Making Capacity Building Meaningful: A Framework for Strategic Action

This paper aims to give practical meaning to ‘capacity building’ through (a) identifying a suite of practical measures, such as mentoring or best practice guidelines, that have been shown to or are considered to build human, social, institutional, and economic capital; (b) placing these measures within a broader systems framework; and (c) exploring stakeholder feedback on specific measures to inform framework implementation. The 29 measures described provide actors, whether government or nongovernment, with a suite of practical investment choices for building capacity. These measures are then clustered into eight groups according to their primary purpose and placed within a systems framework. The framework provides a tool for actors with responsibilities for or an interest in capacity building to inform more holistic and strategic targeting of effort and investment. Stakeholder feedback gathered through surveys and workshops is subsequently reported to further inform implementation of specific measures within the framework’s eight groupings. The framework presented may be built upon through the identification and inclusion of further capacity building measures. The research is conducted within the context of decentralized governance arrangements for natural resource management (NRM), with specific focus on Australia’s recently formalized 56 NRM regions and their community-based governing boards as an informative arena of learning. Application of the framework is explored in the Australian setting through the identification and comparison of measures supported and most preferred by four major stakeholder groups, namely board members, regional NRM organization staff, policy/research interests, and Indigenous interests. The research also examines stakeholder perceptions of capacity issues, and whether these issues are likely to be addressed through implementing their preferred measures.

Detecting Temporal Change in Watershed Nutrient Yields

Meta-analyses reveal that nutrient yields tend to be higher for watersheds dominated by anthropogenic uses (e.g., urban, agriculture) and lower for watersheds dominated by natural vegetation. One implication of this pattern is that loss of natural vegetation will produce increases in watershed nutrient yields. Yet, the same meta-analyses also reveal that, absent land-cover change, watershed nutrient yields vary from one year to the next due to many exogenous factors. The interacting effects of land cover and exogenous factors suggest nutrient yields should be treated as distributions, and the effect of land-cover change should be examined by looking for significant changes in the distributions. We compiled nutrient yield distributions from published data. The published data included watersheds with homogeneous land cover that typically reported two or more years of annual nutrient yields for the same watershed. These data were used to construct statistical models, and the models were used to estimate changes in the nutrient yield distributions as a result of land-cover change. Land-cover changes were derived from the National Land Cover Database (NLCD). Total nitrogen (TN) yield distributions increased significantly for 35 of 1550 watersheds and decreased significantly for 51. Total phosphorus (TP) yield distributions increased significantly for 142 watersheds and decreased significantly for 17. The amount of land-cover change required to produce significant shifts in nutrient yield distributions was not constant. Small land-cover changes led to significant shifts in nutrient yield distributions when watersheds were dominated by natural vegetation, whereas much larger land-cover changes were needed to produce significant shifts when watersheds were dominated by urban or agriculture. We discuss our results in the context of the Clean Water Act.     

Social Networks and Community-Based Natural Resource Management

We conducted case studies of three successful examples of collaborative, community-based natural resource conservation and development. Our purpose was to: (1) identify the functions served by interactions within the social networks of involved stakeholders; (2) describe key structural properties of these social networks; and (3) determine how these structural properties varied when the networks were serving different functions. The case studies relied on semi-structured, in-depth interviews of 8 to 11 key stakeholders at each site who had played a significant role in the collaborative projects. Interview questions focused on the roles played by key stakeholders and the functions of interactions between them. Interactions allowed the exchange of ideas, provided access to funding, and enabled some stakeholders to influence others. The exchange of ideas involved the largest number of stakeholders, the highest percentage of local stakeholders, and the highest density of interactions. Our findings demonstrated the value of tailoring strategies for involving stakeholders to meet different needs during a collaborative, community-based natural resource management project. Widespread involvement of local stakeholders may be most appropriate when ideas for a project are being developed. During efforts to exert influence to secure project approvals or funding, however, involving specific individuals with political connections or influence on possible sources of funds may be critical. Our findings are consistent with past work that has postulated that social networks may require specific characteristics to meet different needs in community-based environmental management.     

