The research conducted investigation and survey on 186 farm households in 2014 and carried out economic evaluation on "planting three to produce four" highyielding project of super hybrid rice. The results showed th...The research conducted investigation and survey on 186 farm households in 2014 and carried out economic evaluation on "planting three to produce four" highyielding project of super hybrid rice. The results showed that the project of "planting three to produce four" performed significantly in terms of increasing yields and incomes. For example, per unit area yield of one-season late hybrid rice and middleseason hybrid rice proved the highest, and net income from middle-season rice in Longhui was the highest. It is obvious that to increase per unit yield is key for improving net incomes and to reduce machine fees and worker fees is crucial for decreasing fees.展开更多
The sustainable development of coal mining cities in Heilongjiang province has important effect on the economic stability and development of Heilongjiang, Northeast China, and China at large. To further the sustainabl...The sustainable development of coal mining cities in Heilongjiang province has important effect on the economic stability and development of Heilongjiang, Northeast China, and China at large. To further the sustainable development evaluation system of coal mining cities in Heilongjiang province, based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method combined with operational and scientific principles using Saaty's 1-9 scale method to construct the judgment matrix from five aspects, such as economic development and environmental quality, this paper establishes the comprehensive evaluation index sys- tem of sustainable development of coal mining cities in Heilongjiang province, including comprehensive index of industrial economic benefits and the contribution rate of science and technology. In addition, using fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method, a comprehensive evaluation is made on the indices of the four major coal mining cities of Heilongjiang. The result shows that the coal mining cities are not bet- ter than Datong of Shanxi province in many indices. The economic development and environment quality are the most important indices of the targeted layer influencing the sustainable development of coal min- ing cities of HeilonKiiang, and their index weights are 0.4358 and 0.2844, respectively. These two indices including comprehensive index of industrial economic benefit and the ratio of environmental protection investment to GDP are the key elements influencing the two aspects.展开更多
According to overall mean square root of weighted deviation, presented an evaluation model of geology-technique-social conditions with a significant index system for the estimation of operating quality in productive c...According to overall mean square root of weighted deviation, presented an evaluation model of geology-technique-social conditions with a significant index system for the estimation of operating quality in productive coal mines. In the given example, the evaluation result is used to decide management strategy of coal mine, which plays a guiding role in the production.展开更多
Belt and Road Initiative(BRI) is a Chinese national strategy which calls for cooperative economic, political and cultural exchange at the global level along the ancient Silk Road. The overwhelming natural hazards loca...Belt and Road Initiative(BRI) is a Chinese national strategy which calls for cooperative economic, political and cultural exchange at the global level along the ancient Silk Road. The overwhelming natural hazards located along the belt and road bring great challenges to the success of BRI. In this framework, a 5-year international program was launched to address issues related to hazards assessment and disaster risk reduction(DRR). The first workshop of this program was held in Beijing with international experts from over 15 countries. Risk conditions on Belt and Road Countries(BRCs) have been shared and science and technology advancements on DRR have been disseminated during the workshop. Under this program, six task forces have been setup to carry out collaborative research works and three prioritized study areas have been established. This workshop announced the launching of this program which involved partners from different countries including Pakistan, Nepal, Russia, Italy, United Kingdom, Sri Lanka and Tajikistan. The program adopted the objectives of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 and United Nation Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and was implemented to assess disaster risk in BRCs and to propose suitable measures for disaster control which can be appropriate both for an individual country and for specific sites. This paper deals with the outcomes of the workshop and points out opportunities for the near future international cooperation on this matter.展开更多
An indicator system closely connected with eco-environment, in which indicator involves in such fields as society, economy, resources, environment and ecology, is first proposed for eco-environmental quality assessmen...An indicator system closely connected with eco-environment, in which indicator involves in such fields as society, economy, resources, environment and ecology, is first proposed for eco-environmental quality assessment. Then, a hierarchical model with four levels is established by virtue of these indicators and attributes. In the model, weights of indicators and attributes are determined by combining Delphi method with the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and a statistic method is used to eliminate the influences arising from the differences in dimension and magnitude of indicators. On these grounds, an AHP-statistics model is provided for regional eco-environmental quality assessment. As a case, such AHP-statistics model is utilized in the dynamic analysis of regional eco-environmental assessment in Chaohu Lake basin. Study results show that natural environmental quality in the watershed was in the declining state while social environmental quality was in a markedly improved situation from 1996, and the synthetic eco-environmental quality was gradually and slowly improved under the common influences of both natural and social environmental factors. Example of application testified the capacities of above methodology to evaluate the real and dynamic state of regional eco-environmental quality.展开更多
