The challenges of sustainability in mining regions: The coal mining region of Santa Catarina, Brazil

Throughout history, mining communities have invariably found themselves striving for a good quality of life and a long‐term future. In the 21st century, problems of maintaining the economic vitality of mining regions are now compounded by concerns about the biophysical integrity of the local environment. In regions of the world where the economic viability of the resource is marginal and achieving a reasonable quality of life is a daily struggle, sustainable mining may seem to be a dubious prospect at best. Yet the twin imperatives of global political forces and burgeoning environmental concerns are requiring industry, governments and other interests to re‐conceptualize the way in which mining takes place in communities. Although mining itself may not be seen as an industry that contributes to the achievement of environmental objectives, it could — with careful planning — be used as a tool to foster a more sustainable and healthier community. This argument is considered in the context of the coal mining region of Santa Catarina, Brazil.     

ARE RURAL RESIDENTS WILLING TO PAY ENOUGH TO IMPROVE DRINKING WATER QUALITY?1

ABSTRACT: The concentrations of iron and sulfate in community water supplies are a concern for a number of areas in southwestern Minnesota. This study used the contingent valuation method to determine how much consumers would be willing to pay to improve their drinking water quality. On average, individuals were willing to pay US$5.25 per month (in 1995 U.S. dollars) to reduce the level of iron and US$4.33 per month to reduce the level of sulfate in their water to the USEPA's secondary standards for drinking water quality. Respondents with negative perceptions of their drinking water quality were willing to pay more to improve water quality. The aggregate annual willingness to pay (WTP) for all consumers in community water systems in southwestern Minnesota that were out of compliance with water quality standards were estimated to be US$2.4 million and US$2.0 million (in 1995 dollars) for reducing the levels of iron and sulfate, respectively. Yet the total WTP of consumers who use small community water systems may not be enough to pay the full cost of providing improved water in those systems. Economies of scale in water treatment and difficulties in financing improvements mean that technical innovation, government assistance, or institutional changes may be needed to improve water quality in these areas.     

Food justice youth development: using Photovoice to study urban school food systems*

How do youth learn through participation in efforts to study and change the school food system? Through our participatory youth action research (YPAR) project, we move beyond the “youth as consumer” frame to a food justice youth development (FJYD) approach. We track how a group of youth learned about food and the public policy process through their efforts to transform their own school food systems by conducting a participatory evaluation of farm-to-school efforts in collaboration with university and community partners. We used the Photovoice research method, placing cameras in the hands of young people so that they themselves could document and discuss their concerns and perspectives. The research was designed to gain insight about youths’ knowledge of food, health, and community food systems. Drawing upon the youth group’s insights, we build a framework for building critical consciousness through FJYD.     

Off-grid: community energy and the pursuit of self-sufficiency in British Columbia's remote and First Nations communities

Remote or off-grid communities in Canada primarily rely on diesel generators for the provision of their electricity. Often surrounded by potential renewable resources, they are characterised as the low-hanging fruit of greenhouse gas mitigation strategies. While much is said about the promises of community energy projects, as well as technologies and policy mechanisms for addressing the needs of these communities, little attention has been paid to what communities, themselves, might want for their energy projects and what the implications of those desires might be for both technology development and community energy policies. This paper aims to fill this gap by exploring the on-going energy pursuits of a number of remote First Nations communities in British Columbia. It identifies a desire for community self-sufficiency as a primary motivation for engaging with energy projects on the part of the communities and discusses the various meanings and implications of self-sufficiency in the context of community energy projects. These meanings and implications primarily include the two dimensions of material self-sufficiency and political self-determination, the latter of which suggests a view of community energy projects as processes of decolonisation among First Nation communities in British Columbia. It then suggests that the pursuit of this goal is somewhat incongruent with the approach that government and industry have taken in addressing community energy, especially the way in which remote communities are viewed as the low-hanging fruit of various sustainability projects.     

重庆缙云山4种典型植被覆盖下汞的释放通量及影响因素

为了揭示不同植被覆盖下土壤/大气界面释汞通量及其交换特征,在缙云山国家级自然保护区内选择4种典型植被覆盖类型(常绿阔叶林、楠竹林、灌木林以及草地)为研究对象,连续同步监测不同植被覆盖下土/气界面汞释放通量,同时考察各环境因子对土壤释汞的影响.结果表明,缙云山在4种不同植被覆盖下土壤汞释放通量具有明显的差异,总体表现为楠竹林[17.77 ng·(m~2·h)~(-1)]草地[17.58 ng·(m~2·h)~(-1)]灌木林[16.87 ng·(m~2·h)~(-1)]常绿阔叶林[14.32 ng·(m~2·h)~(-1)];不同植被覆盖下土壤释汞通量在季节变化上呈现相似的规律性,但不同植被覆盖类型之间也存在明显差异,主要体现在暖季汞释放通量高于冷季;缙云山地区不同林植被覆盖下土壤释汞通量存在明显的日变化;气象因素光照强度、气温、土温和相对湿度,对土/气界面汞释放通量影响也不相同,气温为常绿阔叶林,灌木林与楠竹林的主要影响因子,光照强度为草地的主要影响因子.     

