Study on Sustainable Utilization of Resources of the Damp-heat Karst Mountainous Areas in China

Damp-heat karst mountainous areas are unique areas in terms of socialeconomic development, resource endowment and eco-environment in China, where natural resources are abundant,unique and diverse. However, fragile eco-environment, undeveloped economy and culture, and conflict of human and environment should not be ignored. In the research, a framework of integration of resource-development and environment-protection in damp-heat karst was designed on basis of resource and environment integration, which was applied to Daxin County in Guangxi Province. Furthermore, some integration models were proposed, including integration of development of characteristic agricultural resources and protection of eco-environment, integration of development of manganese ore resources and protection of eco-environment, integration of development of tourism resources and protection of ecoenvironment and integration of development of clean energy and protection of eco-environment.

Potential Effect of Conservation Tillage on Sustainable Land Use: A Review of Global Long-Term Studies

Although understood differently in different parts of the world, conservation tillage usually includes leaving crop residues on the soil surface to reduce tillage. Through a global review of long-term conservation tillage research, this paper discusses the long-term effect of conservation tillage on sustainable land use, nutrient availability and crop yield response. Research has shown several potential benefits associated with conservation tillage, such as potential carbon sequestration, nutrient availability, and yield response. This research would provide a better perspective of the role of soil conservation tillage and hold promise in promoting application of practical technologies for dryland farming systems in China.

A Study on Marine Region Carrying Capacity and Eco-compensation

With the using up of land resources, people are beginning to pay attention to the exploitation of the ocean and the use of marine resources is becoming more and more intense. Whether and how the ocean can be sustainably exploited as it is being exploited is an academic hot topic. This question is addressed in this paper based on the theories of carrying capacity of a marine region and marine eco-compensation, and the amount of the loss is calculated by the method of Time Value of Capital. This thesis covers the study of eco-compensation between two specific subjects with clear compensation objects, and as a defined approach and standard, the proposed method has good operability and positive practical significance in the good use of the ocean.

An efficient methodology for utilization of K-feldspar and phosphogypsum with reduced energy consumption and CO2 emissions

The issues of reducing CO_2 emissions, sustainably utilizing natural mineral resources, and dealing with industrial waste offer challenges for sustainable development in energy and the environment. We propose an efficient methodology via the co-reaction of K-feldspar and phosphogypsum for the extraction of soluble potassium salts and recovery of SO_2 with reduced CO_2 emission and energy consumption. The results of characterization and reactivity evaluation indicated that the partial melting of K-feldspar and phosphogypsum in the hightemperature co-reaction significantly facilitated the reduction of phosphogypsum to SO_2 and the exchange of K^+(K-feldspar) with Ca^(2+)(CaSO_4 in phosphogypsum). The reaction parameters were systematically investigated with the highest sulfur recovery ratio of ~ 60% and K extraction ratio of ~ 87.7%. This novel methodology possesses an energy consumption reduction of ~ 28% and CO_2 emission reduction of ~ 55% comparing with the present typical commercial technologies for utilization of K-feldspar and the treatment of phosphogypsum.

Snstainable Land Use in Hilly Red Soil Region of South-eastern China

In the Present work, an integrated analysis of natural and socio-economic conditions in the hilly redsoil region of southeastern China is made by nieans of a Geographic Information System. Particular em-phasis lies on soil degradation and other adverse ecological and environmental effects of the prevalent andirrational land-use systems of mono-and valley-agriculture in the region. Moreover, taking into account thesimultaneous existence of enormous potentials and serious constraints and the high diversity and complexityof the biophysical and socio-economic environments, a set of strategies and counterineasures are also prc-posed for appropriate management of environmental resources, in terms of maintaining harmony betweenutilization and conservation of the natural environment, including 1) adjustment of the agricultural structureand optimization of ecological patterns of stereo-agriculture; 2) improvement and integrated exploitation ofthe low-yield lands and wastelands; 3) rehabilitation and conservation of soil and water resources; and 4)establishment of production bases of tropical and subtropical cash crops and fruits.