Ecosystem services valuation seeks to increase the social relevance of ecosystem characteristics, the underlying biological mechanisms that support services, by making the contribution of ecosystems to human well-bein...Ecosystem services valuation seeks to increase the social relevance of ecosystem characteristics, the underlying biological mechanisms that support services, by making the contribution of ecosystems to human well-being explicit. Economic valuation can help management by clarifying the full range of benefits and costs of proposed management actions. In the past two decades, economic valuation of wetland ecosystem services has become one of the most significant scientific priorities for wetland protection. In this paper, we provide an overview of ecosystem services, and summarize the main interdisciplinary approaches to measure and value wetland ecosystem services. We identified four main methodological gaps preventing progress on wetland valuation of ecosystem services in China, which are: 1) confusion on terminology like intermediate and final ecosystem services, 2) lack of ecological production functions to link ecosystem characteristics to final ecosystem services, 3) static valuation making it difficult to evaluate the trade-offs and synergies among ecosystem services, and 4) lack of clear guidance on relating ecological compensation programs to conservation targets. Overcoming these gaps is important to inform wetland compensation mechanisms and conservation policies. We propose future research on wetland ecosystem services in China should be focused on: 1) defining final ecosystem services based on beneficiary preferences and underlying biophysical mechanisms, 2) establishing wetland monitoring programs at specific sites to collect data on final ecosystem service indicators and ecosystem characteristic metrics to create ecological production functions for economic valuation and rescaling techniques, and 3) incorporating wetland ecosystem service values into decision-making processes to inform wetland management.展开更多
Based on multi-source data,this paper evaluated the economic value of ecological services in the Yeyahu Wetland Nature Reserve,Beijing,China.The ecological services of wetland included gas regulation,water quality im-...Based on multi-source data,this paper evaluated the economic value of ecological services in the Yeyahu Wetland Nature Reserve,Beijing,China.The ecological services of wetland included gas regulation,water quality im-provement,biodiversity maintenance,erosion control,water supply,recreational opportunity,raw material supply and existence value.Multiple conventional evaluation methods were used to calculate the value of eight wetland services.The results showed that significant values came from biodiversity maintenance and recreational opportunity.The main reasons were as follows.Firstly,Yeyahu Wetland Nature Reserve was the habitat for migrant birds,and government had payed more efforts to protect precious birds.Secondly,the population is large in Beijing.People enjoyed going outside and enjoyed the natural and artificial wetland scenes.At the same time,most people were prepared to pay for wetland conservation.The decline of vegetation cover made the economic value of erosion control the lowest.While the shrink of water resource and the deteriorative water quality caused the economic value of water supply lower.The evaluation results could help decision-makers understand the present status of the Yeyahu Wetland Nature Reserve and provide a scientific basis for strategic decision.展开更多
The evaluation of sustainable land use is the key issue in the field of studying the sustainable land utilization. In general analysis, the sustainable land use is evaluated respectively from its ecological sustainabi...The evaluation of sustainable land use is the key issue in the field of studying the sustainable land utilization. In general analysis, the sustainable land use is evaluated respectively from its ecological sustainability, economic sustainability and social sustainability in China and other countries in recent years. Although this evaluation is an important work, it seems insufficient and hard to comprehensively reflect the whole degree of land use sustainability. Thus, to make up this deficiency, this paper brings forward the evaluation indexes, which make it possible to quantitatively reflect the whole degree of land use sustainability, namely, the concept of "degrees of overall land use sustainability" (Dos), and research and measurement development of the method of and calculation in Dos. Taking the evaluation of the degree of land use sustainability in county regions of Yunnan Province as the actual example for analysis, results are basically as follows: 1) The degree of land use sustainability (Dos) is the ration index to organically and systematically integrate the degree of ecological friendliness (DeF), the degree of economic viability (Dev) and the degree of social acceptability (Dsa), able to comprehensively reflect the whole sustainability degree of regional land use 2) Based on the value of Dos, the grading system and standard for the sustainability of land use may be established and totally divided into five grades, namely, the high-degree sustainability, middle-degree sustainability, low-degree sustainability, conditional sustainability and non-sustainability. Meanwhile, the standard for distinguishing sustainability grades has also been confirmed so as to determine the nature of sustainability degrees in different grades. This makes the possibility for the combination of nature determination with ration in research result and provides with the scientific guideline and decision-making gist for better implementation of sustainable land use strategy. 