Exploring co-investments in sustainable land management in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, not only farmers but also the public and private sector partners are still hesitant to invest in sustainable land management (SLM). This study focuses on the Central Rift Valley and explores the potential for co-investments in SLM, where public and private sector partners support farmers with material, capital, knowledge, etc. A survey revealed current bottlenecks for co-investments and requirements needed to collaboratively invest in SLM. It covered 165 public sector partners (micro-, meso- and macro-level institutions) and 42 private sector partners (banks, exporters and local traders). Results for the public sector show a gap between macro- and micro-/meso-level actors concerning co-investments in SLM. Macro-level institutions do not acknowledge the bottlenecks identified by micro- and meso-level institutions (e.g. lack of accountability, top-down approaches and lack of good leadership). Similarly, opinions on requirements for co-investments in SLM differ considerably, showing that bridging the institutional micro–macro gap is crucial to co-investments. Most factors are related to the wider governance context and to different perceptions among micro- and macro-level actors as to the critical pre-conditions to co-investment in SLM. Improving governance at all institutional levels, capacity building and enhancing a common understanding on barriers to SLM is required. Results for the private sector reveal that economic bottlenecks limit possibilities to co-invest in SLM, and that enabling policies in the public sphere are required to trigger private investments. Hence, the potential for co-investments in SLM is available in Ethiopia at micro- and meso-level and within the private sector, but profound commitment and fundamental policy changes at the macro-level are required to exploit this potential.     

A global community-sourced assessment of the state of conservation technology

Conservation technology holds the potential to vastly increase conservationists’ ability to understand and address critical environmental challenges, but systemic constraints appear to hamper its development and adoption. Understanding of these constraints and opportunities for advancement remains limited. We conducted a global online survey of 248 conservation technology users and developers to identify perceptions of existing tools’ current performance and potential impact, user and developer constraints, and key opportunities for growth. We also conducted focus groups with 45 leading experts to triangulate findings. The technologies with the highest perceived potential were machine learning and computer vision, eDNA and genomics, and networked sensors. A total of 95%, 94%, and 92% respondents, respectively, rated them as very helpful or game changers. The most pressing challenges affecting the field as a whole were competition for limited funding, duplication of efforts, and inadequate capacity building. A total of 76%, 67%, and 55% respondents, respectively, identified these as primary concerns. The key opportunities for growth identified in focus groups were increasing collaboration and information sharing, improving the interoperability of tools, and enhancing capacity for data analyses at scale. Some constraints appeared to disproportionately affect marginalized groups. Respondents in countries with developing economies were more likely to report being constrained by upfront costs, maintenance costs, and development funding (p = 0.048, odds ratio [OR] = 2.78; p = 0.005, OR = 4.23; p = 0.024, OR = 4.26), and female respondents were more likely to report being constrained by development funding and perceived technical skills (p = 0.027, OR = 3.98; p = 0.048, OR = 2.33). To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to formally capture the perspectives and needs of the global conservation technology community, providing foundational data that can serve as a benchmark to measure progress. We see tremendous potential for this community to further the vision they define, in which collaboration trumps competition; solutions are open, accessible, and interoperable; and user-friendly processing tools empower the rapid translation of data into conservation action. Article impact statement: Addressing financing, coordination, and capacity-building constraints is critical to the development and adoption of conservation technology.     

Implementing Ecosystem Management in Public Agencies: Lessons from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service

Abstract:  Ecosystem management was formally adopted over a decade ago by many U.S. natural resource agencies, including the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. This approach calls for management based on stakeholder collaboration; interagency cooperation; integration of scientific, social, and economic information; preservation of ecological processes; and adaptive management. Results of previous studies indicate differences in the extent to which particular components of ecosystem management would be implemented within the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management and suggest a number of barriers thought to impede implementation. Drawing on survey and interview data from agency personnel and stakeholders, we compared levels of ecosystem-management implementation in the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management and identified the most important barriers to implementation. Agency personnel perceived similarly high levels of implementation on many ecosystem-management components, whereas stakeholders perceived lower levels. Agencies were most challenged by implementation of preservation of ecological processes, adaptive management, and integration of social and economic information, whereas the most significant barriers to implementation were political, cultural, and legal.     

城乡融合视角下淮海经济区城乡转型特征与路径

城乡融合不仅是社会经济结构的转换过程,也是城乡持续转型过程。以淮海经济区为研究区,剖析了城乡融合发展面临的困境,通过城乡转型多维定量评价与比较,诊断了研究区城乡融合状态,提出了推进城乡融合发展的路径。结果表明:(1)淮海经济区城乡融合发展面临"两分离一切变"而导致的"三不足"的困境,即传统农区的"居业分离"、资源型城市的"产城分离"和省际交界区的"切变效应",导致乡村转型的内在动力不足、城市对乡村的辐射带动力不足和城乡公共服务供给的区域协同力不足。(2)城乡转型状态呈现出经济、社会和空间多维相关的特征,转型过程的城乡异速不同步和转型格局的城乡异构非均衡现象并存;采用对比聚类法,划分出城乡转型滞后型、乡村转型滞后型、城市转型滞后型和城乡转型同步型四种类型。(3)推进淮海经济区城乡融合发展的关键是要突破城乡二元结构和区域发展"碎片化"困境,分类推进城乡协同转型发展,加强省际交界区城乡发展的跨域协同。     