The dynamics of landscape-scale ecological connectivity based on least-cost model in Dongshan Island,China

As a hot topic in Landscape Ecology study,ecological connectivity is an important indicator for regional land sustainable use and biological protection. This paper conducted a systematic assessment of ecological connectivity using remote sensing images of Dongshan Island in 1994, 2003 and2011. Based on least-cost modelling, the method takes into consideration the type of barrier, the distance impact, and the adjacent land use types to obtain the Barrier Effect Index(BEI) and Ecological Connectivity Index(ECI). The application of this method to Dongshan Island showed the ecological connectivity index(ECI) was low in 1994, improved in 2003, and decreased significantly in 2011. The results of the dynamic analysis of landscape structure showed farmland and roads were the main landscape classes that caused the low observed ECI in 1994 and 2003;these tended to divide the landscape and cause fragmentation. Construction land and roads were the main landscape classes resulting in low ECI in 2011,while forest and grassland had a high ECI. Trajectory analysis showed ECI tended to decrease in the low mountain forest zone of the northwestern and southeastern parts of Dongshan Island as well as in the coastal protection forest area. The areas where ECI became high were located in the northeastern part of Dongshan Island where cities and towns are concentrated with high human populations.Therefore, rapid urbanization has been the most important factor driving changes in landscape structure and patterns during the last 17 years on Dongshan Island. The approach not only assists us in revealing the driving mechanism of landscape dynamics from another aspect, but also can assess the impacts of regional and urban plans on landscape structure and function.

A Geospatial Analysis of Wetland Cultivated Areas in Ile-lfe, Osun State, Nigeria

Wetlands are among the world＇s most productive environment. They are cradles of bio-diversity, providing the water and primary productivity upon which large numbers of plant and animal species depend for survival. Unfortunately, they are also among the world＇s most threatened ecosystems, owing mainly to continued drainage, urbanization, pollution, over-exploitation or other unsustainable uses of their resources. The lack of baseline wetland inventory and limited accessibility to the available ones have been identified as major limitations for sustainable use and management of wetland resources. This study therefore utilized multispectral remote sensing data and global positioning system （GPS） for mapping and assessing the spatial pattern of wetlands, particularly the cultivated ones. The images were processed using ILWIS 3.2 Academic. The combined digital image processing and visual image interpretation were used to identify and segment wetlands in the image data. The coordinates of all identified wetlands and various anthropogenic activities on them were taken using GPS. Questionnaire forms were designed and randomly administered on the households residing around the wetland areas to enable the study to assess the anthropogenic factors, which are capable of destroying the ecosystem. The result indicated that the original size of wetlands in the study area has been modified as there has been reduction in their area extent. Various anthropogenic factors such as, the conversion of wetlands to agricultural, residential and commercial land uses were majorly responsible for the modification. In conclusion, remote sensing data and GIS technology were found useful in mapping and assessing wetlands for sustainable use.

Ultra-High Strength Concrete Mixtures Using Local Materials

This paper presents the development of ultra high strength concrete （UHSC） using local materials. UHSC mixture proportions were developed using local materials so that UHSC may be made more affordable to a wider variety of applications. Specifically, local sand with a top size of 600 um, and locally available Type I/II cement and silica fume were used in this research. Each of these material selections is seen as an improvement in sustainability for UHSC. Two mixtures （one with and one without fibers） were recommended as the UHSC mixtures. The greatest compressive strengths obtained in this study were 165.6 MPa for UHSC with steel fibers and 161.9 MPa for UHSC without fibers. The compressive and flexural strengths obtained from the UHSC mixtures developed in this work are comparable to UHSC strengths presented in the literature. Producing this innovative material with local materials reduces the cost of the material, improves sustainability, and produces mechanical performance similar to prepackaged, commercially available products.

From Conservation to Sustainable Development-A Case Study of Angkor World Heritage Site, Cambodia

The World Heritage Committee of UNESCO has called for a strategic commitment from its States Parties to strengthen links between heritage conservation and sustainable development. Fulfilment of this commitment will require integration of the conservation of sites with the sustainable use and management of natural resources in a larger area beyond the boundaries of sites. Identification and demarcation of areas for conserving World Heritage sites and sustainable development of broader regions must derive from an in-depth knowledge of people-environment relationships. The management of Angkor-an iconic World Heritage site -has been primarily focused on conservation and restoration of monuments within the boundaries of the site. However, that focus is now shifting towards addressing environmental, social and economic challenges for sustainable development of the broader landscape described in this paper as the Angkor ecosystem. Angkor has the potential to demonstrate the application of an ecosystem approach to sustainable development--advocated under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. The site could be a laboratory for new research on cultural ecosystem services as a tool for bridging site conservation to the sustainable development of the Siem Reap province where the site is located.

