Ecology,ecological poverty and sustainable development in Central Himalayan region of India

The people inhabiting the mountains of the Central Himalayan region of India are heavily dependent on their immediate natural resources for their survival. However, this resource-poor mountain ecosystem is gradually becoming unable to provide a minimum standard of living to its continually growing population. In this ecosystem, human population is doubling every 27–30 years, against the declining resource base, particularly forests. Forest are disappearing both quantitatively and qualitatively. Against the requirement of 18 ha of forest land to maintain production in 1 ha of cultivated land, the ratio of forests to cultivated land is only 1.33: 1. The present production from grasslands supports 8 units of livestock, against the ideal 2 units, and the gap between the demand and deficit of fodder is more than 5-fold. Loss of vegetative cover is resulting in drying up of water resources, compelling the women to walk longer distances to collect water. This ecological deterioration, apart from human growth and interference, is compounded by mountain specificities such as inaccessibility, fragility, marginality, diversity, niche and adaptability. The specificities manifest in isolation, distance, poor communication, limited mobility, etc., resulting in limited external linkages and replication of external experiences, and slow pace of development. They, therefore, restrict options for economic growth, effecting poverty and affecting the quality of life of the people of the region. Poverty, in this mountain ecosystem cannot be understood and assessed independent of ecological wealth and would better be termed as ecological poverty. The development efforts to be effective in alleviating poverty here, should take into account mountain specificities and incorporate options which have larger human dimensions, such as mechanisms for population control, socio-economic and cultural conditioning, indigenous knowledge systems of the local people and simple technologies that are already in practice or have potential and are based on least external inputs.     

Changing forest conservation and management paradigms: traditional ecological knowledge systems and sustainable forestry: Perspectives from Chile and India

This paper first explores the shift now occurring in the science that provides the theoretical basis for forest conservation and management. The paper then presents the concepts of traditional ecological knowledge and traditional management systems and practise to provide background for two case studies that examine traditional knowledge and forest management practices of tribal communities in the Sariska region (Rajasthan, India) and of the indigenous Mapuche Pewenhce communities in the Andean mountains of southern Patagonia in Chile, underlining the special relationship these tribal and indigenous communities maintain with the forest and their usefulness in community-based native forest conservation. These examples of traditional ecological knowledge and traditional management systems suggest that it is important to focus on managing ecological processes, instead of products, and to use integrated ecosystem management. Recommendations to move forest management paradigms beyond the current view of ‘timber’ or ‘reserves’ and toward one of truly integrated use that adapt conservation approaches to local cultural representations of the environment are made.     

Wild plants in everyday use: conservation towards sustainable livelihoods in Nigeria

SUMMARY

Despite the declining volumes of biotic resources flowing from natural ecosystems, no sustainable rural-based programmes have been put in place to stabilize habitats and diversify products to meet the needs and livelihoods of forest-dependent communities. Nevertheless, there is increasing evidence that agricultural expansion and rising demands for forest resources are increasingly depleting the forests. Within these extremes, daily used wild plants that sustain rural communities are under threat of over-exploitation.

This study identified major daily used wild plants in rural environments, examined their use categories, and suggested suitable ways to conserve these plants in order to improve the biodiversity capital and stabilize rural livelihoods. Results of data analysis showed that: (i) about 96 species of wild plants were in daily use for food, energy, medicine, shelter and cultural festivals; (ii) the management and utilization of daily used wild plants were based on traditional knowledge that had become inefficient as a result of resource scarcity and loss of habitats. In these circumstances, resource utilisation is leading to the loss of species; (iii) the resource users were willing to conserve wild plants on private lands to meet their ways of life. The success of wild plant conservation however, hinges on the provision of infrastructures for smallholder farmers who are willing to plant trees on their lands. There is urgent need for those responsible for conserving the forests and the environment (Federal Ministry of Environment) to design and implement suitable programmes that will accommodate the needs of the rural people in conserving wild plants in daily use in the country.     

Agro-biodiversity in rice–wheat-based agroecosystems of eastern Uttar Pradesh,India: implications for conservation and sustainable management

In this study, we analysed the indigenous practices of agro-biodiversity, changing patterns of cropping systems and conservation of agriculturally important natural resources of rice–wheat-based agroecosystems. The research was carried out in three villages of Azamgarh district, eastern Uttar Pradesh, India. Participatory approaches and personal interviews were combined to collect the data from 180 farmers. The results indicated that resource-poor (RP) farmers, by applying traditional practices of natural resource conservation, outperform their rich (RR) counterparts in conserving agro-biodiversity. Increase in irrigation facilities, adoption of improved crop varieties, commercialisation of farming and socio-economic changes have threatened the agro-biodiversity and related natural resources of these agroecosystems. For most of the crops, the RP farmers had better production stability as compared to the RR ones because the former tend to apply more sustainable and ecologically sound indigenous practices. A negative growth rate was observed in the area/numbers and production of legumes, livestock, pasture lands and community forestry. Women, who are the local custodians of conserving indigenous biodiversity (uncultivated species) and crop varieties through localised knowledge and sociocultural institutions, had significantly higher knowledge on agro-biodiversity than men. We concluded that integration of farmers’ eco-friendly practices with formal science and policy-making in a participatory mode may enhance sustainability of functions of agroecosystem leading to the strengthening of adaptive practices in changing climate and socio-economic scenario.     

