No evidence of systematic pre-emptive loggings after notifying landowners of their lands’ conservation potential

Landowners can intentionally impair biodiversity values occurring on their land to pre-empt biodiversity protection. This often leads to significant negative effects on biodiversity. We studied whether landowners in Finland engaged in pre-emptive loggings after they were notified that their wooded mires are candidate sites for a mire protection program. After the notification, harvesting rates of the candidate wooded mires were significantly lower compared to harvesting rates of similar but non-candidate wooded mires. Annual and monthly harvesting rates indicated that notifying landowners of the conservation potential did not launch systematic pre-emptive logging behavior. Nevertheless, part of the candidate wooded mires were logged, so some landowners place more weight on other values than the biodiversity ones. Pre-emptive behavior has been observed in other studies suggesting that many country- or system-specific factors such as cultural background or level of compensation can affect landowners’ behavior.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-020-01354-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Assessment of semi-natural habitats and landscape features on Irish farmland: New insights to inform EU Common Agricultural Policy implementation

Concerns over the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services in farmland have prompted the development of agri-environment policy measures aimed at reducing farming pressure and maintaining semi-natural habitats in farmed landscapes. However, further knowledge is needed to guarantee successful agri-environment measures implementation. The current study assessed the quantity and the quality of semi-natural habitats in farms across a gradient of farming intensities in two contrasting regions in Ireland. Policy protection seemed fundamental for semi-natural habitats preservation. Habitats not protected by agricultural policy relied on extensive farming and are in danger of disappearing if they are intensified or abandoned. Due to the lack of policy incentives for habitat quality, no correlations were found between farming intensity and share of semi-natural habitats with habitat quality. Therefore, extensive farming and retention of habitats alone may not reverse the decline of farmland quality and biodiverisity and, thus, measures incentivising the environmental quality may be more successful.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-020-01344-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Long-term changes in microbial water quality indicators in a hydro-power plant reservoir: The role of natural factors and socio-economic changes

Long-term changes, from 1984 to 2010, in the indicators of microbial pollution (total viable count, coliforms, Escherichia coli, enterococci, and Clostridium perfringens) are analysed in the Riga Hydropower Plant Reservoir, an essential source of drinking water for Riga, the capital of Latvia. Counts in microbial indicators fluctuated seasonally and were related to physicochemical parameters (nitrogen compounds, turbidity, temperature, and pH). The changes in microbial pollution were brought about by two major socio-economic developments. Firstly, Latvia’s independence from the USSR in 1991 which facilitated a distinct reduction in most microorganism counts due to a sharp decline in industrial and agricultural production. This resulted in a significant drop in point and nonpoint pollution in the river basin. A further development was Latvia joining the European Union in 2004. The corresponding focus on water management, including wastewater treatment, was a major priority of environmental investment and lead to improvements in microbial water quality.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-020-01470-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

城市政府环境信息公开的实践与对策分析

环境信息公开作为一种环境管理手段,对维护公众的环境知情权和参与权,提高环境保护部门环境科学决策、环境监管能力具有重要的现实意义。各级环境保护部门网站是目前政府环境信息公开的最主要渠道。该论文以南宁市为例,分析环境保护部门如何通过加强政府网站建设,推进环境信息公开,尤其是加大污染源监管环境信息公开力度。     

企业环境管理中政府和企业作用分析

我国的经济发展伴随着日益严重的环境问题。在引起环境问题的诸多因素中,来自企业方面的因素对环境的影响最为深远,因此改善环境首先就需要加强企业的环境管理。在推动企业进行环境管理的各种因素中,既有如政府的管制等外部因素,也有如减少成本、产品差异化等企业自身内部因素。外部因素和内部因素对推动企业环境管理都具有重要作用,但也有其局限性。本文通过政府管制及企业自身因素对驱动企业进行环境管理的作用机制的研究,分析各个驱动因素优缺点,寻求各驱动因素的最佳的组合,促使企业更好地加强环境管理。     

适应性环境管理模式在大型赛事筹备中的应用（上）——管理模式构建

针对我国环境保护行政管理存在的直线式管理、缺乏弹性等问题,将适应性管理的理论和方法引入环境管理领域,提出适应性环境管理的概念和管理模式,通过构建基于AHP（层次分析法）的适应性环境管理绩效评估体系,在环境管理中对各项任务进行跟踪管理和绩效评估,反馈于阶段性目标的制定,从而灵活调整工作方案,最大限度地降低环境管理中的不确定性,保证环境管理总目标的达成.     

农垦系统污水处理政策机制探讨——以黑龙江垦区为例

基于农垦系统工农业生产水资源紧张而水需求与污水排放量大和集中的特点,结合黑龙江垦区污水处理项目建设与运营的客观实际,采用比较分析、归纳演绎、逻辑推理等方法,在论证垦区污水处理项目建设必要性与可行性基础上,剖析了垦区污水处理政策体系残缺不全的状况,并架构了一套同农垦系统污水处理回用项目建设需求相适应的政策机制。     

金佛山地区地下水硝态氮污染时空变异性研究

根据1976～1977年、2004～2006年和2009年金佛山地区23处地下水排泄点水中硝态氮的质量浓度,采用地球化学、统计学与GIS相结合的方法确定了区内地下水中硝态氮的地球化学背景值,分析了硝态氮污染的时空变异特征.结果表明,区内地下水中硝态氮的地球化学背景值为0.72～2.00 mg.L-1,正异常下限为3.20 mg.L-1;2004～2006年和2009年金佛山自然保护区内地下水硝态氮平均质量浓度为：2.08、2.67、2.59和3.92 mg.L-1;保护区外为：39.08、25.46、17.99和13.73mg.L-1;平均超标率（标准规定NO 3--N≤10 mg.L-1）为：451.64%、478.61%、331.85%和145.67%;最高浓度为：157.58、118.04、63.82和46.18 mg.L-1;最大超标率为：1 475.81%、1 080.39%、538.20%和361.78%.插值分析结果显示,区内地下水中硝态氮高值中心随时间而变化,低值区沿金佛山自然保护区分布.当地合理的环境保护政策和产业结构调整,对环境保护工作起到了积极作用.     

省级环境管理部门基础信息网络建设实践与思考

阐述省级环境管理部门基础信息网络建设的重要性及建设应遵循的基本要求,结合实践,讨论设计和实际施工中出现的问题及解决办法,为环境管理部门基础信息网络建设提供有益参考。     

巢湖流域水资源可持续性评价方法研究

水资源可持续性评价模型(WRSEM,Water Resource Sustainability Evaluation Model)能够定量地评价流域水资源的可持续性,是流域水资源管理的一个有效工具。本文为了科学地衡量巢湖流域水资源开发、利用和管理的可持续性,构建了巢湖流域水资源可持续性评价模型和评价指标体系。巢湖流域水资源可持续性评价指标体系由4个一级指标(经济效率、社会公平、环境保护和保障能力)和20个二级指标构成。最后根据相对权重综合计算得到流域水资源可持续性指数。评价结果表明了巢湖流域水资源可持续性的程度,同时研究结果为巢湖流域水资源管理及其相关政策制定提供了科学依据。