Evaluating the Spatial Uncertainty of Future Land Abandonment in a Mountain Valley(Vicdessos, Pyrenees-France): Insights from Model Parameterization and Experiments

European mountains are particularly sensitive to climatic disruptions and land use changes.The latter leads to high rates of natural reforestation over the last 50 years. Faced with the challenge of predicting possible impacts on ecosystem services,LUCC models offer new opportunities for land managers to adapt or mitigate their strategies.Assessing the spatial uncertainty of future LUCC is crucial for the definition of sustainable land use strategies. However, the sources of uncertainty may differ, including the input parameters, the model itself, and the wide range of possible futures. The aim of this paper is to propose a method to assess the probability of occurrence of future LUCC that combines the inherent uncertainty of model parameterization and the ensemble uncertainty of the future based scenarios. For this purpose, we used the Land Change Modeler tool to simulate future LUCC on a study site located in the Pyrenees Mountains(France) and two scenarios illustrating two land use strategies. The model was parameterized with the same driving factors used for its calibration. The definition of ‘static vs. dynamic' and ‘quantitative vs.qualitative(discretized)' driving factors, and their combination resulted in four parameterizations. The combination of model outcomes produced maps of the spatial uncertainty of future LUCC. This work involves adapting the definition of spatial uncertainty in the literature to future-based LUCC studies. It goes beyond the uncertainty of simulation models by integrating the uncertainty of the future to provide maps to help decision makers and land managers.

Variations and trends of trans-boundary runoff in the longitudinal range-gorge region

The mountainous hydrological process usually shows high variation to climate change and human action. In the Longitudinal Range-Gorge Region（LRGR）, Southwestern China and Southeast Asian, the transboundary runoff variations are much more sensitive and complex under the interaction of climate change, ＂corridor-barrier＂ functions in LRGR,and dams building. In this paper, based on the long hydrological records（1956-2013） from three mainstream hydrological stations in Nu River,Lancang River, and Red River, the region runoff variations were analyzed. The results show out： i） the regional runoff changes were strongly influenced by the ＂Corridor-Barrier＂ functions in LRGR from west to east, the variability extent of annual runoff increased, but tended to decrease after 2009 and the reduced extents also increased; ii） the annual runoff change in the three rivers had high concentration degrees; iii） there were periodicities of 33 years of runoff change in Nu River and Lancang River, and 30 years in Red River, and the lower flow period would continue for 8-9 years in Nu River and Lancang River but only for 4 years in Red River; iv） since 2010, as the two mega dams of Xiaowan and Nuozhadu built in Lancang River mainstream, their variations of annual runoff were quite different. The research results could offer a scientific base for sustainable utilization,conservation, and management of the regional water resources

Development of resource-conserving society:from the perspective of circular economy

The purpose of building a resource-conserving society is to pursuit less resource consumption and less environmental pollution,and to accept greater economic and social benefits,and the ultimate goal is to ensure sustainable use of resources and economic and social sustainable development.Developing circular economy is the inevitable choice and the basic way to build a resource-conserving society.Recycling economy is a resource-conserving production,initiate resource-conserving consumption,and it is the key to build resource-conserving society.This study tries to clarify the relationship between them and bring forward a scientific index system which can measure the development level of a resource-conserving society.It provides a new set of ideas for the evaluation of resourceconserving society,and it is important for the resource-conserving society assessment and construction,while further empirical research is made on China's eastern coastal Shandong Province.

Sustainabilty of Rice Processing in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa

Energy and environmental sustainability are important considerations for increased rice production. This study examined the energy utilization and sustainability of rice processing in sub-Saharan Africa. The community of Gadan Loko village in the song local government of Adamawa State, Nigeria was selected as the focus of study. Rice parboiling, the most energy intensive process in rice processing is carried out usually by women in small quantities of about 13.2 kg using traditional pots on tripod support stoves. The parboiled rice is sun dried on mats before it is taken to the milling stalls where it is milled using milling machines driven by single cylinder diesel engines. There were large variations in the quality of milled rice due to lack of consistency in processing parameters. Accumulation of rice husk in the community created important environmental issues. In this study, methods of improving sustainability of rice processing were investigated. The areas included： the utilization of waste heat from the diesel engines for improved drying and efficient pre-soaking; the utilization of solar energy for pre-soaking; the utilization of rice husks as alternative fuel to firewood; and the optimization and redesign of the stoves and parboiling vessels to minimize heat loss to the environment. The results showed that the utilization of rice husk as alternative fuel and the redesign of the stoves and parboiling vessels will increase the sustainability of rice processing and can be easily adopted by the community. While solar energy pre-soaking was not economical and the utilization of waste heat from the diesel engines for drying and pre-soaking would be difficult to implement at the rural scale, because most of the parboiling is done far away from the milling stalls. The study showed that research, development of appropriate technology, and education （RATE） of the rural community is an important way of increasing sustainability.

