The Commons in Transition: Agrarian and Environmental Change in Central and Eastern Europe

This paper analyzes institutional dynamics surrounding common-pool resources in postsocialist Central and Eastern Europe. It is conceived in close conjunction with the case studies by Penov, Schleyer, and Wasilewski and Krukowski (this issue). The purpose of this paper is to frame the individual case inquiries, compare their findings, and relate those to broader agrarian and environmental changes in the region.The case studies report a broad shift in resource governance from the previously dominant legal and administrative state hierarchies towards markets. In addition, state power has moved from central towards local authorities. The waning and decentralization of state power has caused the emergence of significant gaps between property legislation and rights-in-practice, which have been particularly stark in fragmented political systems. The discrepancy between legal texts and rights-in-practice leads to the exclusion of wider interests in favor of individual interests in the management of common-pool resources, resulting in resource deterioration and dwindling resource stocks. Thus, the comparative assessment suggests a tentative framework for understanding the effects of postsocialist transformations on governance of the commons and environmental change in Central and Eastern Europe. Its findings indicate an additional dimension to the diversity and distributive conflicts characterizing postsocialist privatization: the distribution of various rights to a resource among different actors. The findings also suggest the need for postsocialist states to take an active role in the governance of common-pool resources, particularly in the enforcement of legal rights. Note: This version was published online in June 2005 with the cover date of August 2004.     

Environmental assessment in countries in transition: evolution in a changing context

Over the last fifteen years, Environmental Assessment systems of transitional societies of Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia have undergone dramatic change from appraisals integrated into centrally planned economies to formal procedures aimed to ensure interdisciplinary analysis of environmental impacts and linked to publicly accountable decision-making. In most Central European nations, EA systems have been radically reformed to approximate the procedures used in developed countries, particularly in the European Union. In contrast, EA in most of the former Soviet republics has been reformed more gradually and is still based on the so-called State Environmental Review procedure inherited from the USSR and substantially different from 'Western' EA. About one-third of the transitional countries (in the Balkans, the Caucasus and Central Asia) have, so far, failed to establish functioning EA systems. Throughout the region, there has been a gap between EA legislation and practice, especially concerning interdisciplinary analysis of environmental impacts, public participation, and utilisation of EA findings in decision-making. A key driving force in the reform of EA systems has been the change in their societal context, the so-called 'process of transition'. Three main policy agendas--environmental protection, reforms of decision-making, and conforming to international requirements--along with the institutional context of EA regulations and practice have influenced both the change of EA systems over time and the regional variations in the patterns of their evolution. This study suggests that an effective reform of an EA system should be context-sensitive, or be 'in gear' with the political and economic transition. Future EA research should consider their changing societal contexts and focused on practical effects of applying EA procedures.     

CHANGING A GREAT CITY IN EASTERN EUROPE — CRACOW: ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES1

ABSTRACT: The main factor in the location of medieval Cracow was drainage. In the 700-year history of the City, there were numerous changes in water conditions, particularly in channel network, runoff, ground water level, and ice phenomena. The most dangerous threat to surface water and ground water in Cracow in the last decades has been from industrial and municipal sewage. Currently there are no rivers that meet Drinking Water Quality standards in Cracow. The quality of the ground water has declined because of infiltration of contaminated river water, water from sewage disposal ponds, and pollution from the atmosphere and soil. Cracow does not have enough waste water plants to meet its needs. Most municipal and industrial sewage has not been treated or has been treated only partially. Because of considerable contamination of surface and ground waters in Cracow, more than half of the city's fresh water is pumped about 50 kilometers from a reservoir on the Raba River. A Polish government declaration of April 4, 1989, recognized Cracow as an area of particular protection, and directed that a number of actions be undertaken for the protection of environmental quality.     

皖东地区野韭菜的开发与利用

文章介绍了野韭菜的基本生物特性，综合分析了其食用价值和潜在的药用价值，提出了野韭菜开发利用的基本对策。     

建筑物下采煤技术的研究现状与发展趋势

我国建筑物下采煤的研究从20世纪60年代开始,先后在本溪、鹤壁、抚顺、枣庄、峰峰、蛟河等矿区进行试验,取得了成功的经验和宝贵的监测资料。在综合分析大量文献的基础上,从协调开采法、充填开采方法、条带开采、覆岩离层注浆等多种开采技术对建筑物下开采方法进行了研究和论述;展望了我国建筑物下开采的发展趋势,认为覆岩离层注浆、矸石充填、条带开采、原地重建抗变形房将是我国建筑物下采煤技术的发展方向。     

河西走廊中部大气降水δ~(18)O变化特征及水汽输送

河西走廊中部地区气候条件特殊,小循环过程独特复杂,因而应用降水等各种水体中的氢氧稳定同位素信息来明晰水循环特征,成为近年较为常用的方法.利用GNIP张掖站点大气降水稳定同位素资料和NCEP/NCAR再分析资料,通过研究张掖站11年大气降水的氢氧稳定同位素组成,建立了张掖局地大气降水线方程,结合西水、莺落峡、平川、正义峡4个辅助站点资料,分析了河西走廊中部地区氢氧稳定同位素的时间变化规律,并建立水汽输送模式.结果表明,除西水外,其余站点区域大气降水线方程的斜率与截距均低于全球和中国大气水线,说明河西走廊中部地区降水主要来源于大尺度水汽循环,局地蒸发较为强烈且降水过程中张掖站点的蒸发作用强于其他站点.河西走廊中部地区大气降水中δ18O与温度、水汽压之间呈现较为显著的正相关关系;在全年尺度下,降水量效应不明显;由于干旱区降水主要集中在气温较高的月份,在暖季,温度效应掩盖了降水量效应,使得降水量效应无法体现.对过量氘和水汽输送的研究表明,西风带的水汽输送为河西走廊中部地区提供了基本的水汽来源,西风带季节变化对其水汽输送通量散度和d值季节变化有直接的作用.从d值的变化来看,河西走廊中部具有明显的季节变化特征,暖季d值明显小于冷季,且呈现一种先降后升的变化趋势;从数值来看,暖季d值小于10‰的次数多于d值大于10‰的次数,冷季d值大于10‰的次数多于d值小于10‰的次数,说明冷季水汽在运行过程中受到地表水汽补给的作用明显.     