3) The practice in evaluation of sustainability degree in county regional land use in Yunnan shows that the value of the degree of land use sustainability (Dos) of whole Yunnan Province is only 58.39, belonging to the grade of low-degree sustainability. Two thirds of counties in the whole province represent the grade of "conditional sustainability" and "non-sustainability" in the sustainability of land use. Among these counties, 11.11 % shows "non- sustainability'. The lowest degree of land use sustainability appears especially in the middle plateau mountain region of Northeast Yunnan, where the value of Dos in most counties (districts) is below 40 %, belonging to the grade of "non-sustainability". The sustainability degree in the karst mountainous region in lower-middle plateau mountain region in Southeast Yunnan is generally low and the value of sustainability degree (Dos) in most of the counties (cities and districts) is below 55. The value of sustainability degree (Dos) in most of the counties (cities and districts) in the north, west, northwest and southwest parts of Yunnan is below 55. This article also analyzes the reasons of low degree of sustainability in land use in Yunnan and puts forward the countermeasures to increase the degree of sustainability in land use in the whole province.展开更多
Human pressure on mountain resources poses certain threats to their natural and man-made environment. Although there are many parameters involved, one of the driving forces behind this situation is the emphasis given ...Human pressure on mountain resources poses certain threats to their natural and man-made environment. Although there are many parameters involved, one of the driving forces behind this situation is the emphasis given so far only to the market value of mountain goods and services, ignoring the true social and environmental costs of using mountain resources. Towards this direction, the use of non-market valuation techniques could prove to be beneficial. Bearing in mind the above remarks, the paper presents an application of the Contingent Valuation Method, which aims at estimating the monetary value of a mountain settlement’s vernacular architecture, namely Metsovo. For this purpose, the survey focuses on Metsovo visitors’ willingness to pay a single annual voluntary contribution to an institution that would be founded in order to undertake all necessary actions required to preserve the town’s traditional character. The results are very promising and indicate that vernacular architecture holds a significant economic value that could justify the implementation of appropriate policies towards the protection of vernacular settlements in mountain areas.展开更多
In this work an economical evaluation that established the viability of a low enthalpy geothermal resource as an energy source in north Africa is presented. The factors considered included the payback period, average ...In this work an economical evaluation that established the viability of a low enthalpy geothermal resource as an energy source in north Africa is presented. The factors considered included the payback period, average rate of return, net present value, and net benefit-cost ratio. The model was based on utilising the energy source to energise four models that comprised thermal equipment consisting of water/air cooled single/half effect lithium bromide water mixture absorption chillers and an R-245fa organic Rankine cycle. These modelled cycles were based on the energy demand for Waddan city a community in southern Libya which has a demand for combined cooling/electricity only or cooling/electricity with district hot water supply. The results revealed that all of the proposed simulated stand-alone models, except the water-cooled half effect chiller, are not economically viable unless they are heavily subsidized or combined with the district hot water supply at least in the winter season.展开更多
Forest ecosystem services contribute to human welfare, both directly and indirectly. Here the economic value of water conservation by Bazoft basin located in Zagros forests in western Iran was estimated, using simulat...Forest ecosystem services contribute to human welfare, both directly and indirectly. Here the economic value of water conservation by Bazoft basin located in Zagros forests in western Iran was estimated, using simulation models and Geographic Information System (GIS) as a tool for analyzing the effects of ecological factors on ecosystem services. Rainfall-runoff simulation was carried out by using Curve Number (CN) method in HEC-HMS model. The model requires the inputs of land cover, soil and short term rainfall and discharge data. The efficiency of simu-lated model was revised using observed data and doing calibration stages. The role of forest on water retention and surface runoff reduction by devising four hypothetical scenarios and then the effects of land use changes associated with these scenarios on rainfall-runoff behavior of the region were determined. The results show that under the case of scenario one which assumes that the entire of basin area is covered by forests, total outflow would be in the minimum amount and rainfall initial loss will increase. Forest hydrological services related to water retention was economically assessed using Replacement Cost Method. Valuation results show that each hectare of Bazoft forests can store 84.8 m3 water with 0.5 US$/m3 annual value. So the water retention value of each hectare of these forests will be 43US$. This could have positive economic consequences for the region and would help decision-makers in selecting appropriate and economically feasible development strategies.展开更多