Mountain inhabitants’ perspectives on climate change,and its impacts and adaptation based on temporal and spatial characteristics analysis: a case study of Mt. Yulong Snow,Southeastern Tibetan Plateau

Based on the results of questionnaires issued to 202 local residents in the Mount Yulong Snow region, southeastern Tibetan Plateau, this study analyzes mountain residents’ perspectives on climate change and its impacts, their strategies to adapt to climate change impacts, including their willingness or otherwise to become ecological migrants, and some of the factors that influence their perceptions. Overall, local perception of climate change and its impacts corresponds to the patterns of observed climate change revealed by climate records. The intensity of climate change perception shows a highly significant correlation with residents’ age and villages’ elevation gradient. Most respondents did not believe that climate change affected crop growing and their yields, but the number of crop insect pests was thought to be increasing slightly and the crop growth period to be extending. Nearly all respondents believed that climate change seriously affects the mountain tourism economy, and their way of life and spiritual world. Persistent drought in recent years has forced mountain dwellers to adjust industrial structure, save water in the agricultural economy, participate in mountain tourism and work outside the home in order to adapt to climate change impacts and supplement their meager farm incomes. Additionally, residents expect to receive government compensation and relief to mitigate natural disaster damage.     

Media and bushfires: A community perspective of the media during the Grampians Fires 2006

This paper examines the ways residents in the Grampians area in the Australian state of Victoria used their local and their state and national based media before, during and after the 2006 bushfires (wildfires). The researchers were particularly concerned to understand how residents evaluated media sources as trustworthy and credible in relation to bushfire warnings and information about the fires delivered in the media.

Analysis of data derived from two separate focus group sessions conducted by the researchers reveals four main themes. (1) The media are perceived as part of a broader information gathering process. (2) Local knowledge is the most important aspect in broadcast information. (3) Members of small communities can feel disenfranchised and resentful of the media when media coverage focuses on larger towns, and (4) the effects of media reporting, including specific warnings, are both immediate and long lasting.

The paper explores some of the tensions that result from the ways rural residents use and distinguish between local/regional and metropolitan and out-of-state bushfire information; and it encourages better use of the local/regional media to increase community safety and awareness in relation to bushfire mitigation, preparedness and crisis management issues before, during and after the fires. It is suggested that risk communications professionals need to understand that when mediated risk-related communications are provided, a key evaluative criterion is whether or not those media and the messages represent and reflect local knowledge.     

论知识经济与成人教育

本文阐述了知识经济的内涵与特点,提出了知识经济对人才的要求及对成人教育的影响和对策.     

绿色水处理剂高铁酸盐在水处理领域中的应用进展

高铁酸盐是饮用水和废水处理中一种多功能绿色环保水处理剂,因其具有高效的氧化、混凝、消毒杀菌能力,且不产生有毒有害的物质,在水处理领域中已受到广泛关注.为全面、系统地剖析高铁酸盐在水处理领域中现有的研究成果,运用知识图谱分析工具VOSviewer对来自中国知网(CNKI)数据库和Webof Science(WOS)数据库...     

中国煤矿企业应急管理研究回溯与前瞻——基于CiteSpace知识图谱的文献计量分析

我国煤矿事故多发,经济损失严重,如何科学地从煤矿企业应急管理体系、应急管理能力等方面进行深入研究对煤矿企业的安全生产具有重要意义。截至2017年12月20日,以中国知网（CNKI）的期刊库、硕博论文数据库和会议数据库中发表的煤矿企业应急管理方面的352篇论文作为数据来源,使用CiteSpace工具进行高产机构分析、作者分布特征分析和关键词分析,展现中国煤矿企业应急管理研究的空间分布特征、研究热点,并追踪前沿研究问题。研究结果表明:煤矿应急管理研究领域,研究机构和学者的分布呈现多样化发展趋势;而相关的研究热点主题呈多元化,主要体现在煤矿企业应急预案、煤矿企业应急管理存在问题、煤矿企业应急管理解决对策、煤矿企业应急管理能力、煤矿企业应急救援系统及煤矿企业应急管理体系研究等6个方面;结合煤矿企业应急管理的实际需求和研究现状,煤矿安全应急协同机制和能力、员工行为层面的煤矿企业应急管理策略以及煤矿企业应急物流能力等方面研究将是未来趋势。     

隧道火灾研究的知识图谱分析

为了解隧道火灾研究领域的整体情况,绘制隧道火灾科学的知识图谱,本文基于2000-2018年Web of Science和CNKI刊载的隧道火灾论文,利用VOSviewer技术,对隧道火灾科学进行全面可视化分析图谱显示,国际上隧道火灾研究的核心主题是Simulation、Tunnel Ventilation Temperature and Smoke、Tunnel Fire Safety,国内是数值模拟、隧道救援与疏散、隧道的消防灭火、火灾探测报警、隧道结构;高产的作者是Ji Jie和徐志胜等,近期活跃的作者是Zhang Shaogang和石晓龙等;开展隧道火灾研究的国家多位于欧洲。结果表明隧道火灾研究领域的发文量、主题分布及作者间的合作都已初具规模,国内更偏重于工程应用的研究,主题演变略快于国外,我国在此领域处于核心地位。