Costa Rican Environmental Service Payments: The Use of a Financial Instrument in Participatory Forest Management

The core element of the Costa Rican forestry policy is a financial instrument called the environmental service payment. This instrument rewards forest owners for the environmental services (the mitigation of greenhouse gases, the protection of watersheds and scenic beauty, and the development of biodiversity) their forests provide. In this article, the experiences with this new instrument are analyzed by focusing on the way interests are represented and access is granted, the openness of information exchange, whether social learning occurred, and whether decision-making authority is shared. The analysis is based on a survey conducted in the Huetar Norte Region and on in-depth interviews with the major stakeholders. The Costa Rican case indicates that financial instruments can be used to share responsibilities and that stakeholders can successfully cooperate on forest issues. It also shows that such a participatory approach is only promising if certain cultural, economic, organizational, and political conditions are met.     

Why Won’t They Come? Stakeholder Perspectives on Collaborative National Forest Planning by Participation Level

Collaboration has taken root in national forest planning, providing expanded opportunities for stakeholder participation in decision-making, but are these processes considered meaningful by key stakeholders? Do the processes result in increased participation by key stakeholders? We present results of a study of stakeholder perspectives of a collaborative planning process on the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests in Western Colorado, U.S.A. The stakeholders were stratified by participation levels in order to explore a possible relationship between participation and perceptions of the collaborative process. We used a Q-methodology approach to compare and contrast perspectives across participant levels in the North Fork Valley Landscape Working Group process. The results demonstrate four distinct perspectives on the collaborative process: 1) The collaborative process is valued by the Forest Service and will directly influence planning decisions; 2) The Forest Service, the collaborative process, and other stakeholders are not to be trusted; 3) The collaborative process is most effective when emphasizing place-specific dialogue that primarily involves stakeholders educating the Forest Service about issues; and 4) Forest planning involves issues requiring the application of scientific knowledge and expertise rather than collaboration. These perspectives were not strongly associated with participation levels, with time constraint being the primary mediating factor affecting participation. There are several possible actions policymakers and planners can take to enhance participation and overcome high rates of nonparticipation.     

含油污泥体膨颗粒调剖剂的研究

研究了利用含油污泥制备体膨颗粒深部调剖剂的技术。试验表明,在单体浓度20%、干泥含油率14%、污泥占单体质量110%、交联剂占单体质量0.14%、反应温度35℃条件下,聚合产物性能较好。胶块造粒过程中需加入适量减阻剂,粒度可根据实际要求调整。含油污泥体膨颗粒调剖剂在自来水中和0.5%NaCl水溶液中的膨胀倍数分别为40倍和15倍,膨胀后强度和弹性好。     

土壤渗滤处理系统运行控制的模拟研究

通过建立地下水数学模型,回答了土壤渗滤工程运行控制中的两个难点问题:(1)工程运行水力负荷.当工程地块周边存在河流时,河流水位低时,有助于增加水力负荷,反之则降低水力负荷;实际土壤运行面积的增加和独立运行单元之间的间距增加也能够增加工程运行水力负荷.(2)地下水水质监测井的优化布设.模拟工程运行后地下水水质空间分布特征,在地下水水质最不利的位置和其他特别关注的位置布置监测井,从而能够以具有典型代表性且数目较少的监测井达到准确评估工程对地下水水质影响的目的.     

原料含水率及成型直径对秸秆成型燃料耐久性的影响

原料含水率及成型直径对秸秆成型燃料耐久性具有重要影响,通过试验发现含水率对秸秆固化成型(SDBF)技术的抗渗水性影响很显著,原料含水率10%～15%(质量分数,下同)范围内得到的SDBF渗水分解超过4 h;原料含水率也显著影响SDBF的抗跌碎性,含水率不大于15%的SDBF失重率一般不超过5%,能满足规模化技术的应用.对于HPB-成型机生产的SDBF,成型直径大的SDBF抗渗水性时间较长,随着成型直径减小抗渗水性时间减少,抗渗水性能降低.     

