Integrated catchment management in Western Australia: Transition from concept to implementation

Integrated catchment management (ICM) was introduced as state policy in 1988 to overcome land and water degradation in Western Australia (WA). Key elements of ICM are cooperation among state and local governments and landholders; involvement of landholders and local communities in identification of issues and solutions; and, agreement on common objectives. This study identifies the issues that led to the adoption of integrated catchment management in Western Australia, outlines its main characteristics, and reviews the progress and problems encountered during its initial implementation. ICM has generally been accepted and endorsed in WA. However, differences of opinion have emerged regarding exactly what it means and how it should be applied. Designing ideal organizational structures for ICM is not sufficient for it to be effective. Ultimately, people have to make ICM function, and therefore it is essential that priority be given to cultivating the good will and trust necessary for ICM to work well. ICM also requires a long-term perspective and appreciation that it requires many people and agencies to move out of current “comfort zones.” As a result, initial implementation of ICM usually will encounter turbulence and debate.     

Marine Protected Areas and Dugong Conservation Along Australia's Indian Ocean Coast

/ The coastal zone of the Indian Ocean is coming under increasing pressure from human activities. Australia may be one of the few countries in this region that can afford to take adequate conservation measures in the near future. As it also has one of the longest Indian Ocean coastlines, Australia has the opportunity, and responsibility, to make a meaningful contribution to the conservation of Indian Ocean biodiversity. Threatened species, including marine turtles, inshore dolphins, and dugongs are an important component of that biodiversity. The dugong has been exterminated from several areas in the Indian Ocean, and it appears to be particularly threatened by mesh netting andhunting. Its long-term survival may depend on adequate protection in Australia, which contains the largest known Indian Ocean populations. This protection will require, in part, an appropriate system of marine protected areas (MPAs). This paper examines the adequacy of MPAs along Australia's Indian Ocean coast. Dugongs occur in two MPAs in Western Australia. The proposed expansion of the system of marine reserves is based primarily on representative samples of ecosystems from each biogeographic region. It is inadequate because it does not take into account the distribution and relative abundance of threatened species. If the conservation of biodiversity is to be maximized, the system of MPAs should incorporate both representativeness and the needs of threatened species. The level of protection provided by MPAs in Western Australia is low. Under current government policy potentially damaging activities, including commercial fishing, seismic surveys, and oil and gas drilling are permitted in protected areas.KEY WORDS: Marine protected areas; Dugongs; Western Australia; Indian Ocean; Conservation; Biodiversity     

Management strategy for acidic deposition in Western and Northern Canada

The governments of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, and Canada held joint consultations in 1980 to review the available information on acid rain from Western and Northern Canada. It was concluded that acid rain might become a problem in the future and, hence, a research, monitoring, and management strategy for acidic deposition was needed. An overview of the joint governments' management strategy, organization of research and monitoring programs, and accomplishments to date are discussed in this article.The authors are members of the Technical Committee for the Long Range Transport of Atmospheric Pollutants (LRTAP)/Acid Deposition in Western and Northern Canada, and represent Alberta and British Columbia, respectively.     

西部国内旅游远程市场旅游产品开发

旅游产品的开发水平是西部旅游业发展的制约因素.在西部国内旅游营销中,要把东部客源市场作为远程旅游目标市场,远程旅游产品的开发要以市场为导向.在分析东部客源市场特点的基础上,提出了西部国内旅游远程市场旅游产品的开发策略:①体现西部特色,与东部旅游产品形成互补;②以资源保护为前提,开发生态型旅游产品;③整合西部旅游资源,开发跨区域旅游精品;④协调好各旅游要素的功能,形成不同等级的旅游服务系统;⑤针对东部地区客源市场特点设计旅游产品;⑥重视老年旅游和青少年学生旅游产品的开发.     

资源所有权制度改革与西部地区经济发展

随着资源的开采，西部许多地区不是越来越富而是越来越穷，形成了资源富有与经济落后的强烈反差，出现了“富饶的贫困”现象。在资源所有权制度改革中应充分考虑资源利益的多主体性和不同利益主体之间的利益综合平衡，尤其需要考虑到资源所在地的利益问题，确立资源地区对属地资源的收益权，增强资源地自我约束、自我积累、自我发展的能力，才能保证西部资源的开发能有效地带动当地经济的发展。     

GIS在西部生态环境建设中的应用

GIS与西部生态环境建设的有机结合将是一项长期的、复杂的系统工程。在严格论证了该项目实施的可行性之后，在可持续发展理论的指导下，运用空间分析方法，提出了项目的实施方案。在该方案中，对生态环境信息数据进行了分类，详述了空间数据文件存贮结构，查询管理子系统的开发，最后得出生态环境地理信息系统的总体结构，并简述了其功能。     

Do developmental initiatives influence local attitudes toward conservation? A case study from the Kalakad–Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve,India

We evaluated the conservation attitudes of the local villagers living adjacent to the Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve in southern India 6 years after implementation of a World Bank funded eco-development project. We assessed attitudes towards three facets of conservation: the tiger, an emblematic species signifying India's commitment to wildlife conservation; the forest, a principle source of fuel-wood and other products; and the Forest Department, which manages the forest. More specifically we predicted that (i) attitudes would be an effective predictor of resource use interest in the forest and (ii) benefits obtained from the EDP would create more favorable attitudes towards conservation and the protected area employees. Twelve villages located within 3 km from the reserve boundary were chosen and 2-3% of the households interviewed with regard to their attitudes towards these three facets of conservation, their household resource use patterns, wealth, sex, age and length of residency. We found significant associations between wealth, sex, age and both tiger and forest conservation. Providing benefits has not changed the underlying attitudes of the communities. The poorer sections of society, whether receiving benefits or not, tended to support tiger conservation because conserving wildlife did not affect their livelihood in any way, whereas both the rich and poor had misgivings about forest conservation due to dependency on forest products. We conclude that the eco-development project has not effectively addressed the most important of the local concerns.     

