Adaptive management of natural resources--framework and issues

Adaptive management, an approach for simultaneously managing and learning about natural resources, has been around for several decades. Interest in adaptive decision making has grown steadily over that time, and by now many in natural resources conservation claim that adaptive management is the approach they use in meeting their resource management responsibilities. Yet there remains considerable ambiguity about what adaptive management actually is, and how it is to be implemented by practitioners. The objective of this paper is to present a framework and conditions for adaptive decision making, and discuss some important challenges in its application. Adaptive management is described as a two-phase process of deliberative and iterative phases, which are implemented sequentially over the timeframe of an application. Key elements, processes, and issues in adaptive decision making are highlighted in terms of this framework. Special emphasis is given to the question of geographic scale, the difficulties presented by non-stationarity, and organizational challenges in implementing adaptive management.     

Adaptive management for a turbulent future

The challenges that face humanity today differ from the past because as the scale of human influence has increased, our biggest challenges have become global in nature, and formerly local problems that could be addressed by shifting populations or switching resources, now aggregate (i.e., "scale up") limiting potential management options. Adaptive management is an approach to natural resource management that emphasizes learning through management based on the philosophy that knowledge is incomplete and much of what we think we know is actually wrong. Adaptive management has explicit structure, including careful elucidation of goals, identification of alternative management objectives and hypotheses of causation, and procedures for the collection of data followed by evaluation and reiteration. It is evident that adaptive management has matured, but it has also reached a crossroads. Practitioners and scientists have developed adaptive management and structured decision making techniques, and mathematicians have developed methods to reduce the uncertainties encountered in resource management, yet there continues to be misapplication of the method and misunderstanding of its purpose. Ironically, the confusion over the term "adaptive management" may stem from the flexibility inherent in the approach, which has resulted in multiple interpretations of "adaptive management" that fall along a continuum of complexity and a priori design. Adaptive management is not a panacea for the navigation of 'wicked problems' as it does not produce easy answers, and is only appropriate in a subset of natural resource management problems where both uncertainty and controllability are high. Nonetheless, the conceptual underpinnings of adaptive management are simple; there will always be inherent uncertainty and unpredictability in the dynamics and behavior of complex social-ecological systems, but management decisions must still be made, and whenever possible, we should incorporate learning into management.     

中国流域水资源生态补偿的法律问题与对策

随着我国经济社会的不断发展,水资源不足和水质污染引起的水危机已经成为许多地区可持续发展中的重要制约因素。在这种背景下,为了平衡环境、社会和经济多元利益,寻求先进的法律机制来调节平衡、保护流域生态环境、促进流域的可持续发展已成为一种共识。开展流域水资源生态补偿是实现流域上下游之间等相关方利益公平的关键所在。但由于我国缺乏生态补偿立法和相应的制度安排,流域水资源生态补偿目前仍面临许多问题：我国流域水资源生态补偿进展缓慢、法律制度滞后、部分法律法规彼此之间矛盾和相互冲突、流域水资源生态补偿的法律制度缺位、立法模式不适合当今流域生态环境问题解决等。本文通过对我国有关涉水法律中存在问题的分析,提出一些有关流域水资源生态补偿法律制度建设和完善的对策,以期对中国流域水资源生态补偿的推进和进一步实现水资源的可持续利用有所帮助。     

基于矿山安全专家系统安全信息采集及特征研究

把人工智能专家系统应用到矿山安全领域,模拟专家的经验评估安全生产环境,实现矿山最大安全化管理。安全专家系统的人机界面是系统与用户沟通的桥梁。友好的人机界面信息采集,既可以提高使用者的工作效率,也可以提高输出结构的准确性。针对安全专家系统在金属非金属矿山研究较少的特点,从系统安全工程相关原理出发,引入了人工智能安全专家系统,并从总图布置单元、开拓单元、采掘单元、提升运输单元、供电通讯单元、通风单元六个方面,探讨了界面信息采集的有关理论。根据给出的人机界面信息采集流程,得到了能够最大程度表征矿山安全的信息。为专家系统推理机后续的推理工作提供了一条有效的途径,最终实现人-机交互过程智能化的目的。     

大连市水资源与社会经济协调发展研究

选取大连2001-2008年的水资源利用和社会经济发展数据,引用协调发展度模型进行分析.评价结果表明,大连水资源与社会经济的协调度性由严重失调衰退向中级失调衰退发展,与大连的实际发展情况相符.对大连水资源与社会经济发展不协调的原因进行分析,为今后加大水利工程投资力度,优化用水结构,提高用水效率,实现水资源与社会经济的协调发展提供依据.     

