Social-environmental certification: Sustainable development and competitiveness in the mineral industry of the Brazilian Amazon

This article examines the relationship between increased metal mining and sustainable development in the eastern section of the Amazonian state of Pará in Brazil. Since the early 1980s, mining has grown rapidly in Pará and local mining operations have become global leaders in the production of iron, manganese, bauxite, aluminum, gold, copper and — in the near future — nickel. To stay in tune with global standards, these companies have committed themselves to the principles of sustainability and have obtained certification for both social and environmental aspects of their activities. The article looks into whether such certification is linked to sustainable development of the relatively poor regions where these companies operate. The main findings are that: (1) there is a visible association between certification and improved performance by the companies, but not with the development of nearby areas; and (2) social‐environmental certification processes place more emphasis on ecological variables than on social ones.     

电力施工企业实施管理体系认证工作探讨

电力施工是高强度露天作业，流动性和机动性比较强，往往出现习惯性违章作业，所以必须加强各项安全管理工作。本文从提高企业核心竞争力和加强企业内部综合管理水平两个方面论述了实施管理体系认证工作的必要性，并指出企业实施管理体系认证过程中的不正确看法，提出体系认证工作中应重点做好危险辨识、建立体系文件等方面的工作，企业通过实施管理体系认证工作后，可以掌握先进的工作思路、形成良好的习惯，建立现代管理模式，使体系认证工作切实起到稳定企业的安全生产的局面。     

显示触控系统人为因素适航符合性验证技术

为解决传统人为因素适航符合性验证技术对先进驾驶舱显示触控系统设计的不适用性问题,首先,详细阐述显示触控系统的技术特点;然后,依据相关适航条款,确定显示触控系统在人为因素适航审定中需重点考虑的要素和审定计划的条理性方法;最后,结合符合性验证可能产生的问题,给出显示触控系统人为因素符合性验证要求及实现方法.结果 表明:人为...     

Complementary Roles of Home Gardens and Exotic Tree Plantations as Alternative Habitats for Plants of the Ethiopian Montane Rainforest

Abstract:  Many tropical forests have been converted for agri- or silviculture or a combination of both (agroforestry). Conservation at a landscape scale requires an understanding of the distribution and abundance of native biodiversity in these converted natural ecosystems, of which the knowledge is especially poor for African agroecosystems. We compared species density and species composition of four plant groups (trees and shrubs, epiphytic vascular plants, mosses, and liverworts) among three arboreal land-use types in southwestern Ethiopia (montane rainforest fragments, shade-tree coffee home gardens, and exotic tree plantations). Species density was significantly higher in forests than in coffee home gardens for all plant groups and in exotic tree plantations for all groups except mosses. Home gardens had more vascular epiphytic species than plantations, whereas the reverse was true for mosses and liverworts. The species composition of the forest plots was sometimes more similar to home-garden plots than plantation plots and sometimes vice versa. Fifteen forest plots had, however, cumulatively more species than a random selection of 15 nonforest (coffee home garden and plantation) plots, even if the 2 plot types complemented each other in terms of habitats for forest plants. Tree plantations dominated by Eucalyptus had many small trees and shrubs in common with forests, whereas plantations with Cupressus were important substrates for forests mosses and liverworts. Our results illustrate the importance of undisturbed forests habitats for conservation of species at a landscape scale and that different human-made land-use types may complement each other in their capacity as additional habitats for forest species.     

The effectiveness of market-based conservation in the tropics: forest certification in Ecuador and Bolivia

During the last decade, forest certification has gained momentum as a market-based conservation strategy in tropical forest countries. Certification has been promoted to enhance forest management in countries where governance capacities are insufficient to adequately manage natural resources and enforce pertinent regulations, given that certification relies largely on non-governmental organisations and private businesses. However, at present there are few tropical countries with large areas of certified forests. In this study, we conducted semi-structured stakeholder interviews in Ecuador and Bolivia to identify key framework conditions that influence the costs and benefits for companies to switch from conventional to certified forestry operations. Bolivia has a much greater relative area under certified forest management than Ecuador and also significantly more certified producers. The difference in the success of certification between both countries is particularly notable because Bolivia is a poorer country with more widespread corruption, and is landlocked with less access to export routes. Despite these factors, several characteristics of the Bolivian forest industry contribute to lower additional costs of certified forest management compared to Ecuador. Bolivia has stronger government enforcement of forestry regulations a fact that increases the cost of illegal logging, management units are larger, and vertical integration in the process chain from timber extraction to markets is higher. Moreover, forestry laws in Bolivia are highly compatible with certification requirements, and the government provides significant tax benefits to certified producers. Results from this study suggest that certification can be successful in countries where governments have limited governance capacity. However, the economic incentives for certification do not only arise from favourable market conditions. Certification is likely to be more successful where governments enforce forestry laws, provide financial incentives for certified forestry, and provide land tenure security, and where large-scale and vertically integrated forestry operations are commercially feasible. For this reason, at present, there are few developing countries where forest certification is likely to achieve widespread success.     

