Uneven Environmental Management: A Canadian Perspective

Advocates of community-based approaches to environmental management argue that by respecting local circumstances, skills, and concerns we may improve the prospects of achieving environmental sustainability; yet, within nation states such as Canada, environmental conditions, management and enforcement costs and capabilities, and power differentials within and among civic and public sectors may result in a highly differentiated capacity for environmental management across different localities and regions. This article draws on insights of political ecology to 1) create a conceptual framework that identifies key elements shaping regional environmental management regimes and to 2) undertake a comparative analysis to assess how elements interact to generate uneven management outcomes. I compare experiences of two Canadian biosphere reserves designated in 2000: Clayoquot Sound, BC; and Redberry Lake, SK. Analysis reveals that differences in governance and institutional capacities in the biosphere reserves are key to explaining uneven local outcomes. Where the public and civic sectors are strong, a robust and publicly vetted form of management will emerge. Where these sectors are weak and land is held as private property, environmental nongovernmental organizations can set the type and level of management, to the exclusion of effective civic and state involvement. This result may improve environmental sustainability but hinder social sustainability of a management regime and raises questions about the efficacy of community-based management.     

Assessment of the Effectiveness of Environmental Dredging in South Lake,China

Environmental dredging is a primary remedial option for removal of the contaminated material from aquatic environment. Of primary concern in environmental dredging is the effectiveness of the intended sediment removal. A 5-year field monitoring study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the environmental dredging in South Lake, China. The concentrations of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphors, and heavy metals (Zn, Pb, Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Hg, and As) before and after dredging in sediment were determined and compared. Multiple ecological risk indices were employed to assess the contamination of heavy metals before and after dredging. Our results showed that the total phosphorus levels reduced 42% after dredging. Similar changes for Hg, Zn, As Pb, Cd, Cu, Cr, and Ni were observed, with reduction percentages of 97.0, 93.1, 82.6, 63.9, 52.7, 50.1, 32.0, and 23.6, respectively, and the quality of sediment improved based on the criterion of Sediment Quality Guidelines by USEPA and contamination degree values (C_d) decreased significantly (paired t-test, p < 0.05). Unexpectedly, the TN increased 49% after dredging compared to before dredging. Findings from the study demonstrated that the environmental dredging was an effective mechanism for removal of total phosphorus and heavy metals from South Lake. Nevertheless, the dredging was ineffective to remove total nitrogen from sediment. We conclude that the reason for the observed increase in TN after dredging was likely ammonia release from the sediment impairing the dredging effectiveness.     

Environmental Policy Beliefs of Stakeholders in Protected Area Management

Although the importance of understanding stakeholder beliefs regarding environmental policy has been noted by many authors, research focusing on the heterogeneity of stakeholder views is still very scarce and concentrated on a product-oriented definition of stakeholders. The aim of the present study is to address this gap by examining environmental policy beliefs of stakeholder groups engaged in protected area management. Questionnaires containing 73 five-point Likert scale items were administered to eight different stakeholder groups involved in the management of Greek protected areas. Items referred to core beliefs on environmental policy, namely, the value framework and sustainable development, and secondary beliefs, that is, beliefs on social consensus and ecotourism development. Our study used as a starting point respondent recruitment on the basis of a traditional product-centered approach. We investigated whether environmental policy beliefs can be used to effectively segregate stakeholders in well-defined segments, which override the product-oriented definition of stakeholders. Indeed, K-means clustering revealed an innovation-introduction and an implementation-charged sample segment. The instrument utilized in this research proved quite reliable and valid in measuring stakeholder environmental policy beliefs. Furthermore, the methodology implied that stakeholder groups differ in a significant number of belief-system elements. On the other hand, stakeholder groups were effectively distinguished on a small set of both core and secondary beliefs. Therefore, the instrument used can be an effective tool for determining and monitoring environmental policy beliefs of stakeholders in protected area management. This is of considerable importance in the Greek case, given the recent establishment of 27 administrative bodies of protected areas, all of which are required to incorporate public consultation into management practices.     

Conceptual Models as Hypotheses in Monitoring Urban Landscapes

Many problems and challenges of ecosystem management currently are driven by the rapid pace and spatial extent of landscape change. Parks and reserves within areas of high human population density are especially challenged to meet the recreational needs of local populations and to preserve valued environmental resources. The complex problem of managing multiple objectives and multiple resources requires an enormous quantity of information, and conceptual models have been proposed as tools for organizing and interpreting this information. Academics generally prefer a bottom-up approach to model construction that emphasizes ecologic theory and process, whereas managers often use a top-down approach that takes advantage of existing information to address more pragmatic objectives. The authors propose a formal process for developing, applying, and testing conceptual models to be used in landscape monitoring that reconciles these seemingly opposing perspectives. The four-step process embraces the role of hypothesis testing in the development of models and evaluation of their utility. An example application of the process to a network of national parks in and around Washington, DC illustrates the ability of the approach to systematically identify monitoring data that would both advance ecologic theory and inform management decisions.     