钢铁领域CO2减排协同发展的实现策略——以京津冀为例

本文运用C-D生产函数修正传统的LMDI指数分解法并构建Tapio及交叉脱钩模型,结合灰色预测模型GM(1, 1),实证分析2006—2025年京津冀钢铁领域碳排放的碳强度、驱动因素、脱钩指数及协同关系。结果发现：(1)京津冀从“十一五”到“十四五”时期钢铁领域碳排放由快速增长变为缓慢增长,北京市和天津市钢铁领域的碳排放强度均低于地区平均水平,河北省则高于平均水平;(2)碳增排因素为能源消费碳强度和资本投入,碳减排因素为能源强度和技术进步,劳动投入逐渐从碳增排效应转变为碳减排效应;(3)京津冀钢铁领域碳排放与工业增加值未实现脱钩,且京津冀三地间脱钩协同关系多表现为不协同。鉴于京津冀城市群钢铁领域聚集,需推进钢铁领域实现协同脱钩,积极引领“双碳”行动。     

国家应急管理工作组合作网络的社会网络分析

为研究具有中国特色的非常规突发事件应急管理拳头模式,将国家应急管理工作组(NEMWG)合作网络视为一个大型社会合作网络,分析其结构特征和运行机制。以汶川地震为例,基于二分网络构建应对汶川地震的NEMWG合作网络模型,其中将政府应急主体视为节点,应急主体在工作组中的合作关系视为边。基于社会网络分析的度、介数和接近性3类中心性指标,分析政府职能部门、军队和大型国有企业等应急主体,在合作网络中的个体位置优先性和重要性。结果表明,各应急主体在汶川地震应对合作网络中具有不同的活动能力、控制能力和依赖性,应据此进一步完善NEMWG组织架构,构建适应性更强的政府应急管理体系。     

Defining success over time for large landscape conservation organizations

Transboundary issues, like climate change, threaten the health of natural ecosystems. To address these problems, management is taking place at larger geographic scales and across political boundaries. Although landscapes are considered the suitable scale for conservation, limited research exists on how members of large landscape conservation organizations (LLCOs) define success. The Crown Managers Partnership (CMP) and the Southern Appalachian Man and the Biosphere Cooperative (SAMAB) are two LLCOs that support collaboration for the conservation of the Northern Rockies and the Southern Appalachian regions. We analyze the diverse interpretations of success among SAMAB and CMP participants during different stages of the organizations’ life cycle. Of particular importance is how members emphasize intangible successes such as relationships and the cascading effects LLCOs can have on other projects and organizations. This research provides insight into the distinct niche LLCOs fill in transboundary ecosystem management.     

Graham Scholars Program: sustainability education through an interdisciplinary international case study

A course for upper division undergraduate students was developed in response to a request for a cross-disciplinary course in environmental sustainability with an emphasis on an international issue. The topic selected for the course focused on the energy needs for Chile and a proposal for five hydropower projects on the Baker and Pascua Rivers in the Patagonia area. Collaborations between the University of Michigan (USA) and the University of Concepción (Chile) to develop the course led to a plan to offer a parallel course at both universities, with the students of both courses participating in a site visit to Patagonia. The courses were structured to enhance learning through interdisciplinary team-based activities. The courses were taught in a seminar format, with invited lecturers to provide background information on technical, environmental, economic, social, and political issues surrounding hydropower development in general and the proposed projects in particular. The students combined this information with insights obtained during the site visit to prepare a variety of course products, notably an assessment of the concerns of the various affected stakeholder groups. Assessment of the course outcomes is discussed.     

Tales of science and defiance: the case for co-learning and collaboration in bridging the science/emotion divide in water recycling debates

Although science is generally assumed to be well integrated into rational decision-making models, it can be used to destabilise consultative processes, particularly when emotions are involved. Water policies are often seen as debates over technical and engineering issues, but can be highly controversial. Recycled water proposals, in particular, can create highly emotive conflicts. Through a case study regarding the rejection of recycled water proposals in the south-east Queensland, Australia, we explore the influence of science and emotions in contemporary water planning. We highlight the dangers inherent in promoting technical water planning issues at the expense of appropriate consideration of citizen concerns. Combining the science–policy interface and stakeholder engagement literatures, we advocate for collaborative decision-making processes that accommodate emotions and value judgements. A more collaborative stakeholder engagement model, founded on the principles of co-learning, has the potential to broaden the decision-making base and to promote better and more inclusive decision-making.     

Tracking collaboration: forest planning and local participation on the San Juan National Forest,Colorado

The proliferation of community-based collaborative approaches to public land management and planning has spawned many questions regarding issues of community representation and the effects of participation for local residents. This paper presents a longitudinal assessment of local resident participation in collaborative forest planning on local community–forest relations in southwestern Colorado. Using survey data of participants involved in the San Juan National Forest's forest plan revision community study groups from 1998 to 2003, we assess participation in terms of community representation and the effects of community-based collaboration upon individuals' forest uses, forest values, and the level and form of involvement in forest management and planning activities. Results show that community representation remains slanted towards existing active stakeholders, and that while forest values, uses, and frequencies of involvement change little, participants cite positive effects in terms of the development of new knowledge, personal relationships, and greater confidence to engage in forest management affairs.