瑞平塘河氟化物污染状况调查及溯源研究

以2016—2020年地表水常规监测结果为依据,发现瑞平塘河自2017年起出现氟化物质量浓度升高现象,2020年其中1个断面氟化物质量浓度平均值达到1.25 mg/L,比2016年高出145%。为此于2021年3—6月,对瑞平塘河流域的氟化物污染状况进行实地调查并开展溯源研究。研究结果显示,2021年氟化物质量浓度超过1.0 mg/L的点位占59.34%,其中超过1.5 mg/L的点位占42.86%,表明大部分河道氟化物质量浓度已经超过水体功能区要求,对生态环境安全构成较大潜在风险。溯源调查结果表明,排除了农业源及矿山源污染的可能,乳胶制品企业排放的废水为瑞平塘河氟化物的污染来源。针对目前该行业的排放标准和环境影响评价均未提及氟化物污染,企业废水处理设施也无除氟工艺单元,缺乏有效的污染防治措施与监管要求等问题。提出,应及时组织开展该区域乳胶制品行业整治提升,增加氟化物处理工艺单元,提升出水水质,确定氟化物排放浓度限值,并对该行业排放标准做进一步研究和完善等建议。     

港口规划环境影响评价指标体系的研究

介绍了规划环境影响评价的发展及应用,根据规划环境影响评价及港口规划的特点,对港口规划环境影响评价的内容、技术路线和指标体系的建立进行了研究,并提出港口规划的环境目标和评价指标,为我国港口规划环境影响评价技术的完善提供借鉴。     

对中国综合风险管理机构体系建设的建议

在大量调研的基础上,分析了我国风险管理机构体系的现状和存在的问题,并以“统筹规划,专人负责,科学管理,共担风险”为原则,以梯形架构为理论基础,提出了对中国综合风险管理机构未来体系建设的一个建议,并对其进行了可行性分析。     

Mainstreaming risk reduction in urban planning and housing: a challenge for international aid organisations

The effects of 'natural' disasters in cities can be worse than in other environments, with poor and marginalised urban communities in the developing world being most at risk. To avoid post-disaster destruction and the forced eviction of these communities, proactive and preventive urban planning, including housing, is required. This paper examines current perceptions and practices within international aid organisations regarding the existing and potential roles of urban planning as a tool for reducing disaster risk. It reveals that urban planning confronts many of the generic challenges to mainstreaming risk reduction in development planning. However, it faces additional barriers. The main reasons for the identified lack of integration of urban planning and risk reduction are, first, the marginal position of both fields within international aid organisations, and second, an incompatibility between the respective professional disciplines. To achieve better integration, a conceptual shift from conventional to non-traditional urban planning is proposed. This paper suggests related operative measures and initiatives to achieve this change.     

Kinetics and thermodynamic studies of Methyl Orange removal by polyvinylidene fluoride-PEDOT mats

We report the preparation of poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene) (PEDOT)-modified polyvinylidene fluoride electrospun fibers and their use as a novel adsorbent material for the removal of the anionic dye Methyl Orange (MO) from aqueous media. This novel adsorbent material can be used to selectively remove MO on a wide pH range (3.0–10.0), with a maximum capacity of 143.8 mg/g at pH 3.0. When used in a recirculating filtration system, the maximum absorption capacity was reached in a shorter time (20 min) than that observed for batch mode experiments (360 min). Based on the analyses of the kinetics and adsorption isotherm data, one can conclude that the predominant mechanism of interaction between the membrane and the dissolved dye molecules is electrostatic. Besides, considering the estimated values for the Gibbs energy, and entropy and enthalpy changes, it was established that the adsorption process is spontaneous and occurs in an endothermic manner. The good mechanical and environmental stability of these membranes allowed their use in at least 20 consecutive adsorption/desorption cycles, without significant loss of their characteristics. We suggest that the physical-chemical characteristics of PEDOT make these hybrid mats a promising adsorbent material for use in water remediation protocols and effluent treatment systems.