Targeted Sustainable Development: 15 Years of Government and Community Intervention on the St. Lawrence River

From 1988 to 2003, the St. Lawrence Action Plan, a Canada – Quebec cooperation agreement on the St. Lawrence River, helped to mobilize a still-growing number of stakeholders in the conservation and protection of this great river and generated tangible results in a number of areas of intervention. The successes enjoyed in the area of industrial, agricultural and urban clean-up, in protecting plant and animal species and their habitats, and in acquiring new knowledge on the state and trends of the ecosystem reflect the sustained efforts of government and non-government partners over the course of those 15 years. The committed involvement of local communities provides assurance of the sustainable development of this vast ecosystem.The Canadian Crown reserves the right to retain a non-exclusive, royalty free licence in and to any copyright.     

城市再生资源利益相关者满意度评价模型及实证

城市再生资源的利用已成为世界各国谋求可持续发展的重要课题,而如何使城市再生资源利益相关者在其处理流程中达到各自的最大满意程度是实现其有效利用的重要途径,因此本文对城市再生资源利益相关者满意度进行了深入研究。本文首先构建了城市再生资源利益相关者满意度的评价指标体系,并且用G1法与熵值法的组合方式确定了指标体系的权重,然后以模糊数学原理为基础构建了利益相关者满意度的综合评价模型,对大连的城市再生资源利益相关者满意度进行了实证研究。结果显示,模糊综合评价适合城市再生资源利益相关者满意度的评价,而且评价结果与实际相符合。大连市六个方面的城市再生资源利益相关者满意度排序依次为:政府、社区、回收企业、加工企业、科研机构、消费者,同时也对满意度的结果进行了分析,找出了大连在发展中存在的问题,并提出了相应的发展策略,最后对评价模型的运用进行了总结。     

输变电工程电磁环境公众参与及环保对策探讨

以广州市部分变电站环境影响评价及其审批过程中的公众参与为例,归纳公众对输变电工程在电磁环境方面的感受和利益相关方的观点,并从科普宣传、确保达标、建立风险沟通机制、加强科研、改善公众交流策略等方面提出了环保对策。     

生态旅游的可持续性评价模型研究——以九寨沟景区为例

在生态环境脆弱区域开展旅游活动,其发展目标必须是可持续的。而生态旅游可持续性的标准因不同旅游区（点）或处在不同的时间段会产生差异,使用评价指标体系的方法可以反映出并弥补这种差异给可持续性评价带来的影响。以位于岷江上游的世界自然遗产地九寨沟景区为例,使用主观方法分析资源、社区和旅游三大利益相关者在生态旅游可持续性中的关系,建立生态旅游地可持续性评价模型的框架。使用德尔菲法确定相应的评价指标;通过对当地居民和旅游管理部门的访谈和旅游者问卷调查来探察利益相关者间的关系;根据访谈和调查结果对模型评价结果进行验证。研究以九寨沟景区为案例,评价模型的构建为生态旅游地的可持续性管理提供了一种主观与客观相结合的评价工具,并可以推广到其他景区。     

Structuring Decisions for Managing Threatened and Endangered Species in a Changing Climate

The management of endangered species under climate change is a challenging and often controversial task that incorporates input from a variety of different environmental, economic, social, and political interests. Yet many listing and recovery decisions for endangered species unfold on an ad hoc basis without reference to decision‐aiding approaches that can improve the quality of management choices. Unlike many treatments of this issue, which consider endangered species management a science‐based problem, we suggest that a clear decision‐making process is equally necessary. In the face of new threats due to climate change, managers’ choices about endangered species require closely linked analyses and deliberations that identify key objectives and develop measurable attributes, generate and compare management alternatives, estimate expected consequences and key sources of uncertainty, and clarify trade‐offs across different dimensions of value. Several recent cases of endangered species conservation decisions illustrate our proposed decision‐focused approach, including Gulf of Maine Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) recovery framework development, Cultus Lake sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) management, and Upper Columbia River white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) recovery planning. Estructuración de Decisiones para Manejar Especies Amenazadas y en Peligro en un Clima Cambiante     

旅游新景区开发的利益相关者博弈分析——以平顶山清水河景区为例

以博弈均衡理论为基础,以平顶山市清水河景区为案例,通过对"人系统"中各利益相关者的实地调研和走访,从博弈论的角度探讨了各利益相关者之间的博弈行为及其博弈均衡。研究表明,只有顾全各利益相关者的利益追求和利益最优化,保证多方利益的协调才是旅游新景区开发的最佳途径,从而为旅游新景区开发提出了一种新的分析方法。     