China is the only nation that uses DDT in antifouling pain at present, approximately 5% of DDT is applied as the additive of the antifouling paint production. Therefore, actions shall be taken urgently for banning the...China is the only nation that uses DDT in antifouling pain at present, approximately 5% of DDT is applied as the additive of the antifouling paint production. Therefore, actions shall be taken urgently for banning the use of DDT and substituting with non-POPs alternatives in antifouling paints. The paper researches the social and economic backgrounds of DDT booster antifouling paint production and usage, analyzes the social and economic impact assessment of the alternatives to DDT usage for antifouling paint. The implementation of the project of alternatives will completely eliminate the adverse impact of DDT booster antifouling paint on terrestrial, marine ecosystem and human health. The broad use of alkali silicate and pepper alkali as substitutes will be feasible if appropriate measures will be taken to encourage their development, and the social and economic risk will be reduced to accepted levels.展开更多
The environment impact of the coal resources mining was analyzed. The method of economic evaluation for the coal mining was established to analyze land destruction. The opportunity cost method was used to quantitative...The environment impact of the coal resources mining was analyzed. The method of economic evaluation for the coal mining was established to analyze land destruction. The opportunity cost method was used to quantitatively analyze and estimate the economic loss of the land destruction by coal mining. At the same time, the dump land reclamation of the Yuanbaoshan Open Pit was taken as an example to evaluate environmental and economical benefit with the method of economic evaluation for the coal mining areas land reclamation.展开更多
Based on the fundamental simulation theories and methods, this paper studies such questions as truck dispatching, discrete processing of belt system continuous haulage, belt system interlock, and economic assessment m...Based on the fundamental simulation theories and methods, this paper studies such questions as truck dispatching, discrete processing of belt system continuous haulage, belt system interlock, and economic assessment methods. On the basis of above studies, the paper establishes a simulation model for open pit mine semi continuous production technique system. The paper applies GPSS language to construct a simulation program, and the program has been successfully applied in a certain coalmine.展开更多
This paper points out that the mineral rights should be transferred at the mineral resource’s own value after the analysis that the resource owner can not recover the resource’s value only by collecting the mineral ...This paper points out that the mineral rights should be transferred at the mineral resource’s own value after the analysis that the resource owner can not recover the resource’s value only by collecting the mineral resource tax and the mineral resource compensating fee.Then the paper expounds the theory on mineral resource evaluation and gives out tbe income evaluating model. The paper finally concludes that the mineral rights should be transferred by the manner of auction after the analysis on the requirements asked by the economics on the mineral rights-transferring.展开更多
Contagious bovine pleuro-pneumonia (CBPP) is one of the endemic and life-threatening livestock diseases in the arid and semi-arid land areas (ASALs) of Kenya, which justify the case for the control of livestock di...Contagious bovine pleuro-pneumonia (CBPP) is one of the endemic and life-threatening livestock diseases in the arid and semi-arid land areas (ASALs) of Kenya, which justify the case for the control of livestock diseases to avoid the spread of such diseases from the ASALs to the rest of the country, and a CBPP control quarantine line (CQL) that to help prevent the spread of CBPP from the ASALs of North-eastern Kenya to the rest of the country has been in existence since the colonial (pre-1963) times in Kenya. However, the livestock keepers in the ASALs view the CQL as an impediment to their main source of livelihoods because it entails livestock movement restrictions, thus constraining unfettered livestock marketing. Available literature shows that there is a dearth of information on the economics of livestock diseases control in Kenya in terms of its impacts on social welfare. Employing the CQL as a case study, this study shows that an application of analytic techniques that combine disease risk analysis and conventional cost-benefit modelling that incorporates some aspects that are specific to livestock diseases and their control strategies can generate indices of economic impacts of livestock diseases control on social welfare. The study finds that the livestock keepers and traders in Kenya do not consider CBPP a major problem to warrant livestock movement restrictions, yet the official records of the veterinary authorities indicate that CBPP is a major threat to the cattle industry in Kenya. Annually, the government spends substantial resources on the CQL operation and maintenance and also on CBPP surveillance and monitoring to contain the CBPP menace in Kenya. This study shows that such expenditures are economically and socially justifiable. Nevertheless, the study finds some operational inefficiencies in the enforcement of the CQL requirements. The authors, therefore, undertake an evaluation of alternative CBPP control strategies and conclude that it would be more cost effective to shift the CQL from its current location to the international borders of the arid districts, provided that this action is preceded by adequate CBPP control preparatory measures, as described in the paper.展开更多
