Evolution of a Mediterranean Coastal Zone: Human Impacts on the Marine Environment of Cape Creus

This study presents an integrated analysis of the evolution of the marine environment and the human uses in Cape Creus, a Mediterranean coastal area where intense commercial fisheries and recreational uses have coexisted over the last fifty years. The investigation synthesizes the documented impacts of human activities on the marine environment of Cap de Creus and integrates them with new data. In particular, the evolution of vulnerable, exploited species is used to evaluate the fishing impacts. The effects of area protection through the establishment of a marine reserve in the late 1990s and the potential climate change impacts are also considered. The evolution of the human uses is marked by the increasing socioeconomic importance of recreational activities (which affect species and habitats) in detriment to artisanal and red coral fisheries (which principally affect at a species level). Overall, populations of sedentary, vulnerable exploited species, hard sessile benthic invertebrates, and ecologically fragile habitats, such as seagrass meadows, the coralligenous and infralittoral algal assemblages have been the most negatively impacted by anthropogenic activities. Albeit human uses currently constitute the largest negative impact on the marine environment of Cap de Creus, climate change is emerging as a key factor that could have considerable implications for the marine environment and tourism activities. The establishment of the marine reserve appears to have had little socioeconomic impact, but there is some evidence that it had some positive biological effects on sedentary, littoral fishes. Results demonstrate that the declaration of a marine reserve alone does not guarantee the sustainability of marine resources and habitats but should be accompanied with an integrated coastal management plan.     

水源型流域污染系统控制科技支撑战略

创新水源型流域污染系统控制科技支撑战略,对我国流域水环境综合治理与管理具有前瞻意义.文章从引导科技支撑发展方向,发展多维流域认知系统,创立流域系统控制知识,创新水源流域环境技术,建立流域水环境经济学与完善流域环境管理体系六个方面构建了水源流域污染系统控制的科技支撑战略体系;从制定水源型流域环境区划、水源型流域安全发展规划、水源型流域环境保护规划与水源型流域保护工程规划四个方面提出了水源型流域污染系统控制科技支撑的战略行动;从转变治理方向、改变治理目标与调整控制范围、优化监控指标等方面提出了水源型流域污染系统控制科技支撑的战略建议.     

Assessment of GM Crops in Commercial Agriculture

The caliber of recent discourse regarding geneticallymodified organisms (GMOs) has suffered from a lack of consensuson terminology, from the scarcity of evidence upon which toassess risk to health and to the environment, and from valuedifferences between proponents and opponents of GMOs. Towardsaddressing these issues, we present the thesis that GM should bedefined as the forcible insertion of DNA into a host genome,irrespective of the source of the DNA, and exclusive ofconventional or mutation breeding.Some defenders of the commercial use of GMOs have referred to thescientific work of GMO critics as ``junk science.' Such a claim isfalse and misleading, given that many papers critical of both theutility and safety of GMOs have been published in peer reviewedjournals by respected scientists. In contrast, there is a dearthof peer reviewed work to substantiate the frequently heardassertions of either safety or utility in GMOs. The polarity,which now characterizes much of the public discourse on GMOs,reflects not simply scientific disagreement, but alsodisagreement in underlying value assumptions. Value differencesstrongly affect the assessment of both benefit and harm fromGMOs.The concept of substantial equivalence occupies a pivotalposition in the GMO risk assessment process that is used in bothCanada and the US. A GMO judged to be substantially equivalent toa conventional product – as have all submissions to date – ispresumed to be safe enough for commercialization. The conclusionof safety – from both human health and environmental perspectives– should be based on scientific evidence, corroborated by actualexperimentation. However, regulators infer safety largely fromassumptions-based reasoning, with little or no experimentalvalidation. The judgement of safety because of substantialequivalence is a dubious argument by analogy.     

四川省科技人力资源潜力与结构变化

通过对四川省科技人力资源的潜力、结构变化的分析,提出建立统一规范的科技人才培养经费投入政策,加强科技人才资源的再开发,不拘一格引进科技人才,建立四川省科技人力资源监测系统等对策。     

生态城市特征性指标的辨析及其应用

生态城市是依据生态学原理提出的一类社会、经济、自然协调发展的城市.基于生态城市内涵建立的城市特征性指标对城市特征性要素的量化和评价,是将生态城市个性这一主观观念变为可操作性目标的主要途径.基于城市复合生态系统理论和生态城市"健康、安全和发展"内涵,探讨了生态城市特征性指标的辨析方法.以厦门为例构建了厦门生态城市特征性指标体系.评价结果揭示了厦门城市特有的生态环境和资源的总体状态为亚健康状态(0.69)、比较脆弱的中警状态(0.39)和一般持续的发展状态(0.63).与现实的分析调研结果相符.这表明生态城市特征性指标有助于研究者辨识和评价城市生态系统的特定复合特征,更有针对性地明确城市生态规划和建设的重点行动领域,从而为城市实施可持续发展战略提供决策依据.     

安全的定义探析

为给出更严谨的安全定义,通过结合经济学中人的有限理性基本假设,系统科学中的整体涌现性,以及认识论中的客观主义和建构主义2种哲学理论,从基本假设、系统论、认识论、限定条件等4个维度深入分析安全的属性和特性,提出新的安全定义:安全是“一定环境内,系统免受不可接受的风险的状态”;基于此,分析新安全定义的内涵和外延。研究表明:安全的本质是风险可接受,安全的研究内容是找到确定风险可接受的方法并制定符合我国国情的可接受风险标准。研究过程中要以系统为研究对象,并建立合适的有限理性模型,同时要考虑社会建构因素的影响。     

清洁生产技术在建筑陶瓷工业中的应用研究

清洁生产已成为当今的一种世界潮流,被公认为是实现社会可持续发展的唯一途径。本对建筑陶瓷生产比重较高的江西省高安市的建筑陶瓷业进行了一次全面的清洁生产调查,分析了建筑陶瓷传统的生产工艺流程及产品中存在的各种污染问题及环境问题,根据清洁生产的特征和实施原则,建筑陶瓷工业采用各种途径实施清洁生产,并取得了显成效。     

改善太仓城区水环境原型调水实验研究及模型建立

为达到改善太仓城区水环境的目的,于2004年4月21日进行了调水实验.调水历时14 h,期间向城区调水21.8万m3.通过对监测点采样,得到水量、水质实测数据.根据实验数据,建立了符合太仓河网的水量水质数学模型,分析了从长江引水对太仓城区水环境的改善程度.同时对不同引水方案情况下城区水环境改善效果,以及截污和清淤对水环境的影响做了分析.研究表明,引水只能短期改善水环境;要根治水环境,必须从源头抓起,进行截污.     

干旱灾害风险评估的研究进展

干旱灾害风险评估是风险管理和减灾管理的基础,其成果可以为救灾减灾提供科学依据.对干旱灾害系统的复杂性与非线性以及干旱灾害风险评估的程序、方法模型与研究内容等进展进行了综述.在此基础上,展望了干旱灾害风险评估的综合性、动态性等发展趋势,并预测了进一步研究的重点.     

突发性大气污染事件数字化动态应急预案系统及其应用

针对近些年频繁发生的突发性大气污染事件,构建了数字化动态应急预案系统。该系统由基础信息数据库、气象环境模式与健康风险评估系统、数字化动态应急预案三部分组成,并利用地理信息系统将三者有机结合,将事故基本信息、事故发展预测及救援状况直观、动态地展现在系统界面,使应急行动得以及时、高效地展开。实地外场综合应急演习证明,该系统技术路线稳定畅通,运行高效,功能强大,具有较好的可行性和实效性。