Resource Characteristics and Sustainable Utilization of Codonopsis convolve, a Tibetan Medicinal Plant

In this paper, the resources of Codonopsis convolvulacea subsp. Vinciflora in 13 counties of Tibet were investigated and analyzed by field investigation, sample point-sample set-sample survey, market investigation and expert visit. The results showed that among the 13 counties, the distribution area of C. convolvulacea ranked as Gongbujiangda County 〉 Zuogong County 〉 Milin County 〉 Mozhugongka County 〉 Lang County 〉 Duilongdeqing County 〉 Chayu County=Jiali County= Mangkang County=Dingqing County=Baqing County=Suo County=Nimu County. The Gongbujiangda County showed the largest distribution, while Zuogong County and Milin County showed relatively small distribution. Chayu County, Jiali County, Mangkang County, Dingqing County, Baqing County, Suo County and Nimu County showed no distribution. The average plant dry weight C. convolvulacea ranked as Duilongdeqing County 〉 Lang County, Gongbujiangda County 〉Milin County 〉Chayu County =Jiali County =Zuogong County =Mangkang County =Dingqing County =Baqing County=Suo County=Mozhugongka County=Nimu County. Among them, Duilongdeqing County showed the largest average plant dry weight. The average plant dry weight of C. convolvulacea in Chayu County, Jiali County, Zuogong County, Mangkang County, Dingqing County, Baqing County, Suo County, Mozhugongka County and Nimu County was all 0 g. The order of biomass of C. convolvulacea in the 13 counties was Mozhugongka County 〉Duilongdeqing County 〉 Lang County 〉 Gongbujiangda County 〉Milin County 〉Zuogong County 〉Dingqing County =Jiali County=Mangkang County=Chayu County=Nimu County=Suo County=Baqing County. Mozhugongka County showed the largest biomass, while the biomass of C. convolvulacea in Dingqing County, Jiali County, Mangkang County, Chayu County, Nimu County, Suo County and Baqing County was all 0 t. The reserve of C. convolvulacea is determined by distribution area habitat and its own growth. In the 13 counties, the reserve of C. convolvulacea ranked as Gongbujiangda County 〉Mozhugongka County 〉 Lang County 〉Zuogong County 〉Milin County 〉Duilongdeqing County 〉Dingqing County=Jiali County=Mangkang County=Chayu County=Nimu County=Suo County=Baqing County. The reserve of C. convolvulacea was biggest in Gongbujiangda County and was relatively small in Dingqing County, Jiali County, Mangkang County, Chayu County, Nimu County, Suo County and Baqing County. Targeting at the problems existing in the utilization of C. convolvulacea, some suggestions are put forward, such as establishment of reserve for medicinal plant ecological industry, artificial cultivation, renewing concept and rational exploitation and utilization. In this paper, the resource characteristics and sustainable utilization of Tibetan medicinal plants were studied so as to provide a theoretical basis for the rational development and utilization of C. convolvulacea in the region.

农村集体建设用地管理探析

针对目前农村集体建设用地存在的土地利用效率低下,农村村庄布局散乱,土地违法利用现象比较普遍,基础设施和公共配套设施建设滞后,集体建设用地流转的不规范性等问题,对农村集体建设用地进行优化设计,从而创建集约型、高效型的农村集体建设用地管理机制,实现农村集体建设用地可持续利用。

Restoration and Rational Use of Degraded Saline Reed Wetlands:A Case Study in Western Songnen Plain, China

The protection, restoration and sustainable use are key issues of all the wetlands worldwide. Ecological, agronomic, and engineering techniques have been integrated in the development of a structurally sound, ecologically beneficial engineering restoration method for restoring and utilizing a degraded saline wetland in the western Songnen Plain of China. Hydrological restoration was performed by developing a system of biannual irrigation and drainage using civil engineering measures to bring wetlands into contact with river water and improve the irrigation and drainage system in the wetlands. Agronomic measures such as plowing the reed fields, reed rhizome transplantation, and fertilization were used to restore the reed vegetation. Biological measures, including the release of crab and fish fry and natural proliferation, were used to restore the aquatic communities. The results of the restoration were clear and positive. By the year 2009, the reed yield had increased by 20.9 times. Remarkable ecological benefits occurred simultaneously. Vegetation primary-production capacity increased, local climate regulation and water purification enhanced, and biodiversity increased. This demonstration of engineering techniques illustrates the basic route for the restoration of degraded wetlands, that the biodiversity should be reconstructed by the comprehensive application of engineering, biological, and agronomic measures based on habitat restoration under the guidance of process-oriented strategies. The complex ecological system including reeds, fish and crabs is based on the biological principles of coexistence and material recycling and provides a reasonable ecological engineering model suitable for the sustainable utilization of degraded saline reed wetlands.