Impact of microbial communities from tropical soils on the mobilization of trace metals during dissolution of cinnabar ore

Biodissolution experiments on cinnabar ore(mercury sulphide and other sulphide minerals,such as pyrite) were performed with microorganisms extracted directly from soil. These experiments were carried out in closed systems under aerobic and anaerobic conditions with 2 different soils sampled in French Guyana. The two main objectives of this study were(1) to quantify the ability of microorganisms to mobilize metals(Fe, Al, Hg) during the dissolution of cinnabar ore, and(2) to identify the links between the type and chemical properties of soils, environmental parameters such as season and the strategies developed by indigenous microorganisms extracted from tropical natural soils to mobilize metals.Results indicate that microbial communities extracted directly from various soils are able to(1) survive in the presence of cinnabar ore, as indicated by consumption of carbon sources and,(2) leach Hg from cinnabar in oxic and anoxic dissolution experiments via the acidification of the medium and the production of low molecular mass organic acids(LMMOAs). The dissolution rate of cinnabar in aerobic conditions with microbial communities ranged from 4.8 × 10~(-4) to 2.6 × 10~(-3) μmol/m~2/day and was independent of the metabolites released by the microorganisms. In addition, these results suggest an indirect action by the microorganisms in the cinnabar dissolution. Additionally, because iron is a key element in the dynamics of Hg, microbes were stimulated by the presence of this metal,and microbes released LMMOAs that leached iron from iron-bearing minerals, such as pyrite and oxy-hydroxide of iron, in the mixed cinnabar ore.     

双台子河口湿地植被修复生境健康评价方法研究

以2014—2015年双台子河口滨海湿地植被修复20个站位调查资料为基础,对湿地修复结构指标、功能指标和环境指标进行研究,结合湿地生态系统健康理论,构建湿地生态环境健康评价指标体系。运用层次分析法(AHP)确定权重,对各个指标赋予权重,将健康评价分为3个等级,确立了生态健康评价方法,对近岸破损湿地翅碱蓬修复生境进行评价。进一步引用评价净影响值(EI)方法判断生境修复前、后的健康对比状态,从而确定翅碱蓬对该破损湿地的修复效果显著。从景观生态学和健康评价角度分析来看,建立此评价方法是可行的,可为今后湿地的管理与保护提供科学依据。     

西北干旱区煤炭基地生态蓄水模式研究

西北干旱区煤炭开采产生的矿井水大多就近排放,利用率低.同时,该地区水资源严重缺乏,尤其是生态用水紧缺,煤炭开采造成地下水资源浪费和生态用水紧缺的矛盾局面.为缓解这一矛盾,提出地面人工湿地及生态储水的设想,构建两种基于生态用水的地面处理储存矿井水的模式,该模式下矿井水通过下渗补给潜水含水层,进而供给地表植被;另一方面,利用干旱区蒸发量大的特点借助低空大气环流输送水份,增加局部降水量,从而实现改善生态环境的目的.     

鄂尔多斯盆地植被覆盖动态监测与评价

基于像元分解模型,利用LANDSATNDVI数据,估算了鄂尔多斯盆地2002年7月和2010年7月植被覆盖度,以量化和可视化的形式分析了鄂尔多斯盆地2002年一2010年间植被覆盖度的时空变化特征,探寻了引起植被覆盖度变化的驱动因素。结果表明：2002年一2010年鄂尔多斯盆地植被覆盖度变化明显,平均覆盖度增加了7．35％,改善和明显改善面积增加了35．67％,退化和明显退化面积增加了1．49％。研究区植被覆盖度增加的主要原因是降雨量的增加和一系列生态建设工程的实施;减少的主要原因是恶劣的生态环境和过度的能源开发活动。     

蚂蚁扰动对青海湖北岸高寒草甸草原群落结构影响

蚂蚁的筑丘活动是草地生态系统中不可忽视的生物干扰因子。本文针对青海湖北岸高 寒草甸草原,调查了不同大小的蚁丘及其周围对照草地的土壤理化性质和植被状况。结果表明： 蚂蚁筑丘活动显著地降低了土壤容重和土壤湿度,增加土壤温度,但对土壤pH 值的影响较小。 蚂蚁扰动改变了群落组成,增加了大部分禾本科和豆科物种的重要值而降低了杂类草的重要值。 以莎草科的矮嵩草（Kobresia humilis）和禾本科的异针茅（Stipa aliena Keng）、赖草（Leymus secalinus）、溚草（Koeleria cristata）等为主的群落逐步演替为以禾本科的异针茅和赖草为主的 群落。植物群落的盖度降低但其地上、地下生物量增加;植物群落丰富度指数降低但均匀度指 数增加。