Conservation agriculture (CA) is especially relevant for Uzbekistan's agriculture, particularly in non-irrigated lands where soil fertility has been steadily declining and the risk of crop failure has been growing....Conservation agriculture (CA) is especially relevant for Uzbekistan's agriculture, particularly in non-irrigated lands where soil fertility has been steadily declining and the risk of crop failure has been growing. CA has three main characterizations given in scientific literature, which are the minimal soil disturbance, crop rotation and surface crop residue retention. Nowadays, the majority of farmers are not widely using CA in their agricultural practices in Uzbekistan. Maybe, this is due to different perception of the economic efficiency of CA. The objective of the research was to calculate economic efficiency of CA in non-irrigated lands and to show whether it is effective or not in agricultural production. To achieve this objective, literature review including a variety of secondary data is employed. Overall, the costs of labor and fuel consumption per ha at CA technology are less in comparison with conventional technology. Using CA practices gives a chance to increase labour productivity, to use resource effectively and to improve soil quality and crop diversification.展开更多
In Uganda, grain amaranth is relatively new and has generally not been considered as an important crop compared to other grain crops and legumes. This study was therefore conducted to determine factors affecting adopt...In Uganda, grain amaranth is relatively new and has generally not been considered as an important crop compared to other grain crops and legumes. This study was therefore conducted to determine factors affecting adoption of grain amaranth growing, factors affecting production, and economic returns on investment of its production. The study was carried out in Kamuli district where a total of 174 grain amaranth farmers and 90 non-grain amaranth farmers were randomly selected and interviewed. Using descriptive statistics, regression analysis (logit model and a Cobb-Douglas type production function) and profitability ratios, it was found that grain amaranth is produced on a small scale and yields are low. Farmer adoption of the crop was favoured by age, gender (female), education of the farmer, and source of income. The output was positively affected by the amount of labour and manure used in production, while a negative relationship existed between output and male farmers. The crop was most viable under small acreages (0.02-0.04 ha) with positive returns to investment of 0.016. Its production should therefore be encouraged because of its income generation potential and since it requires small land.展开更多
Natural landscapes consist of the natural substances, environment, and phenomena, all of which provide many benefits to people, including a sense of place, sightseeing, relaxing, and recuperating. However, the economi...Natural landscapes consist of the natural substances, environment, and phenomena, all of which provide many benefits to people, including a sense of place, sightseeing, relaxing, and recuperating. However, the economic value of natural landscapes has only been recognized in recent decades, and the resulting large-scale decline and degradation of ecosystems now severely threatens the sustainable provision of their services to society. There is an emerging consensus that natural capital should be incorporated into the current socioeconomic accounting system. Many studies valuated natural resources at local and regional scales, but there are very few empirical studies at a national level. To provide a benchmark for natural landscape management on a national scale, we use the travel cost method(TCM) and the contingent valuation method(CVM) to determine the economic value and the spatial distribution of natural landscapes across China. Our results show that the total economic value of China′s natural landscape was 9.75 × 10^(11) U.S. dollars(USD) in 2012. Of this value, the highest proportion was in the eastern and southwestern regions of China, which accounts for 23.7% and 18.3%, respectively. The provinces of Guangdong, Sichuan, Yunnan, Inner Mongolia, and Heilongjiang were the top five in terms of the largest number of natural landscapes and largest economic values. Together, these five provinces accounted for 32.9% of the total number of natural landscapes and 29.4% of the total economic value in 2012. We believe this study will increase awareness of the value of natural landscapes, and more importantly provide a scientific basis for resolving conflicts between development and resource conservation.展开更多
文摘The research conducted investigation and survey on 186 farm households in 2014 and carried out economic evaluation on "planting three to produce four" highyielding project of super hybrid rice. The results showed that the project of "planting three to produce four" performed significantly in terms of increasing yields and incomes. For example, per unit area yield of one-season late hybrid rice and middleseason hybrid rice proved the highest, and net income from middle-season rice in Longhui was the highest. It is obvious that to increase per unit yield is key for improving net incomes and to reduce machine fees and worker fees is crucial for decreasing fees.