Laboratory longitudinal diffusion tests: 2. Parameter estimation by inverse analysis

This study focuses on the verification of test interpretations for different state analyses of diffusion experiments. Part 1 of this study identified that steady, quasi-steady and equilibrium state analyses for the through- and in-diffusion tests with solution reservoirs are generally feasible where the tracer is not highly sorptive. In Part 2 we investigate parameter identifiability in transient-state analysis of reservoir concentration variation using a numerical approach. For increased generality, the analytical models, objective functions and Jacobian matrix necessary for inverse analysis of transient-state data are reformulated using unified dimensionless parameters. In these dimensionless forms, the number of unknown parameters is reduced and a single dimensionless parameter represents the sorption property. The dimensionless objective functions are evaluated for individual test methods and parameter identifiability is discussed in relation to the sorption property. The effects of multiple minima and measurement error on parameter identifiability are also investigated. The main findings are that inverse problems for inlet and outlet reservoir concentration analyses are generally unstable and well-posed, respectively. Where the tracer is sorptive, the inverse problem for the inlet reservoir concentration analysis may have multiple minima. When insufficient measurement data is collected, multiple solutions may result and this should be taken into consideration when inversely analyzing data including that of inlet reservoir concentration. Verification of test interpretation by cross-checking different state analyses is feasible where the tracer is not highly sorptive. In an actual experiment, test interpretation validity is demonstrated through consistency between theory and practice for different state analyses.     

小议火电厂总量减排核查要点

从资料核查、在线监测设备核查、集控系统核查及现场核查4个环节详细介绍了火电厂总量减排现场核查的要点。对核查中出现的问题进行总结及分析,为同类环境管理工作提供参考。     

超高效液相色谱法测定生活饮用水中的溴氰菊酯

采用反相超高效液相色谱法测定生活饮用水中的溴氰菊酯,并用于实际样品的分析.该方法用二氯甲烷为萃取剂,以甲醇—水（85 /15,V/V）作为流动相,紫外检测器的检测波长为215 nm.该方法在6 min之内可完成生活饮用水中溴氰菊酯的分离及检测,结果表明,该方法线性范围、精密度、加标回收率均符合相关技术要求,适用于水样中溴氰菊酯的测定.     

环境监测能力建设项目管理思路与实现

近年来,环境监测能力建设项目资金投入不断加大,项目规模增长迅速,实施任务日益繁重,项目绩效考核要求越来越高,但项目管理还处于比较粗放的状态。在分析环境监测能力建设项目管理现状和需求的基础上,提出通过转变项目管理模式、强化信息支撑手段、完善制度建设、培养管理人才等多种手段,提高项目管理的科学性和时效性,实现重点项目管理的精细化、科学化和规范化。     

炸药废水中TNR含量直接光度法测定的研究

以三硝基间苯二酚 ( TNR)溶于水后 ,溶液呈现出明显的亮黄色 ,据此直接用光度法对炸药废水中 TNR的含量进行了测定 ,并论证了光度法的测试条件。同时以消解测氮法进行印证 ,结果表明方法具有可行性     

环境监测报告(记录)的审核原则和方法

从实际工作出发,提出了审核原始记录、数字型监测报告（报表）和文字型监测报告的审核原则和方法。     

两种吹扫捕集浓缩仪在测定土壤VOCs时的性能比较

从仪器精密度、方法检出限、准确度等角度对吹扫捕集浓缩仪Stratum PTC与Eclipse 4660的性能进行比较。结果表明,大部分分析物用Stratum PTC的方法检出限略高于Eclipse 4660,但精密度比Eclipse 4660稍差;Eclipse 4660用于分析极性的、水溶性物质的效果比Stratum PTC好,回收率更高。两种吹扫捕集仪的测试结果均满足《土壤和沉积物挥发性有机物的测定吹扫捕集/气相色谱-质谱法》(HJ 605-2011)标准方法的指标要求。