Can Forest-protection carbon projects improve rural livelihoods? Analysis of the Noel Kempff Mercado climate action project,Bolivia

We studied the Noel KempffMercado Climate Action Project (NKMCAP),Bolivia, to assess whether forestprotection carbon (C) projects cansignificantly benefit local people. Wehypothesized that forest protection canonly securely deliver C if significantstakeholders are meaningfully andtransparently involved, traditional orcustomary rights are recognized and theirloss compensated for, and there are directlinkages between conservation anddevelopment objective. Our researchfocused on 53 members of the communities ofFlorida, Porvenir and Piso Firme and 36secondary stakeholders. In each of thevillages we held half-day meetings withcommunity leaders, complemented bysemi-structured one-hour interviews with 5,10, and 7 families, representing 20%, 10%and 8% of each community. The long-termimpact of the NKMCAP on the localcommunities may well be positive. However,in the short run, certain sections of thelocal communities are financially poorer. Forest protection projects clearly have thepotential to sequester C, protectbiodiversity and simultaneously contributeto sustainable rural development, but ifthey really are to improve rurallivelihoods, they must be designed andimplemented carefully and participatively.     

Matching response to context in complex political emergencies: 'relief', 'development', 'peace-building' or something in-between?

There is an ongoing debate over the value and pitfalls of the policy and practice of 'linking relief and development' or 'developmental relief' in aid responses to complex political emergencies (CPEs). Driven by concerns about relief creating dependence, sometimes doing harm and failing to address root causes of emergencies despite its high cost, pursuit of both relief and development has become a dominant paradigm among international aid agencies in CPEs as in 'natural' disasters. In CPEs a third objective of 'peace-building' has emerged, along with the logic that development can itself help prevent or resolve conflict and sustain peace. However, this broadening of relief objectives in ongoing CPEs has recently been criticised on a number of counts, central concerns being that it leads to a dilution of commitment to core humanitarian principles and is overly optimistic. This paper addresses these issues in the light of two of the CPEs studied by the COPE project: Eritrea and Somalia/Somaliland. It is argued that the debate has so far suffered from lack of clarity about what we mean by 'relief', 'development' and, for that matter, 'rehabilitation' and 'peace-building'. The wide spectrum of possible aid outcomes does not divide neatly into these categories. The relief-development divide is not always as clear-cut, technically or politically, as the critics claim. Moreover such distinctions, constructed from the point of view of aid programmers, are often of little relevance to the concerns of intended beneficiaries. Second, there has been insufficient attention to context: rather than attempting to generalise within and across CPE cases, a more productive approach would be to examine more closely the conditions under which forms of aid other than basic life support can fruitfully be pursued. This leads to consideration of collective agency capacity to respond effectively to diverse needs in different and changing circumstances.     

农业清洁生产审核的初探

农业生产本身对自然环境的污染以及对人体健康的危害不亚于工业,所以需要清洁的生产模式,对污染的产生进行全过程控制.清洁生产这一概念在工业领域的使用越发成熟,但是在农业领域的使用却甚少.通过论述农业清洁生产以及农业清洁生产审核的内涵,结合实例介绍如何从农业输入、生产系统、农业输出三个环节进行农业清洁生产审核,最终通过实施清洁生产方案实现农业经济效益、环境效益、社会效益的统一.     

Risk factors in urban road traffic accidents

INTRODUCTION: The urban road traffic accident (RTA) risks for the city of Zagreb, Croatia, from 1999 through 2000 were analyzed with the aim of reducing the increasing injury incidence. METHOD: Simple and bivariate analysis using chi(2), odds ratio, and confidence interval of 95% was used to determine risks in three outcome groups: killed, severely, and mildly injured. RESULTS: There were 528 RTA victims consisting of 260 severely, 213 mildly injured, and 55 killed at the scene of an accident and during transportation. More fatal accidents occurred during night hours (OR=3.78; 95% CI, 2.08-6.85), on urban road links (OR=2.33; 95% CI, 1.30-4.19), and at exceeding speed limit (OR=2.56; 95% CI, 1.43-4.61). More people were injured than killed on urban junctions (OR=5.27; 95% CI, 2.21-12.57). The highest combined risk of dying or being severely injured was found in males, driving at excessive speed, on urban links, and during bad visibility (OR=16.15; 95% CI, 3.901-66.881). CONCLUSION: These results will influence the urban traffic police enforcement measures, which will change inappropriate behavior of drivers and protect the least experienced road users.     

