Geography of conservation spending,biodiversity, and culture

We used linear and multivariate models to examine the associations between geography, biodiversity, per capita economic output, national spending on conservation, governance, and cultural traits in 55 countries. Cultural traits and social metrics of modernization correlated positively with national spending on conservation. The global distribution of this spending culture was poorly aligned with the distribution of biodiversity. Specifically, biodiversity was greater in the tropics where cultures tended to spend relatively less on conservation and tended to have higher collectivism, formalized and hierarchical leadership, and weaker governance. Consequently, nations lacking social traits frequently associated with modernization, environmentalism, and conservation spending have the largest component of Earth's biodiversity. This has significant implications for setting policies and priorities for resource management given that biological diversity is rapidly disappearing and cultural traits change slowly. Therefore, we suggest natural resource management adapt to and use characteristics of existing social organization rather than wait for or promote social values associated with conservation spending. Supporting biocultural traditions, engaging leaders to increase conservation commitments, cross‐national efforts that complement attributes of cultures, and avoiding interference with nature may work best to conserve nature in collective and hierarchical societies. Spending in modernized nations may be a symbolic response to a symptom of economic development and environmental degradation, and here conservation actions need to ensure that biodiversity is not being lost.     

中国省域环境效率影响因素的实证研究——基于社会嵌入视角和多层统计模型的分析

基于环境效率影响因素理论和社会嵌入性理论,概括了环境效率影响因素的社会嵌入性的认知嵌入、关系嵌入、结构嵌入、文化嵌入、政治嵌入。以资源环境经济因素为层一变量,以社会嵌入性因素为层二变量,运用多层统计模型解决了中国省域环境效率影响因素的作用路径问题;利用中国省域的1998年到2013年每个省的资本存量、人力资本、能源消耗、用水量、污染排放指数、国内总产值数据,基于超效DEA方法,测算了中国省域的环境效率;实证分析了嵌入性视角下中国省域环境效率的影响因素。结果表明:中国省域之间的环境效率存在较大的差异;环境效率的整体差异中,高达90%的份额是由各省环境效率的社会嵌入性不同造成的。显著性直接影响因素为:人均GDP、物流关系嵌入正向影响环境效率,第二产业比重、节能性政治嵌入负向影响环境效率;显著性间接影响因素为:自然保护性政治嵌入增加将削弱第二产业比重与环境效率之间的负向关系,资金流关系嵌入增加将加强天然气使用比重与环境效率之间的正向关系;既是显著性直接影响又是显著性间接影响因素为:认知嵌入既能直接正向影响环境效率又能削弱天然气使用比重与环境效率之间的正向关系。因此,中国在解决环境问题时,不仅要考虑资源环境经济因素,还要考虑社会场景因素(嵌入性因素)对环境效率的影响,并且协调好二者之间的关系,才能实现环境效率的长期稳定提高。此外,本文也是建立适合社会嵌入性理论实证分析方法的一种尝试,实证结果有助于改善新经济社会学的社会嵌入性理论缺乏实证分析的局面。     

Social capital as a key determinant of perceived benefits of community‐based marine protected areas

Globally, marine protected areas (MPAs) have been relatively unsuccessful in meeting biodiversity objectives. To be effective, they require some alteration of people's use and access to marine resources, which they will resist if they do not perceive associated benefits. Stakeholders’ support is crucial to ecological success of MPAs, and their support is likely to depend on their capacity to adapt to and benefit from MPAs. We examined the influence of social adaptive capacity (SAC) on perceived benefits of MPAs in Siquijor, Philippines, in the Coral Triangle. This region has substantial biodiversity and a population of over 120 million people, many of them dependent on marine resources for food and income. The region has many MPAs, most of which are managed under decentralized governance systems. We collected survey data from 540 households in 19 villages with associated MPAs. We evaluated the influence of multiple SAC variables (e.g., occupational multiplicity and social capital) on perceived benefits with decision trees (CHAID) and qualitatively analyzed this relationship with respect to types and recipients of benefits. Our models revealed the key role of social capital, particularly trust in leadership, in influencing perceptions of benefits (χ² = 14.762, p = 0.000). A path analysis revealed that perceptions of distributional equity were a key mechanism through which social capital affected perceived MPA benefits (root mean‐square error of approximation = 0.050). Building social capital and equity within communities could lead to more effective management of MPAs and thus to expenditure of fewer resources relative to, for example, regulation enforcement.     

