An Assessment of Stakeholder Perceptions and Management of Noxious Alien Plants in Spain

Despite biological invasions being a worldwide phenomenon causing significant ecological, economic, and human welfare impacts, there is limited understanding regarding how environmental managers perceive the problem and subsequently manage alien species. Spanish environmental managers were surveyed using questionnaires to (1) analyze the extent to which they perceive plant invasions as a problem; (2) identify the status, occurrence, and impacts of noxious alien plant species; (3) assess current effort and expenditure targeting alien plant management; and, finally, (4) identify the criteria they use to set priorities for management. In comparison to other environmental concerns, plant invasions are perceived as only moderately problematic and mechanical control is the most valued and frequently used strategy to cope with plant invasions in Spain. Based on 70 questionnaires received, 193 species are considered noxious, 109 of which have been the subject of management activities. More than 90% of species are found in at least one protected area. According to respondents, the most frequently managed species are the most widespread across administrative regions and the ones perceived as causing the highest impacts. The perception of impact seems to be independent of their invasion status, since only half of the species identified as noxious are believed to be invasive in Spain, while 43% of species thought to only be casual aliens are causing a high impact. Records of management costs are poor and the few data indicate that the total actual expenditure amounted to 50,492,437 € in the last decade. The majority of respondents stated that management measures are insufficient to control alien plants due to limited economic resources, lack of public awareness and support, and an absence of coordination among different public administrations. Managers also expressed their concern about the fact that much scientific research is concerned with the ecology of alien plants rather than with specific cost-efficient strategies to manage alien species.     

Social Learning Through Evaluation: A Case Study of Overcoming Constraints for Management of Dryland Salinity

Conventional approaches to evaluation of environmental programs have tended to limit themselves to restricted measures of program effectiveness. This paper shows how a social learning approach can be incorporated into evaluating public environmental programs. A social learning approach is particularly suited to complex environmental challenges which are inherently difficult to understand, predict, and manage, thus complicating the evaluation process. The paper presents an Australian case study of dryland salinity management where there are major knowledge barriers impeding conventional management techniques. The research presented in this paper focused on evaluating a public demonstration program to track its impact through its design, implementation, and monitoring phases. The paper shows that, by incorporating social learning principles and practices, program evaluation can promote collective action, critical reflection, and increased knowledge to underpin improved environmental management.     

对水敏感性的机理与影响因素的研究

通过对咸淡水界面水敏感性机理与影响因素的研究,表明在非反应性微粒的释放迁移、反应性微粒的膨胀和絮凝作用与胶体吸附架桥作用下多孔介质中微粒物质的释放、膨胀、迁移、重沉积等引起的孔喉阻塞是导致水敏感性的机理所在;临界盐浓度、临界盐浓度变化率、临界离子强度、一临界流速和pH值是水敏感性的主要影响因素;指出水敏感性的研究对防止海水入侵具有重要的理论意义和实用价值。     

试论环境友好型社会的建设

文章围绕环境友好型社会建设这一核心问题,从建设环境友好型社会是历史的必然切入。分析了建设环境友好型社会应突出解决的关键问题,阐明了建设环境友好型社会需要法律作保障这一基本观点。     

我国冬小麦霜冻灾害致灾因子危险度评价——基于作物生育阶段气象指标

霜冻是一种威胁农业生产的气象灾害,对其致灾因子危险度的研究,可为大尺度的作物霜冻灾害区划及农业保险提供依据。根据作物生长发育的阶段性原理,以全国751个气象台站56年的逐日最低气温资料以及作物生育期资料为基础,统计得到冬小麦各个生育阶段不同灾害等级（轻霜冻、中霜冻、重霜冻）的年霜冻日数,并计算出冬小麦全生育期内不同等级霜冻的发生概率,基于以上两项指标对冬小麦霜冻致灾因子危险度做出评价。结果表明,研究期内重霜冻年霜日最大值为129d,而轻霜冻和中霜冻霜日最大值分别为23 d和19 d,冬小麦受重霜冻危害时间较长;冬小麦霜冻的频发区、多发区、少发区从北向南依次分布,随着霜冻等级增加,频发区的面积差异不大,但多发区的面积减小、少发区面积增大;冬小麦霜冻灾害危险度等级最低的地区主要分布在低纬度的几个省份,如海南、广东、广西、云南等,危险度等级最高的地区集中在青藏高原地区。     