海南东部河口和近岸海域总溶解态无机砷的分布及季节变化

利用氢化物发生原子荧光法对2006年12月和2007年8月航次海南东部河流、河口、近岸及地下水中的总溶解态无机砷(total dissolved inorganic arsenic,TDIAs,As5++As3+)进行了测定.2006年12月万泉河及河口、文昌/文教河及河口、近岸TDIAs的浓度分别为4.0～9.4、1.3～13.3、13.3～17.3 nmol.L-1,2007年8月万泉河及河口、文昌/文教河及河口、近岸、地下水TDIAs的浓度分别为1.6～15.5、2.4～15.9、10.8～17.6、未检出～41.7 nmol.L-1.结果表明,万泉河及文昌/文教河河流、河口TDIAs的浓度不存在显著性季节变化,较我国及世界其它河流、河口偏低,处于自然状态.砷在万泉河口和文昌/文教河口混合过程中均表现为保守混合.以文昌/文教河为例,初步估算出2007年文昌/文教河口地下水向沿岸砷的输送通量为1 153 mol.a-1,约为文昌/文教河砷入海通量的二分之一,表明海南东部沿岸地下水也是沿岸海区砷的主要来源之一.     

Predicting tree distributions in an East African biodiversity hotspot: model selection, data bias and envelope uncertainty

The Eastern Arc Mountains (EAMs) of Tanzania and Kenya support some of the most ancient tropical rainforest on Earth. The forests are a global priority for biodiversity conservation and provide vital resources to the Tanzanian population. Here, we make a first attempt to predict the spatial distribution of 40 EAM tree species, using generalised additive models, plot data and environmental predictor maps at sub 1 km resolution. The results of three modelling experiments are presented, investigating predictions obtained by (1) two different procedures for the stepwise selection of predictors, (2) down-weighting absence data, and (3) incorporating an autocovariate term to describe fine-scale spatial aggregation. In response to recent concerns regarding the extrapolation of model predictions beyond the restricted environmental range of training data, we also demonstrate a novel graphical tool for quantifying envelope uncertainty in restricted range niche-based models (envelope uncertainty maps). We find that even for species with very few documented occurrences useful estimates of distribution can be achieved. Initiating selection with a null model is found to be useful for explanatory purposes, while beginning with a full predictor set can over-fit the data. We show that a simple multimodel average of these two best-model predictions yields a superior compromise between generality and precision (parsimony). Down-weighting absences shifts the balance of errors in favour of higher sensitivity, reducing the number of serious mistakes (i.e., falsely predicted absences); however, response functions are more complex, exacerbating uncertainty in larger models. Spatial autocovariates help describe fine-scale patterns of occurrence and significantly improve explained deviance, though if important environmental constraints are omitted then model stability and explanatory power can be compromised. We conclude that the best modelling practice is contingent both on the intentions of the analyst (explanation or prediction) and on the quality of distribution data; generalised additive models have potential to provide valuable information for conservation in the EAMs, but methods must be carefully considered, particularly if occurrence data are scarce. Full results and details of all species models are supplied in an online Appendix.     

‘Power with’ and ‘power to’ in environmental politics and the transition to sustainability

Scholars of environmental politics demand serious reform of international governance and institutions to protect planet Earth. There is therefore an urgent need to discuss what causes change and gridlock in environmental politics. Serious reform is inextricably tied up with questions of power. The diversity with which studies on environmental politics understand power is exposed through three ideal type concepts: power with (learning and cooperation), power to (resistance and empowerment) and power over (coercion and manipulation). So far, scholars have mainly used analysis of coercive power (over) to explain gridlock in environmental politics; also needed is explicit acknowledgement of coaction and individual agency that can enable transition to more sustainable societies.     

Total mercury in marine species from the French coast of the Eastern English Channel

Mercury (Hg) in fish can present a potential risk to wildlife and human consumers. Mercury levels were determined in 12 fish species and 2 invertebrate species from the French coast of the Eastern English Channel collected in June and November 2012. Total mercury concentrations in the muscle tissues ranged between 0.04 and 1.63 µg g^-1 (d.w.). Dab and sandeel displayed a significant positive correlation between Hg concentrations and fish length. Seasonal differences in Hg concentrations were observed for dab and shrimp. The lesser weever showed significantly higher concentrations of Hg (0.97 ± 0.34 µg g^-1 d. w.) than all other species. Gobies and sprat, which had the smallest size, showed significantly lower concentrations than herring, whiting, pout and sardine. Among the considered species, flatfish such as dab, flounder, plaice and sole displayed intermediate levels of Hg. In the present study, the fish age expressed as specimen length seems to be one of the major factors governing Hg contents in muscle tissues. Finally, mercury concentrations in commercial fish from the Eastern English Channel were below the levels fixed by the European Union for total mercury in edible parts of fish products.