弱磁场强化零价铁对水中偶氮染料脱色降解的作用初探

本文以橙黄Ⅰ、橙黄Ⅱ、橙黄Ⅳ和日落黄4种偶氮染料为目标染料,首次尝试利用外加弱磁场(~20 mT)的方法来强化零价铁脱色降解偶氮染料。结果表明加磁或不加磁时反应过程均符合一级反应动力学。在磁场的存在下,4种偶氮染料的降解速率都较不加磁场时有很大的提高,提高倍数分别为110.67、111.97、59.51和94.00。弱磁场对零价铁降解偶氮染料的促进作用可能是由于外加磁场所产生的洛伦兹力以及零价铁表面产生的感应磁场所产生的磁场梯度力促进了Fe2+的释放,加快了零价铁的腐蚀,促进零价铁释放更多电子和新生态氢,加速了—N=N—键的断裂,从而强化了染料的脱色降解。     

不同放牧制度下短花针茅荒漠草原植物种群作用和种间关系分析

以短花针茅荒漠草原植物种群为研究对象,采用2×2列联表法和灰色关联分析方法,探讨植物种群地位和作用及种间关系在不同放牧制度下的变化。结果表明,放牧会使建群种短花针茅（Stipa breviflora Griseb.）重要值增大,使碱韭(Allium polyrhizum Turcz. ex Regel)的重要值减小;轮牧有利于无芒隐子草(Cleistogenes songorica (Roshev.) Ohwi)在群落中的地位和作用增加,自由放牧则相反。植物群落种间关系正联结强度表现为禁牧区(CK)>划区轮牧区(RG)>自由放牧区(CG),负联结种对数的多少表现为CK相似文献   

我国生态环境脆弱带环境灾变特征的初步研究

本文在概释生态环境脆弱带定义、实质和特性的基础上,对我国宁甘川滇梯度联接带、季风边缘脆弱带、东南滨海脆弱带的环境灾变特征作了初步探讨。     

Goodbye to natural resource-based livelihoods? Crossing the rural/urban divide

Life in proximity to a growing city can be especially difficult for those rural people who are poor. Findings from sustained research around three cities of the South illustrate how peri-urban conditions can create pressure for livelihood change. People were pressed further into a cash-based economy for which they were ill prepared. Surprisingly, agriculture remained important, even though urban expansion changed natural resource-based livelihoods, especially by taking land. The inevitable livelihood transitions were easier if there was support for both familiar and new natural resource-based activities, orienting production towards urban markets. Successful change was associated with greater diversification of income strands, rapid cash returns and bridging opportunities. Participatory planning of livelihood changes and local NGO inputs were advantageous. These findings are important for pro-poor development policy affecting peri-urban populations and may inform rural to urban migration policy.     

International environmental agreements for local and global pollution

Increasing concerns about climate change have given rise to the formation of International Environmental Agreements (IEAs) as a possible solution to limit global pollution effects. In this paper, we study the stability of IEAs in a repeated game framework where we restrict to strategies which are simple and invariant to renegotiation. Our main contribution is that we characterize necessary and sufficient conditions for stability of an IEA when pollution has both a global and local effect. Local pollution spillovers are represented by a network structure. We find that stable IEAs exist if the network structure is balanced. Too large asymmetries in the degree of local spillovers may, however, lead to non-existence of stable structures. We also discuss the implications of our results for welfare. The generality of our approach allows for several applications, in particular the provision of public goods.     

Multi-element analysis of road-deposited sediment in an urban drainage basin, Honolulu, Hawaii

Road-deposited sediment (RDS) and its associated contaminant load play a critical role in degrading receiving water bodies. Few quantitative multi-element RDS studies exist, and there are none from Hawaii. This lack of baseline data combined with concerns with high concentrations of Pb and Cu in fish and enrichment of Cu, Pb and Zn in bed sediments from Manoa Stream, Hawaii, lead to a detailed characterization of RDSs in Manoa basin. Data for a total analysis of 23 elements using inductively coupled plasma atomic-emission spectrometry and instrumental neutron activation analysis and 16 elements using a 0.5 M HCl partial leach are presented for RDSs and background soils. Concentration data, comparisons with environmental guidelines, and concentration enrichment ratios (CERs) all indicate that RDS in Manoa has a significant degree of anthropogenic pollution. The most environmentally important elements were Pb, Sb and Zn. Concentrations of these elements, primarily vehicle contributed, compare favorably with those from other studies of RDS. The high mean concentration of Pb (151 mg/kg) compared to background soils (13 mg/kg) indicates remobilization of Pb previously stored in soils and transported to road surfaces by water erosion processes. The higher Pb CER(Total) in RDSs compared to bed sediments from Manoa Stream suggests a potential link via ubiquitous storm drains and subsequent dilution with less contaminated fluvial sediments. Data from the HCl leach also support Pb and Zn as having significant anthropogenic signals, and Cu having a moderate signal. These data indicate that RDSs in Manoa basin are generally contaminated with certain potentially toxic elements and the legacy of past use of leaded gasoline is still a concern in this urban drainage system.