THE FOREST–HYDROLOGY–POVERTY NEXUS IN CENTRAL AMERICA: AN HEURISTIC ANALYSIS

A ‘forest–hydrology–poverty nexus’ hypothesis asserts that deforestation in poor upland areas simultaneously threatens biodiversity and increases the incidence of flooding, sedimentation and other damaging hydrological processes. This paper uses rough heuristics to assess the applicability of this hypothesis to two montane forested countries in Central America: Guatemala and Honduras. We do so by using simple rules of thumb to identify watersheds at greater risk of hydrologically significant land use change, using information about land cover, slope, and watershed size. The location of these watersheds is compared to spatial maps of poverty and forests. We find plausible evidence for a forest–biodiversity–poverty connection in Guatemala, and to a lesser extent in Honduras.     

关于我校校训的思考

校训是集中反映学校文化和精神特质的高度精炼的词句；校训的理想特征应具有：稳定性、时代性、个性化、导向性、精炼性。我们必须确立校园文化建设的特色与重点；必须认真搜寻并确立在防灾减灾文化之中凝炼出来的具有灵魂象征的学校精神。从“张衡文化”、“张衡精神”以及中华民族传统文化的精神源泉中，提炼出“崇德博智、扶危定倾”的校训。     

The interaction between seaweed farming as an alternative occupation and fisher numbers in the central Philippines

Alternative occupations are frequently promoted as a means to reduce the number of people exploiting declining fisheries. However, there is little evidence that alternative occupations reduce fisher numbers. Seaweed farming is frequently promoted as a lucrative alternative occupation for artisanal fishers in Southeast Asia. We examined how the introduction of seaweed farming has affected village-level changes in the number of fishers on Danajon Bank, central Philippines, where unsustainable fishing has led to declining fishery yields. To determine how fisher numbers had changed since seaweed farming started, we interviewed the heads of household from 300 households in 10 villages to examine their perceptions of how fisher numbers had changed in their village and the reasons they associated with these changes. We then asked key informants (people with detailed knowledge of village members) to estimate fisher numbers in these villages before seaweed farming began and at the time of the survey. We compared the results of how fisher numbers had changed in each village with the wealth, education, seaweed farm sizes, and other attributes of households in these villages, which we collected through interviews, and with village-level factors such as distance to markets. We also asked people why they either continued to engage in or ceased fishing. In four villages, respondents thought seaweed farming and low fish catches had reduced fisher numbers, at least temporarily. In one of these villages, there was a recent return to fishing due to declines in the price of seaweed and increased theft of seaweed. In another four villages, fisher numbers increased as human population increased, despite the widespread uptake of seaweed farming. Seaweed farming failed for technical reasons in two other villages. Our results suggest seaweed farming has reduced fisher numbers in some villages, a result that may be correlated with socioeconomic status, but the heterogeneity of outcomes is consistent with suggestions that alternative occupations are not a substitute for more direct forms of resource management.     

Reflections on the ‘sustainable development’ debate

The paper examines the way in which the term ‘sustainable development’ has been used. Beginning with a short review of responses to a publication of the author's on sustainable development, it goes on to explore the different assumptions behind the discussion of the concept, and the different dimensions of sustainability: economic, political and epistemological. It is argued that, like the environment itself, the concept of sustainable development is a contested domain. We can learn from exploring the way the concept is used and contested.     

Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) projects: lessons for future policy design and implementation

In response to the pressing global challenges of climate change, initiatives under the auspices of ‘reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation’ (REDD) have been implemented in over 30 developing and least-developed countries since 2005. The initiatives cover nearly every significant and vulnerable forest ecosystem worldwide. In this study we review six representative initiatives, two each from Africa, Asia and Latin America. Strength, weakness, opportunity and threat analysis is done to evaluate each initiative's policy framework, design, implementation and results thus far. The main policy and project implementation factors that appear to lead to effective and successful REDD project outcomes include having clearly formulated project design; governance, land tenure rights and capacity; equity and transparency; indigenous peoples' rights and knowledge; local–international coordination; and enhancing local and institutional capacities. Based on these findings, we provide recommendations for future REDD policy action and project implementation to make it work for the poor and achieve its intended goals.     

Is Multilateralism the Future? Sustainable Development or Globalisation as ‘A Comprehensive Vision of the Future of Humanity’

This paper provides an overall evaluation of the outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), which took place in Johannesburg from 26 August to 4 September 2002, in a historical perspective, against the background of earlier major United Nations conferences and General Assembly resolutions on environment and development. It focuses on the political and institutional context of the WSSD and its preparatory process and explores its policy implications for future international cooperation on sustainable development in a globalizing world. Both the results of the formal intergovernmental negotiations and the new phenomenon of partnerships for sustainable development between governments, international organizations, the private sector and other major groups are analysed. The Johannesburg Declaration and the WSSD Plan of Implementation are shown to contain little in the way of political vision, credible new commitments and innovative approaches, likely to reinvigorate the implementation of the objectives of sustainable development as formulated in Rio. Though ostensibly designed to give a new political impetus to multilateralism, the WSSD rather revealed the inadequacy of intergovernmental political governance structures to address the social and environmental consequences of economic globalization.     

连片特困区农村防灾减灾能力建设存在的突出问题——基于武陵山片区三个少数民族村的调查

灾害是导致我国集中连片特殊困难地区贫困落后的重要原因之一。加强以村级组织防灾减灾能力为核心工作的底层设计,提升防灾减灾能力已成为片区区域发展与扶贫攻坚国家新战略顺利实施的重要前提条件。基于由公共设施建设能力和自然灾害风险管理能力等九大能力为一级指标与39项二级指标构成的村级组织防灾减灾能力建设框架体系,对武陵山片区三个少数民族农村社区村级组织防灾减灾能力建设进行全面考察。结果显示,片区农村在九大能力方面均存在明显不足。     

生态环境行业扶贫绩效量化评估方法初探:以承德市围场满族蒙古族自治县为例

2020年是决胜脱贫攻坚战的关键之年,近20多年来,生态环境部门主动发挥行业特色,开展了大量坚实有效的行业扶贫工作,科学客观地评价生态环境部门的扶贫绩效,对于生态环境部门进一步精准施策、融入并推动实现乡村振兴具有重要意义. 本文基于实地调研、专家咨询和统计数据,建立了包括生态资源保护、环境质量改善、促进特色产业发展、社会公共服务提升以及抵御风险等4类26项指标在内的生态环境行业扶贫绩效评估指标体系;采用熵值法确定指标权重,结合多元统计分析方法,以承德市围场满族蒙古族自治县（简称"围场县"）为例,对生态环境部门扶贫绩效进行了量化评估. 结果表明:①2006-2018年,承德市围场县扶贫绩效呈逐年上升的趋势,增长了68.3%,成效十分显著. ②生态环境行业扶贫在围场县的扶贫绩效主要体现在促进特色产业发展、生态资源保护以及环境质量改善等3个方面,占总绩效的81.1%. ③生态环境行业扶贫对促进生态环境质量改善与地方经济协同发展的促进作用较为显著. 在环境质量改善绩效指标上升47.1%的同时,促进特色产业发展和抵御风险能力绩效指标分别上升了90.5%和83.3%. 研究显示,生态环境行业定点扶贫对提升贫困地区持续"造血"能力具有显著促进作用,生态环境部门要主动作为,积极融入乡村振兴的全过程,进一步提升措施的针对性,在帮助贫困地区保住优质生态资源的同时,充分挖掘生态资源的经济优势,推动贫困地区巩固好脱贫成效,实现乡村振兴.