Scientific and Engineering Progress in CO_2 Minerali zation Using Industrial Waste and Natural Minerals

The issues of reducing CO_2 levels in the atmo-sphere, sustainably utilizing natural mineral resources,and dealing with indus trial waste offer challenging opportunities for sustainable development in energy and the environment. The latest advances in CO_2 mineralization technology involving natural minerals and industrial waste are summarized in this paper, with great emphasis on the advancement of fundamental science, economic evaluation, and engineering applications. We discuss several lead-ing large-scale CO_2 mineralization methodologies from a techn ical and engineering-science perspective. For each technology option, we give an overview of the technical parameters, reaction pathway, reactivity, procedural scheme, and laboratorial and pilot devices. Furthermore, we present a discussion of each technology based on experimental results and the literature. Finally, current gaps in knowledge are identified in the conclusion, and an overview of the challenges and opportunities for future research in this field is provided.

Current status of small yellow croaker resources in the southern Yellow Sea and the East China Sea

We used data from bottom trawl surveys to study the factors influencing the abundance of small yellow croaker, Larimichthys polyactis, in the southern Yellow Sea （SYS） and the East China Sea （ECS）. The resource density index （RD1） was generally higher in summer and autumn than in spring and winter. RDIs were also significantly greater in the SYS than in the ECS in summer and autumn. The bottom water salinity and depth of spatial distribution of small yellow croaker was similar between the two areas in summer, but different in other seasons. Regression analysis suggested that environmental factors such as bottom water temperature, salinity, and depth influenced the RDIs in summer in these areas. Growth condition factor （GCF） in the two areas varied monthly and the croaker in the SYS grew more slowly than those in the ECS. This was likely due to the low bottom temperature of the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass in summer and autumn or to higher human fishing pressure in the ECS. To ensure sustainable utilization of the croaker stocks in these regions, we recommend reducing the fishing intensity, increasing the cod-end mesh size, and improving the protection of juveniles.

Integrated assessment model of water resources constraint intensity on urbanization in arid area

Water has become a key restricting factor of the urbanization process in developing arid areas.Based on qualitative and quantitative methods,we constructed an integrated in-dicator system to assess the status of water resources and urbanization system in arid area,and established an AHP model reformed by entropy technology to evaluate the temporal and spatial variations of water resources constraint intensity on urbanization.This model is ap-plied to the Hexi Corridor,a typical arid area in NW China.Results show that,water resources constraint intensity on urbanization in the Hexi Corridor is bigger in the east and smaller in the west.It has changed from the less strong constraint type into the strong constraint type from 1985 to 2005,yet it decreased appreciably in recent years.At present,most areas in the Hexi Corridor belong to the less strong or strong constraint type.Through rational adjustment of water resources and urbanization system,the Hexi Corridor can still promote water resources sustainable utilization and accelerate the urbanization process.This study suggests that the integrated assessment model of water resources constraint intensity on urbanization is an effective method to analyze the conflicts between water resources and urbanization system in arid area.

Stochastic optimization of mine production scheduling with uncertain ore/metal/waste supply

Optimization of long-term mine production scheduling in open pit mines deals with the management of cash flows, typically in the order of hundreds of millions of dollars. Conventional mine scheduling utilizes optimization methods that are not capable of accounting for inherent technical uncertainties such as uncertainty in the expected ore/metal supply from the underground, acknowledged to be the most critical factor. To integrate ore/metal uncertainty into the optimization of mine production scheduling a stochastic integer programming(SIP) formulation is tested at a copper deposit. The stochastic solution maximizes the economic value of a project and minimizes deviations from production targets in the presence of ore/metal uncertainty. Unlike the conventional approach, the SIP model accounts and manages risk in ore supply, leading to a mine production schedule with a 29% higher net present value than the schedule obtained from the conventional, industry-standard optimization approach, thus contributing to improving the management and sustainable utilization of mineral resources.