Model for sustainability implementation and measurement in construction sites

Sustainable practices at construction sites should be considered from the start of the project, meaning during the design phase. A model for the implementation of sustainability at a site is an important management tool, and its adoption can indicate good practices and propose an assessment of local conditions. Thus, the main contribution of this article is to propose a practical model to evaluate the level of implementation of sustainable practices at construction sites. The model was based on sustainability certifications and validated at six construction sites in Brazil. The results indicate that construction companies that possess environmental certifications have better levels of implementation of good practices at their work sites. However, it was noted that it is not necessary for a company to obtain an environmental certification; rather, it is necessary for sustainability strategies to become corporate culture.     

安全系统的功能安全的发展及实施建议

安全系统的功能安全是基于整体安全生命周期的风险控制与管理,是安全管理学和安全监控技术的新发展。有效的开展功能安全相关工作是进一步落实科技兴安战略和预防为主方针的必然要求,对于减低安全生产事故风险,提高安全监控监管监察效能,缩小安全技术差距具有重要意义。实施功能安全相关工作需要各行业协调行动,从战略高度进行综合分析、宏观设计、统筹安排和合理规划。对功能安全研究与应用、安全生产法规标准、产业发展、科研试验、人才队伍等方面进行了探讨,在加大功能安全相关研发投入,增强科技扶持力度,提高功能安全准入门槛,建设功能安全认证服务机构,发展功能安全产业,培养功能安全专业人才等方面提出了相应的建议措施。     

Effects of logging on roadless space in intact forest landscapes of the Congo Basin

Forest degradation in the tropics is often associated with roads built for selective logging. The protection of intact forest landscapes (IFL) that are not accessible by roads is high on the biodiversity conservation agenda and a challenge for logging concessions certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). A frequently advocated conservation objective is to maximize the retention of roadless space, a concept that is based on distance to the nearest road from any point. We developed a novel use of the empty‐space function – a general statistical tool based on stochastic geometry and random sets theory – to calculate roadless space in a part of the Congo Basin where road networks have been expanding rapidly. We compared the temporal development of roadless space in certified and uncertified logging concessions inside and outside areas declared IFL in 2000. Inside IFLs, road‐network expansion led to a decrease in roadless space by more than half from 1999 to 2007. After 2007, loss leveled out in most areas to close to 0 due to an equilibrium between newly built roads and abandoned roads that became revegetated. However, concessions in IFL certified by FSC since around 2007 continuously lost roadless space and reached a level comparable to all other concessions. Only national parks remained mostly roadless. We recommend that forest‐management policies make the preservation of large connected forest areas a top priority by effectively monitoring – and limiting – the occupation of space by roads that are permanently accessible.     

The Power of Bioenergy‐Related Standards to Protect Biodiversity

Abstract: The sustainable production of bioenergy is vital to avoiding negative impacts on environmental goods such as climate, soil, water, and especially biodiversity. We propose three key issues that should be addressed in any biodiversity risk‐mitigation strategy: conservation of areas of significant biodiversity value; mitigation of negative effects related to indirect land‐use change; and promotion of agricultural practices with few negative impacts on biodiversity. Focusing on biodiversity concerns, we compared principles and criteria set to address biodiversity and other environmental and social issues in seven standards (defined here as commodity‐based standards or roundtables, or relevant European legislation): five voluntary initiatives related to bioenergy feedstocks, the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (United Kingdom), and the European Renewable Energy Source Directive. Conservation of areas of significant biodiversity value was fairly well covered by these standards. Nevertheless, mitigation of negative impacts related to indirect land‐use change was underrepresented. Although the EU directive, with its bonus system for the use of degraded land and a subquota system for noncrop biofuels, offered the most robust standards to mitigate potential negative effects, all of the standards fell short in promoting agricultural practices with low negative impacts on biodiversity. We strongly recommend that each standard be benchmarked against related standards, as we have done here, and that efforts should be made to strengthen the elements that are weak or missing. This would be a significant step toward achieving a bioenergy industry that safeguards Earth's living heritage.     

建筑废弃物的回收原理与方法研究

由于社会和经济因素的要求,当今的建筑生命周期要最大程度地完成圆形的循环过程,即重新使用拆建物料制造新产品。循环经济的大背景下,承建商通过坚实的理论基础,采用分层次的方法来进行建筑废弃物的管理。文中总结了两种方法的优点和缺点,进行了混合回收与源头分离两种方法的比较研究。最值得注意的是两个不同的意向方案：绿色星球计划和ICC—ESSAVE^TM方案。突出的可持续认证和设计方案及绿色星球计划侧重的能源效率模型时常被繁重调试系统的LEED所青睐。一旦被国际编码理事会所批准,这些文件可以在LEED的评分系统下或绿色星球计划中,帮助其寻找资格评分。文章最后分析了建筑废弃物的回收流程,并得出结论：高达95％的建筑和拆迁建筑废弃物都可以回收;回收相比垃圾填埋更节省资金;源头分离较混合回收需要更多的管理和劳动力,但能获得更大的经济利益;承建商应该组织和管理现场的回收工作。