It’s All in the Numbers: Acreage Tallies and Environmental Program Evaluation

Increasingly, performance measurement is being used to hold federal agencies accountable, represent environmental progress, and evaluate the effectiveness of environmental programs. The need to track measurable outputs has created a tendency to present programmatic progress solely by quantifiable data, despite the inherent complexity of natural resource management. Wetlands and fire management programs are two specific environmental arenas that have come to overemphasize the tracking of acreage numbers to validate existing policy direction. In both of these arenas, we find the definition and categorization of "countable" acres to be inconsistent and unreliable. We explore this systemic flaw for both wetlands and fire programs and describe its implications for environmental policy and natural resource management more broadly. We conclude with recommendations for improved performance measurement in these arenas.     

乡镇街道尺度国土“三生”空间功能评价及协调关系

乡镇街道尺度国土“三生”空间功能评价及协调关系研究更面向国土空间优化过程中的人本需求导向和基层精细化治理。研究提出“分维功能评价—协调水平测算—作用方向判别”的整套思路框架。其中,兼顾空间隶属和空间质量双重属性构建“三生”空间功能综合评价指标体系,运用耦合协调模型和双变量空间自相关模型探究功能间协调水平及各自对整体协调的作用方向,并以苏州市为例进行实证分析。结果表明：（1）所构建分析框架、指标体系及技术方法路径具有科学性和普适性特点,能够在乡镇街道尺度有效识别“三生”空间功能分布格局和空间协调关系。（2）在乡镇街道尺度的较高标准约束下,苏州市“三生”空间功能具有较显著城乡差异和区域差异,且“三生”空间功能协调整体水平呈现“大分散、小集聚”的分布特征,协调水平主要受生产、生活空间功能同向作用,生态空间功能的协同作用不足、多呈现反向关系。（3）从城区、乡镇、生态单元等不同空间类型提升“三生”空间综合功能,完善基层国土空间治理的精细化,在更大尺度上实现“三生”空间的整体协调,构建功能复合、风貌相宜、协调共进的国土空间格局。     

Alterations in microbial community during the remediation of a black-odorous stream by acclimated composite microorganisms

Microbial application is an efficient, economical, and ecofriendly method for remediating black-odorous rivers. In this study, the field treatment effect and microbial community changes were monitored during remediation by the acclimated complex microorganisms of a typical black-odorous stream. After the treatment, the total phosphorus and ammonia contents decreased by 74.0% and 76.3% and the concentrations of dissolved oxygen increased from 1.65 to 4.90 mg/L, indicating the effectiveness of the acclimated composite microorganisms. The proportion of Bacteroidetes decreased significantly by 48.1% and that of Firmicutes increased by 2.23% on average, and the microbial diversity index first increased and then tended to be uniform. Redundancy analysis demonstrated that the pH, dissolved oxygen, and oxidation-reduction potential together determined the composition of the microbial communities (p < 0.05). These findings showed that the acclimated composite microorganisms can effectively remediate the black odor.     

单兵信息系统装备可靠性评估方法研究

首先介绍了士兵系统在环境适应性、信息安全、作战适应性、使用寿命等方面的需求,提出了一种可靠性设计方法,可有效解决单兵多模块信息系统可靠性评估问题,大幅提升士兵信息系统的设计效率。同时以典型士兵信息系统为例,进行了士兵结构可靠性、电气可靠性设计。     

流域水污染综合防治的生态效益分析

将模糊综合评价和pead生长曲线法引入到流域水污染防治的效益分析当中，建立了流域水污染防治的生态效益分析方法。以云南省寻甸县牛栏江小流域水污染综合防治规划为例，采用模糊数学法对水污染造成的水资源价值损失进行了估算，采用曲线法对水污染综合防治的生态价值进行分析，得刭水资源价值和生态价值分别为2730．3万元／年和491．45万元／年。最后将所有经济效益和费用贴现，计算效费比为3．68。分析结果可知，牛栏江小流域水污染综合防治具有良好的环境效益、经济效益和社会效益。     

The effectiveness of forecast-based humanitarian assistance in anticipation of extreme winters: a case study of vulnerable herders in Mongolia

This paper presents evidence relating to a forecast-based cash and non-food item distribution among vulnerable herder households during the 2017–18 dzud (extreme winter) season in Mongolia, and analyses the results of a quasi-experimental study evaluating its impacts. An innovative approach in disaster risk reduction, forecast-based financing (FbF) can have short- and long-term benefits to vulnerable households but remains understudied. The paper contributes information on a multimodal FbF programme offering one-off cash grants and in-kind veterinary kits. The data found significant effects of reduced mortality and increased offspring survival in some types of livestock, and that the timing of FbF assistance is crucial, as reported early assistance correlated to positive outcomes in terms of reduced animal mortality. These findings can be used to design more effective FbF interventions, to understand better the appropriateness of FbF designs, and to use early warnings and early actions to help people prepare and withstand disasters such as dzuds.