长江流域鄂西四河流大型底栖动物群落结构特征及水质生物学评价

鄂西水系是国家级水源保护区,也是湖北省重要的生态旅游区。为了解鄂西水生态健康状况,于2014年10月~2017年1月不同时段在宜昌国家可持续发展实验示范区卷桥河（J）、清江利川段（Q）、宜昌市水源地黄柏河（H）和丹江口入库河流天河郧西段（T）开展了底栖动物群落特征研究。研究表明：4个河段共采集到大型底栖动物5门8纲18目61科。基于底栖动物指示种耐污性及其丰度占比分析,表明J、Q和T三河流污染程度沿水流方向呈加重趋势,而H水体健康状况整体较好。运用FBI和SIGNAL底栖生物评价指数,显示四条河流健康程度沿水流方向均呈下降趋势,但H变化趋势平缓,结果表明H水体上下游均处于较健康状态,其他3条河流上游或源头水体健康状况良好,下游受到较重污染。对主要环境因子（TP、NH₃-N、COD_Mn和TN）做主成分分析表明,轴1的解释率达到65.1%,表明轴1可以有效表征主要环境压力梯度。FBI和SIGNAL指数与轴1线性拟合度均较高,表明二者在鄂西河流水生态健康评估中可作为快速生物评价指数。     

Feeding of western gray whales during a seismic survey near Sakhalin Island, Russia

Exxon Neftegas Limited, as operator of the Sakhalin-1 consortium, is developing oil and gas reserves on the continental shelf off northeast Sakhalin Island, Russia. DalMorNefteGeofizika (DMNG) on behalf of the Sakhalin-1 consortium conducted a 3-D seismic survey of the Odoptu license area during 17 August–9 September 2001. A portion of the primary feeding area of the endangered western gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) is located in the vicinity of the seismic survey. This paper presents data to assess whether western gray whale bottom feeding activity, as indicated by visible mud plumes, was affected by seismic operations. The mitigation and monitoring program associated with the seismic survey included aerial surveys during 19 July–19 November 2001. These aerial surveys documented the local and regional distribution, abundance, and bottom feeding activity of western gray whales. Data on gray whale feeding activity before, during and after the seismic survey were collected, with the whales assumed to be feeding on the benthos if mud plumes were observed on the surface. The data were used to assess the influence of seismic survey and other factors (including environmental) on feeding activity of western gray whales. A stepwise multiple regression analysis failed to find a statistically significant effect (α = 0.05) of the seismic survey on frequency of occurrence of mud plumes of western gray whales used as a proxy to evaluate bottom feeding activity in Piltun feeding area. The regression indicated that transect number (a proxy for water depth, related to distance from shore) and swell height (a proxy for sea state) were the only variables that had a significant effect on frequency of whale mud plumes. It is concluded that the 2001 seismic survey had no measurable effect (α = 0.05) on bottom feeding activity of western gray whales off Sakhalin Island. M.W. Newcomer, deceased     

Distribution and abundance of western gray whales during a seismic survey near Sakhalin Island, Russia

Exxon Neftegas Limited, operator of the Sakhalin-1 consortium, is developing oil and gas reserves on the continental shelf off northeast Sakhalin Island, Russia. DalMorNefteGeofizika (DMNG), on behalf of the Sakhalin-1 consortium, conducted a 3-D seismic survey of the Odoptu license area during 17 August–9 September 2001. A portion of the primary known feeding area of the endangered western gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) is located adjacent to the seismic block. The data presented here were collected as part of daily monitoring to determine if there was any measurable effect of the seismic survey on the distribution and abundance of western gray whales. Mitigation and monitoring program included aerial surveys conducted between 19 July and 19 November using the methodology outlined by the Southern California High Energy Seismic Survey team (HESS). These surveys provided documentation of the distribution, abundance and bottom feeding activity of western gray whales in relation to seismic survey sounds. From an operations perspective, the aerial surveys provided near real-time data on the location of whales in and outside the feeding area, and documented whether whales were displaced out of an area normally used as feeding habitat. The objectives of this study were to assess (a) temporal changes in the distribution and abundance of gray whales in relation to seismic survey, and (b) the influence of seismic survey, environmental factors, and other variables on the distribution and abundance of gray whales within their preferred feeding area adjacent to Piltun Bay. Multiple regression analysis revealed a limited redistribution of gray whales southward within the Piltun feeding area when the seismic survey was fully operational. A total of five environmental and other variables unrelated to seismic survey (date and proxies of depth, sea state and visibility) and one seismic survey-related variable (seg3d, i.e., received sound energy accumulated over 3 days) had statistically significant effects on the distribution and abundance of gray whales. The distribution of two to four gray whales observed on the surface (i.e., about five to ten whales in total) has likely been affected by the seismic survey. However, the total number of gray whales observed within the Piltun feeding area remained stable during the seismic survey. M. W. Newcomer, Deceased.