我国社会发展科技事业的中心议题——人口、资源与环境的协调发展

人口、资源、环境是经济和社会发展的基础,人口、资源与环境协调发展是经济和社会持续、稳定、协调发展的关键。我国是一个发展中的社会主义大国,协调人口、资源与环境关系需要动员全社会力量,宣传和研究工作要跟上,认识和方法要提高。     

MISSOURI RIVER DEVELOPMENT POLICY AND RURAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT1

ABSTRACT: Federal planners, in proposing the massive main stem Missouri River water developments in Montana and North Dakota, promised economic and social benefits to the local residents. Five main stem dams, Fort Peck, Garrison, Oahe, Big Bend and Fort Randall, were evaluated for community and rural development effectiveness. Thirty-seven development factors were examined and improvements noted. Only small differences were noted between areas with water developments and the control area. Further analysis revealed that water development benefits moved downstream and to existing urban areas. The Missouri River's rural areas and small communities were not developed significantly by the water projects. Several problems associated with water development policy were illustrated by the study. Cultural differences between planners and the population impacted were ignored. Second, the allocation of social costs was not considered and related to this, serious geographic maldistribution of benefits and costs resulted. The differences between pre-development promises and development performance was dramatic. While the large dams remain as landmarks to engineering prowess, the projects need to be evaluated for their success in meeting humanistic development objectives. Major redevelopment may be warranted by such an ex-post evaluation.     

Responses to natural and man-made hazards in Borno, Northeast Nigeria

This is a study of the responses of the people of eastern Borno to the twin hazards of drought and of an irrigation project stranded by the recent low level of Lake Chad. The environmental awareness of the people has been much influenced by access to information, particularly radio. There was a perceptual dissonance; drought is discerned as a natural act of God, but lake recession is seen as man-made. There is also a gap between responses perceived as appropriate and actual responses consequent on the constraints imposed by the process of modernization, notably the introduction of the South Chad Irrigation Project (SOP). Traditional response mechanisms involving the norm of reciprocity, the use of community resources, agricultural adaptations and sharing have become relatively insignificant in Borno. These are being replaced by emigration, lake floor cultivation and household diversification     

开展综合研究以解决我国人口、资源与环境问题

本文阐述了建国以来,我国开展人口、资源、环境研究与实践的重大成就,提出了在当代开展人口、资源与环境综合、协调研究的重要性、必要性,并就人口、资源环境综合研究课题的选择提供了参考意见。     

Characterization of water-in-crude oil emulsions in oil spill response

The formation of water-in-crude oil emulsions occurs when crude oils are spired into sea. The water-in-crude oil emulsions significantly change the properties of the spilled crude oils and in turn influence the choices made relating to oil spill countermeasures. The water-in-crude oil emulsions were characterized using various techniques in this study. The environmental scanning dectron microscopy observation of water droplets in the emulsions is also presented. It is a powerful tool in emulsion observations.     

重金属离子(Hg2+,Cu2+,Ag+)对鲮鱼咳嗽反应的影响

研究了重金属离子(Hg~(2+)、Cu~(2+)、Ag~+)对鲮鱼(Cirrhinus molitorella)咳嗽反应(cough response)的影响,并探讨利用这种反应作为生物监测水质重金属污染的可能性。实验结果表明,鲮鱼咳嗽反应的频率明显地随溶液中重金属离子浓度的增加而急剧增加。鲮鱼经受含三种重金属离子的混合溶液处理时,其反应比用含单一离子的溶液处理时强烈,提示重金属离子对鱼类呼吸运动机能的影响可能有协同作用。     

论民国时期河南灾荒的社会成因

民国年间河南灾荒现象异常突出,虽与当时整体气候背景及河南特殊的地理特征相关,但灾荒背后的社会原因更应引起我们的关注。其主要表现为:一、社会经济乏力,百姓抗灾能力低;二、政治腐败,体现在政府的赋税名目繁多、政府官员失职渎职以及挪用、贪污河防公款等几个方面;三、战争与灾荒;四、帝国主义列强对中国的残酷掠夺。