinking. In Austria, national policy-makers were interested in new guidelines for funding that increase the transparency of the planning, ensure the adequate treatment of ecological problems, and foster stakeholder involvement, but keep the process as simple as possible, and require minimal changes of the current guidelines. An interdisciplinary project team conducted such a study. Its outcome was tested in two pilot projects. Based on these experiences, policy-makers finally implemented the recommended guidelines for the funding of communal urban water infrastructure projects. A general observation about the policy-making process was a conservative attitude of policy-makers. They prefer simple constraints (precautionary principle) and flexible negotiations (delegation) to complex assessment and decision-aid methodologies.     

中国生态市建设的理论与实践

生态市建设是城市可持续发展的新途径。介绍了生态市的发展历程、内涵及意义,重点对我国生态市建设指标的修订情况进行了深入分析,提出建设生态市需加强领导,确保生态市建设有序进行;编制建设规划,明确重点建设任务;完善公共参与机制、目标责任制和投入机制等措施。     

Bed Stability and Sedimentation Associated With Human Disturbances in Pacific Northwest Streams1

Abstract: To evaluate anthropogenic sedimentation in United States (U.S.) Pacific Northwest coastal streams, we applied an index of relative bed stability (LRBS*) to summer low flow survey data collected using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program field methods in a probability sample of 101 wadeable stream reaches. LRBS* is the log of the ratio of bed surface geometric mean particle diameter (D_gm) to critical diameter (D*_cbf) at bankfull flow, based on a modified Shield’s criterion for incipient motion. We used a formulation of LRBS* that explicitly accounts for reductions in bed shear stress that result from channel form roughness due to pools and wood. LRBS* ranged from ?1.9 to +0.5 in streams within the lower quartile of human riparian and basin disturbance, and was substantially lower (?4.2 to ?1.1) in streams within the upper quartile of human disturbance. Modeling results suggest that the expected range of LRBS* in streams without human disturbances in this region might be generally between ?0.7 and +0.5 in either sedimentary or volcanic lithology. However, streams draining relatively soft, erodible sedimentary lithology showed greater reductions in LRBS* associated with disturbance than did those having harder, more resistant volcanic (basalt) lithology with similar levels of basin and riparian disturbance. At any given level of disturbance, smaller streams had lower LRBS* than those with larger drainages. In sedimentary lithology (sandstone and siltstone), high‐gradient streams had higher LRBS* than did low‐gradient streams of the same size and level of human disturbance. High gradient streams in volcanic lithology, in contrast, had lower LRBS* than low‐gradient streams of similar size and disturbance. Correlations between D_gm and land disturbance were stronger than those observed between D*_cbf and land disturbance. This pattern suggests that land use has augmented sediment supplies and increased streambed fine sediments in the most disturbed streams. However, we also show evidence that some of the apparent reductions in LRBS*, particularly in steep streams draining small volcanic drainages, may have resulted in part from anthropogenic increases in bed shear stress. The synoptic survey methods and designs we use appear adequate to evaluate regional patterns in bed stability and sedimentation and their general relationship to human disturbances. More precise field measurements of channel slope, cross‐section geometry, and bed surface particle size would be required to use LRBS* in applications requiring a higher degree of accuracy and precision, such as site‐specific assessments at individual streams.     

基于职业病报告数据的监测预警系统设计

为了对单病种职业病的预防控制水平、某类职业病的预防控制水平进行动态评估和决策,运用信息监测预警的基本原理和理论,整理分析职业病报告数据,提出基于职业病报告的监测预警指标体系,构建出基于职业病报告数据的监测预警体系和运行模式。通过该监测预警系统的运行,可以科学的判断出应重点控制的职业病种（发病率高、发病工龄短、潜伏期短、病死率高、后果严重的职业病）,应重点控制的高危地区、高危行业、高危工种、高危人群,针对具体职业病病种应重点控制的影响因素等。     

井下高温作业场所热害评价分级指标研究

本文通过对井下高温作业场所作业人员人体热交换过程及影响因素的分析,结合国内外相关指标研究现状,建立了包括4项指标的井下高温作业场所评价指标体系;在此基础上,从制定分级标准的目的出发,对相关指标进行定性和定量筛选分析,最终确定以WBGT指数和最高体力劳动强度级别作为井下高温作业场所热害程度分级指标。     

Conversion of specialised dairy farming systems into sustainable mixed farming systems in Cuba

From the 1960s onwards, a ‘High External Input’ dairy production model was applied widely in Cuba. Overall milk production of the national herd increased considerably, but the system was inefficient from both a financial and energetic point of view. In the early 1990s, after the abrupt end of inflow of capital and other resources from Eastern Europe, the dairy sector collapsed. In the short term, the modern infrastructure of milk production deteriorated and the sector experienced profound vulnerability. However, in the longer term, this situation stimulated a search for more sustainable approaches, such as low external input Mixed Farming Systems (MFS). The current study aimed to evaluate two small scale prototype farms to assess the implications of converting ‘Low External Input’ Dairy Farming Systems into MFS. Fifteen agro-ecological and financial indicators were selected and monitored over a 6-year period. Two configurations of MFS, i.e. the proportion of the farm area occupied by arable crops, were tested: 25 and 50%. Productivity, energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness all improved following conversion. Total energy input was low for both farms and decreased over time, whereas energy efficiency was high and increased over time. Human labour input was high directly following conversion, but decreased by one-third over the 6-year period. This study demonstrates, at an experimental scale, the potential of MFS to achieve ecological, productivity and financial advantages for dairy production in Cuba. Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.