峨眉山资源植物研究

按资源植物的用途与相似有机化学物质类群,将峨眉山资源植物分为5大类11小类.统计表明,绝对数量最高的大类资源植物依次为药用植物、园林植物和食用植物,而药用植物、芳香植物在我国同类资源中占较大的相对比重;绝对数量最高的小类资源植物依次为纤维、鞣质、油脂与蛋白植物资源种类,而淀粉、维生素与色素资源种类比重达到或超过全国同类资源植物数量的1/2.峨眉山资源植物的特点是:种类丰富,蓄积量小;珍稀度高,特有性强;品类齐全,潜力巨大.围绕峨眉山资源植物的有效保护和利用,提出了建立长效的科技合作与资源共享机制,提高资源编目与监测水平,建立"峨眉山植物园",逐步树立"峨眉山"资源植物品牌等建议.     

陕西旅游资源富集县县域经济发展模式研究——以华阴市为例

陕西省作为我国的旅游资源大省,通过着力发展比较优势明显的旅游产业来促进县域经济发展本是大势所趋,但目前旅游业与工农业发展的孤立性又是约束县域经济发展的一道"紧箍咒",如何在旅游大发展的背景下实现旅游产业与县域经济的互动发展具有极为重要的理论与实证意义.通过分析华阴市2002--2009年旅游产业对县域经济的贡献能力,切实考虑当前该市县域经济发展中存在的主要问题,从旅游产业的视角出发,归纳出陕西旅游资源丰富地区县域经济发展的模式,以期为陕西省县域经济的发展提供对策和建议.     

重庆华蓥山山脉药用植物资源调查研究

通过野外考察、标本采集、资料查阅整理及标本鉴定,对重庆华蓥山山山脉药用植物资源进行了调查.结果表明,重庆华蓥山共有药用植物240科1017属2251种(含变种和亚种),其中地衣植物5科8属11种、苔藓植物23科30属36种、蕨类植物40科82属190种、裸子植物9科17属25种、被子植物163科880属1989种.对其种类组成、分布、药用部位、疗效等进行了统计分析,对民间习用药物做了简要介绍,并对其开发利用提出了建议.     

海南尖峰岭自然保护区野生观赏植物资源开发利用

概述了海南尖峰岭的自然条件与植被现状。通过全面深入的野外调查与标本采集,根据不同的园林应用,对调查区域内野生植物资源的观赏特性进行分类,提出开发利用尖峰岭自然保护区内野生植物资源的建议。     

Using a GIS Model to Identify Internally Drained Areas and Runoff Contribution in a Glaciated Watershed1

Macholl, Jacob A., Katherine A. Clancy, and Paul M. McGinley, 2011. Using a GIS Model to Identify Internally Drained Areas and Runoff Contribution in a Glaciated Watershed. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 47(1):114‐125. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2010.00495.x Abstract: Glaciated watersheds are not easily delineated using geographic information systems’ elevation‐based algorithms, especially where stream networks are disconnected and there are large regions of internally drained areas. This paper presents the results of an analysis using the Potential Contributing Source Area (PCSA) model to identify potential contributing areas, defined as areas from which runoff is physically capable of reaching a drainage network. The investigation was conducted to define the potential contributing areas in a glaciated region of northwest Wisconsin. The curve number (CN) method was used to predict runoff volumes in the watershed. The streamflows of four tributaries were measured and the runoff portion of the hydrograph quantified to be compared with runoff estimates calculated using the potential contributing areas and the traditional catchment area. Runoff producing events occurred, but the use of area‐weighted CN values was unsuccessful in modeling runoff due to all precipitation depths during the study period falling below the initial abstraction. A distributed CN approach provided runoff estimates that were generally better using the potential contributing areas compared with using the traditional catchment area. The extent of the minimum contributing area, estimated for a range of precipitation events, was found to be substantially less than the potential contributing areas, suggesting that the PCSA model delimits the maximum boundary of potential contributing areas.