Linking GIS-based models to value ecosystem services in an Alpine region

Planning frequently fails to include the valuation of public goods and services. This can have long-term negative economic consequences for a region. This is especially the case in mountainous regions such as the Alps, which depend on tourism and where land-use changes can negatively impact key ecosystem services and hence the economy. In this study, we develop a semi-automatic procedure to value ecosystem goods and services. Several existing process-based models linked to economic valuation methods are integrated into a geographic information system (GIS) platform. The model requires the input of a digital elevation model, a land-cover map, and a spatially explicit temperature dataset. These datasets are available for most regions in Europe. We illustrate the approach by valuing four ecosystem services: avalanche protection, timber production, scenic beauty, and habitat, which are supplied by the “Landschaft Davos”, an administrative district in the Swiss Alps. We compare the impacts of a human development scenario and a climate scenario on the value of these ecosystem services. Urban expansion and tourist infrastructure developments have a negative impact on scenic beauty and habitats. These impacts outweigh the benefits of the developments in the long-term. Forest expansion, predictable under a climate change scenario, favours natural avalanche protection and habitats. In general, such non-marketed benefits provided by the case-study region more than compensate for the costs of forest maintenance. Finally, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the approach. Despite its limitations, we show how this approach could well help decision-makers balance the impacts of different planning options on the economic accounting of a region, and guide them in selecting sustainable and economically feasible development strategies.     

基于城乡统筹旅游服务型新型农村社区建设的研究

新型农村社区建设是改善农民的生产和生活环境,推进城乡关系良性互动与城乡一体化的有效途径。经实地调研考察确定规划区范围内共有旅游资源7大类、17个亚类、35个基本类型,结合秦皇岛柳河圈新农村建设规划的实践,提出应把新社区空间规划建设与旅游景区建设融于一体,将葡萄酒休闲旅游产业融合社区发展,新型社区住宅建设要彰显地方特色建设,社区产业规划、新社区文化规划应彰显旅游文化特色等具有本地区特色的新型农村社区的建设路径,以期促进秦皇岛农村社会经济的发展。     

旅游公共服务市场化与政府的作用研究

旅游公共服务是我国公共服务建设的基本领域,也是一个需要逐步完善的系统。旅游公共服务市场化,是顺应旅游行政改革和建设服务型政府的内在要求。结合旅游公共服务的实践,在分析旅游公共服务市场化的内涵、可行性以及旅游公共服务市场化条件和效率的基础上,提出旅游公共服务市场化的途径选择,最后探讨了政府在旅游公共服务市场化过程中应发挥的作用。     

Past climate, future perspective: an exploratory analysis using climate proxies and drought risk assessment to inform water resources management and policy in Maine, USA

In recent decades, significant progress has been made toward reconstructing the past climate record based on environmental proxies, such as tree rings and ice core records. However, limited examples of research that utilizes such data for water resources decision-making and policy exist. Here, we use the reconstructed record of Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI), dating back to 1138AD to understand the nature of drought occurrence (severity and duration) in the state of Maine. This work is motivated by the need to augment the scientific basis to support the water resources management and the emerging water allocation framework in Maine (Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Chapter 587). Through a joint analysis of the reconstructed PDSI and historical streamflow record for twelve streams in the state of Maine, we find that: (a) the uncertainties around the current definition of natural drought in the Chapter 587 (based on the 20th century instrumental record) can be better understood within the context of the nature and severity of past droughts in this region, and (b) a drought index provides limited information regarding at-site hydrologic variations. To fill this knowledge gap, a drought index-based risk assessment methodology for streams across the state is developed. Based on these results, the opportunities for learning and challenges facing water policies in a changing hydroclimate are discussed.     

Urban waste recycling behavior: antecedents of participation in a selective collection program

ABSTRACT/ The aim of this study is to analyze the antecedents of urban waste recycling behavior. To achieve this goal, a concrete urban waste management program was chosen. The study focuses on the Selective Collection Program (SCP) in Zaragoza, a medium-sized city in northeastern Spain. The research starts with a conceptual model in which the variables that potentially affect recycling behavior can be classified into two groups: incentives and barriers. Moreover, the sociodemographic characteristics of the individuals are included in our study. Given that the proposed model requires specification of latent variables or constructs, the analysis is based on the Structural Equation Models (SEM) methodology. The results revealed that environmental awareness, knowledge of the environmental impact of urban waste, and the positive perception of management by local government exercise a positive effect on individual recycling behavior, while perceived personal difficulties (space and time availability) and distance to and from the container have a negative effect. As regards sociodemographic variables, this study found that annual family income sustains a negative relationship with recycling behavior, while age maintains a positive one. The results obtained clearly show the important role that the public authorities play, especially municipal governments, in achieving the waste recycling objectives established in accordance with international legislation.     

China’s Classification-Based Forest Management: Procedures,Problems, and Prospects

China’s new Classification-Based Forest Management (CFM) is a two-class system, including Commodity Forest (CoF) and Ecological Welfare Forest (EWF) lands, so named according to differences in their distinct functions and services. The purposes of CFM are to improve forestry economic systems, strengthen resource management in a market economy, ease the conflicts between wood demands and public welfare, and meet the diversified needs for forest services in China. The formative process of China’s CFM has involved a series of trials and revisions. China’s central government accelerated the reform of CFM in the year 2000 and completed the final version in 2003. CFM was implemented at the provincial level with the aid of subsidies from the central government. About a quarter of the forestland in China was approved as National EWF lands by the State Forestry Administration in 2006 and 2007. Logging is prohibited on National EWF lands, and their landowners or managers receive subsidies of about 70 RMB (US$10) per hectare from the central government. CFM represents a new forestry strategy in China and its implementation inevitably faces challenges in promoting the understanding of forest ecological services, generalizing nationwide criteria for identifying EWF and CoF lands, setting up forest-specific compensation mechanisms for ecological benefits, enhancing the knowledge of administrators and the general public about CFM, and sustaining EWF lands under China’s current forestland tenure system. CFM does, however, offer a viable pathway toward sustainable forest management in China.     

泸沽湖和邛海湿地的生态系统服务功能价值评估及保护建议

生态系统服务是人类生存和可持续发展的物质基础和自然资本,对其进行量化评估可以为管理者当局保护和管理湿地提供重要的参考依据.以泸沽湖湿地和邛海湿地为研究对象,通过实地调查,综合运用生态经济学、环境经济学和资源经济学方法,对2个湿地的生态系统服务功能价值进行了评估.结果表明:泸沽湖的间接使用价值为153 214.60万元,占总价值的82.785％,远大于直接使用价值,而邛海的直接使用价值为94 050万元,占总价值的75.250％,远大于间接使用价值;湿地的主要服务功能价值是水调节功能、科考旅游功能和水质净化功能的价值.最后对2个湿地的生态系统服务功能的价值构成进行了分析,并提出了相应的保护管理策略.     

煤粮复合地区生态系统服务价值变化研究——以邹城市为例

根据Costanza等人对全球生态系统服务价值的测算结果,分析了1996-2003年邹城市土地利用和生态系统服务价值变化.结果表明,邹城市的耕地、园地和林地土地面积在减少,建设用地和水域用地面积在增加.由于水域单位面积生态系统服务价值较高,7年间邹城市区域生态系统服务价值处于增加状态.邹城市生态系统服务价值从1996年的95.9704×106美元增加到2003年的104.5830×106美元,7年间增加8.6126×106美元,变化率达到8.97%.