Secondary arsenic minerals in the environment: A review

Information on arsenic (As) speciation in solid materials is critical for many environmental studies concerned with As stability and/or mobility in natural As-impacted soils and mining or industrial sites contaminated by As. The investigation of these systems has provided evidence for a number of secondary As minerals that have often played a significant role in As mobility in the solid phase–water system. This paper presents a list of environmentally important secondary As minerals in contaminated soil and waste systems, summarizes the information about their origin, occurrence, environmental stability and thermodynamics, and proposes several important avenues for further investigation.     

The influence of radiopharmaceutical isotope production on the global radioxenon background

Radioxenon isotopes play a major role in confirming whether or not an underground explosion was nuclear in nature. It is then of key importance to understand the sources of environmental radioxenon to be able to distinguish them from those of a nuclear explosion.     

崇明东滩不同部位的季节性沉积研究

2002年4月至2003年4月,通过对崇明东滩南部、中部和北部的标志桩观测以及实地观测分析,发现崇明东滩在一年中不同季节冲淤变化过程存在很大差异：春季到夏季,南部以冲刷为主,中部和北部以淤积为主;夏季到秋季,南部和中部以淤积为主,北部表现为冲刷;秋季到冬季,南部、中部和北部都以冲刷为主;头一年冬季到次年春季,南部和北部以淤积为主,中部则表现为冲刷。在同一观测路线上,不同季节高、中、低潮滩冲淤也存在一定差异。通过对沉积物粒度、水体含沙量等指标的测试,并借助潮差等资料,探究了影响潮滩季节性沉积的因素,发现潮滩季节性沉积与潮滩基础地貌、水体含沙量、水动力、潮流等有密切关系;但在不同部位不同季节,各因素对潮滩冲淤影响程度各不相同。     

环境库兹涅茨曲线假说在中国的经验研究

改革开放以来,中国年均98%的经济持续增长举世瞩目,然而对经济增长所付出的环境代价却存在着诸多争议。环境库兹涅茨曲线（EKC）假说是对环境 收入关系研究的经典表述,可以直观地展现环境与收入变化的关系。在前人研究EKC时运用单一或多个单一指标测量污染程度存在缺陷的基础上,基于 1982～2006年中国6类环境污染物,用改进的熵值法计算出代表我国整体环境污染状况的环境污染指数,利用协整检验来研究中国环境库兹涅茨曲线的存在性及其“本土化”特征,发现与一般发达国家和新兴发展中国家的“倒U”型环境库兹涅茨曲线不同,中国综合环境污染模型呈“正U”型,以21世纪初为分界点,之前环境污染水平不断下降,之后环境污染又开始有所恶化;利用脉冲响应函数来考察环境污染和经济增长的互动关系,发现经济增长在追溯期内对环境污染均为正向影响,而环境污染仅在短期对经济增长有促进作用。这一研究旨在为制定符合中国国情的环境、经济政策,实现经济与环境协调发展提供理论依据.     

Design considerations for environmental sustainability in high density development: a case study of Hong Kong

This study has indicated that there is close relationship between development density and environmental quality; therefore, it is necessary to decide the form of development carefully beforehand. The form of development is shaped either by new development or urban renewal which is a major tactic nowadays adopted by the Hong Kong Government to improve the living condition of the citizens and the quality of the built environment. This study is limited to urban renewal and aims to find out the major urban design considerations for sustaining the environment. Through a questionnaire survey carried out in Hong Kong, the opinions of architects, planners, property development managers, and local citizens were sought and evaluated, and critical design factors for enhancing environmental sustainability of urban renewal projects are highlighted. The results derived from factor analysis indicated that certain design considerations should be incorporated for sustaining the urban environment. “Land Use Planning”, “Quality of Life”, “Conservation & Preservation”, “Integrated Design”, “Provision of Welfare Facilities”, and “Conservation of Existing Properties” were believed to be the significant underlying factors for achieving environmental sustainability of local urban renewal projects. Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.