Negative Off‐Site Impacts of Ecological Restoration: Understanding and Addressing the Conflict

Abstract: Ecological restoration is a key component of biological conservation. Nevertheless, unlike protection of existing areas, restoration changes existing land use and can therefore be more controversial. Some restoration projects negatively affect surrounding landowners, creating social constraints to restoration success. Just as negative off‐site impacts (i.e., negative externalities) flow from industrial areas to natural areas, restoration projects can generate negative externalities for commercial land uses, such as agriculture. Negative externalities from industry have led to government regulation to prevent human health and environmental impacts. Negative externalities from restoration projects have elicited similar legal constraint on at least one large‐scale conservation project, riparian restoration in the Sacramento River Conservation Area. The negative externalities of restoration that are perceived to be the direct result of specific goals, such as endangered species management, are likely to be more contentious than externalities arising from unintended phenomena such as weed invasion. Restoration planners should give equal consideration to off‐site characteristics as to on‐site characteristics when choosing sites for restoration and designing projects. Efforts to control externalities can lead to off‐site ecological benefits.     

Public Participation and Effective Water Governance at the Local Level: A Case Study from a Small Under-Developed Area in Chile

The concept of participation in rural development has been evolutionary for the past two decades with those involved, such as development agencies and governments, particularly in rural water supply, re-evaluating their active role. The move towards effective community participation has encouraged a shift from the traditional top-down to a bottom-up approach whereby there is a decentralisation of unevenly distributed resources and power to empower a community and allow mobility of ‘people participation’. The Molinos water project is the first large-scale development project of its kind introduced into the village of Molinos in an under-developed area of Chile, where there has been no tradition of people participation. The project objective was to implement a low technology, low budget water treatment plant to the village of Molinos. Various aspects have hindered the continued development of the project including both technical and financial. In terms of people participation, the initial approach used was the top-down approach. There was a failure to fully integrate the community or inform the community in a formal manner about the project and consult them regarding key project issues. This case study illustrates that the lack of comprehensive consultation and the low level of participation of the community on the participatory scale does not achieve much in terms of people-centred benefits. For governance at the local level to be effective, participation should be inclusive and communicative so as to enhance transparency throughout the project lifetime. Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

Countering resistance to protected‐area extension

The establishment of protected areas is a critical strategy for conserving biodiversity. Key policy directives like the Aichi targets seek to expand protected areas to 17% of Earth's land surface, with calls by some conservation biologists for much more. However, in places such as the United States, Germany, and Australia, attempts to increase protected areas are meeting strong resistance from communities, industry groups, and governments. We examined case studies of such resistance in Victoria, Australia, Bavaria, Germany, and Florida, United States. We considered 4 ways to tackle this problem. First, broaden the case for protected areas beyond nature conservation to include economic, human health, and other benefits, and translate these into a persuasive business case for protected areas. Second, better communicate the conservation values of protected areas. This should include highlighting how many species, communities, and ecosystems have been conserved by protected areas and the counterfactual (i.e., what would have been lost without protected area establishment). Third, consider zoning of activities to ensure the maintenance of effective management. Finally, remind citizens to think about conservation when they vote, including holding politicians accountable for their environmental promises. Without tackling resistance to expanding the protected estate, it will be impossible to reach conservation targets, and this will undermine attempts to stem the global extinction crisis.     

International experience of green development in Western China: an overall review of policy and practice

Green development emphasizes co-development between economic and environmental dimensions, and is a people-centered sustainable development approach. Western China demands green development, and international experience could provide necessary, unique and important help and support for Western China to achieve its green development goals. This paper has made a comprehensive overall review and analysis of international experience in green development policy and its implementation, in particular, OECD countries’ (mostly Australia and Canada) experience have been analyzed following the major policy foci defined by the Task Force on Strategy and Policies on Environment and Development in Western China initiated by China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED). Data and information were gathered from the field surveys and investigations, expert meetings, as well as literature review. The main sessions include policy framework and road map establishment, implementation and performance assessment, co-development between economic development and environmental protection, as well as green employment and poverty alleviation. The paper has addressed five policy considerations for the future promotion of green development in Western China.