Change in vegetation cover in East Timor, 1989–1999

Forest resources play a key role and provide many basic needs to communities in developing economies. To assess the patterns of vegetation cover change, as a corollary of resource utilization, satellite imagery, ground truth data, and image processing techniques can be useful. This article is concerned with identifying change in major vegetation types in East Timor between 1989 and 1999, using Landsat Thematic Mapper data. The results highlight a significant level of deforestation and decline in foliage cover. All major vegetation cover types declined from 1989 to 1999, and there was a sizeable increase in degraded woodlands. This decline has had considerable impact on the livelihoods of rural and urban communities. Causes for these changes include: economic exploitation of abundant resources; and implications of transmigration policies implemented during Indonesian rule, resulting in increased competition for land and woodland resources. As the new nation of Timor‐Leste establishes itself, it must consider its current stock and distribution of natural capital to ensure that development efforts are geared towards sustainable outcomes. Without the knowledge of historical patterns of resource consumption, development efforts may, unwittingly, lead to continuing decline in forest resources.     

Significant developments in sustainable development law and governance: A proposal

This article develops a practical proposal for progress on sustainable development law. It examines the prospects for an international sustainable development law to provide a framework for more effective, coherent governance. Sustainable development law is briefly defined and an analytical framework is provided. Different degrees of integration between economic, social and environmental law are described. Certain principles of international law related to sustainable development are also highlighted. It is argued that these principles may serve to guide law‐makers and jurists where social, economic and environmental law and policy conflict or overlap. Continuing, underlying questions of sustainable development governance are addressed and its global frameworks analysed. The article also focuses on the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, held in Johannesburg in August‐September 2002, and its specific mandate for the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) to take related legal developments into account. The article advances a proposal: that governments, economic, social and environmental intergovernmental organizations and other actors establish a ‘network of inquiry’ with members from relevant groups, including legal and academic organizations, and other expert groups, in order to follow, research, analyse and debate legal developments in a balanced way.     

Enhanced water resource base for sustainable integrated water resource management

The article states the case for greatly enhanced reliance on desalination in the provision of freshwater. It argues that the concept of integrated water resource management (IWRM), should be expanded to routinely include desalination, and that sea water and brackish water should be listed among available sources of freshwater. In recent years, the price per m3 of freshwater obtained from desalination has steadily declined, and is now within competitive range of conventional sources, especially as extracting water from surface sources (rivers, lakes) is becoming increasingly expensive as well as ecologically harmful, and groundwater in many locations is saline or depleted. With the expectation that by 2020, five billion people will reside in megacities, today's conventional water resources are likely to become insufficient. As many of these megacities are located near ocean coasts, sea water seems a logical solution.     

TRANSIENT RESPONSE FUNCTIONS FOR CONJUNCTIVE WATER MANAGEMENT IN THE SNAKE RIVER PLAIN,IDAHO1

ABSTRACT: Increasing demands on western water are causing a mounting need for the conjunctive management of surface water and ground water resources. Under western water law, the senior water rights holder has priority over the junior water rights holder in times of water shortage. Water managers have been reluctant to conjunctively manage surface water and ground water resources because of the difficulty of quantification of the impacts to surface water resources from ground water stresses. Impacts from ground water use can take years to propagate through an aquifer system. Prediction of the degree of impact to surface water resources over time and the spatial distribution of impacts is very difficult. Response functions mathematically describe the relationship between a unit ground water stress applied at a specific location and stream depletion or aquifer water level change elsewhere in the system. Response functions can be used to help quantify the spatial and temporal impacts to surface water resources caused by ground water pumping. This paper describes the theory of response functions and presents an application of transient response functions in the Snake River Plain, Idaho. Transient response functions can be used to facilitate the conjunctive management of surface and ground water not only in the eastern Snake River Plain basin, but also in similar basins throughout the western United States.     

复杂矿井通风系统角联风路自动识别方法的研究

角联风路的识别与稳定性分析是矿井通风系统稳定性与可靠性分析理论中的核心内容之一。笔者对通风系统角联风路进行了深入的研究;分析了通路法的局限性,简化了角联风路的数学模型,提出了快速、准确、灵活的角联风路自动识别的新方法——节点位置法;编写了角联风路自动识别软件,并应用现场数据进行测试,将其结果与通路法的结果进行了比较分析;证明了节点位置法是切实可行的。     

生态示范区可持续发展灰色评估系统设计应用

介绍了如何在国家级生态示范区的可持续发展评估中运用灰色系统理论构建定量评估系统模型,并给出了关系型指标表、量纲模型、多元灰色预测模型和发展系数模型以及应用实例.根据该评估系统模型所开发的灰色评估系统由数学模型、计算机软件和硬件组成,可自动完成量纲统一、指标预测、相关分析、综合评估和趋势图表的运算和输出.     

经济欠发达山区矿泉水资源的开发利用--以梅州市为例

基于矿泉水与人体健康的关系、在社会经济发展中的作用,以及对梅州市矿泉水资源条件及其开发利用现状的调研,探讨了经济欠发达山区矿泉水资源的开发利用对策和前景.认为应统一资源管理,加强质量监督力度,打造优质品牌,提高市场竞争能力,争取与食品、旅游等部门联营,使矿泉水产品多样化、系列化;结合地方工业建设和梅州旅游市场需求,培育矿泉水消费市场.     

大气环境影响评价工作分级要求要点

根据大气环境影响评价工作的分级要求,提出了针对性的工作要点,以满足大气环境评价工作的需要.     

长江上游重庆段近20 a降水时空变化特征

全球气候变暖背景下,中国的降水分布日趋复杂,气象灾害造成的损失巨大。为满足防灾减灾与水资源管理的数据支撑需求,基于长江上游重庆段近20 a降水数据,利用线性回归、M-K非参数检验等方法,探究降水的时间变化趋势与空间分异特征。结果表明：近20 a重庆市年降水量在875.6—1348.2 mm。时间上,春、秋两季呈明显增多的趋势,其中3月最显著。降水在14 a时间尺度的周期过程线中波动最强,是第一主周期。空间分布上,呈西低东高的特点,在渝西和长江河谷地区降水相对偏少,主要受重庆地形的影响;渝西和渝东北地区秋季降水显著增多。研究结果可为长江流域旱涝灾害防治、水资源开发利用及经济社会可持续发展提供数据支撑,同时可为植被修复与生态廊道保障提供参考。