基金supported by the Philosophy and Social Science Program of Heilongjiang Province (No. 10D051)the Science and Technology Plan Program of Heilongjiang Province (No. GC10D209)the General Humanity and Social Science Program of Heilongjiang Provincial Universities in 2012 (HET-based energy sustainable development research of Heilongjiang province) (No. 12522258)
文摘The sustainable development of coal mining cities in Heilongjiang province has important effect on the economic stability and development of Heilongjiang, Northeast China, and China at large. To further the sustainable development evaluation system of coal mining cities in Heilongjiang province, based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method combined with operational and scientific principles using Saaty's 1-9 scale method to construct the judgment matrix from five aspects, such as economic development and environmental quality, this paper establishes the comprehensive evaluation index sys- tem of sustainable development of coal mining cities in Heilongjiang province, including comprehensive index of industrial economic benefits and the contribution rate of science and technology. In addition, using fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method, a comprehensive evaluation is made on the indices of the four major coal mining cities of Heilongjiang. The result shows that the coal mining cities are not bet- ter than Datong of Shanxi province in many indices. The economic development and environment quality are the most important indices of the targeted layer influencing the sustainable development of coal min- ing cities of HeilonKiiang, and their index weights are 0.4358 and 0.2844, respectively. These two indices including comprehensive index of industrial economic benefit and the ratio of environmental protection investment to GDP are the key elements influencing the two aspects.
文摘According to overall mean square root of weighted deviation, presented an evaluation model of geology-technique-social conditions with a significant index system for the estimation of operating quality in productive coal mines. In the given example, the evaluation result is used to decide management strategy of coal mine, which plays a guiding role in the production.
基金supported by the International partnership program (Grant No.131551KYSB20160002)National Natural Science Foundation Major International (Regional) Joint Research Project (Grant No.41520104002)Science and Technology Service Network Initiative of Chinese Academy of Science (Grant No.KFJSTS-ZDTP-015)
文摘Belt and Road Initiative(BRI) is a Chinese national strategy which calls for cooperative economic, political and cultural exchange at the global level along the ancient Silk Road. The overwhelming natural hazards located along the belt and road bring great challenges to the success of BRI. In this framework, a 5-year international program was launched to address issues related to hazards assessment and disaster risk reduction(DRR). The first workshop of this program was held in Beijing with international experts from over 15 countries. Risk conditions on Belt and Road Countries(BRCs) have been shared and science and technology advancements on DRR have been disseminated during the workshop. Under this program, six task forces have been setup to carry out collaborative research works and three prioritized study areas have been established. This workshop announced the launching of this program which involved partners from different countries including Pakistan, Nepal, Russia, Italy, United Kingdom, Sri Lanka and Tajikistan. The program adopted the objectives of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 and United Nation Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and was implemented to assess disaster risk in BRCs and to propose suitable measures for disaster control which can be appropriate both for an individual country and for specific sites. This paper deals with the outcomes of the workshop and points out opportunities for the near future international cooperation on this matter.
基金Under the auspices of Tackling Key Program for Science and Technology of Anhui Province (No. 07010302165)Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Province (No. 050450303)
文摘An indicator system closely connected with eco-environment, in which indicator involves in such fields as society, economy, resources, environment and ecology, is first proposed for eco-environmental quality assessment. Then, a hierarchical model with four levels is established by virtue of these indicators and attributes. In the model, weights of indicators and attributes are determined by combining Delphi method with the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and a statistic method is used to eliminate the influences arising from the differences in dimension and magnitude of indicators. On these grounds, an AHP-statistics model is provided for regional eco-environmental quality assessment. As a case, such AHP-statistics model is utilized in the dynamic analysis of regional eco-environmental assessment in Chaohu Lake basin. Study results show that natural environmental quality in the watershed was in the declining state while social environmental quality was in a markedly improved situation from 1996, and the synthetic eco-environmental quality was gradually and slowly improved under the common influences of both natural and social environmental factors. Example of application testified the capacities of above methodology to evaluate the real and dynamic state of regional eco-environmental quality.
基金Under the auspices of Forestry Nonprofit Industry Scientific Research Special Project(No.201204201)National Key Technology Research and Development Program of China(No.2011BAJ07B05)
文摘Ecosystem services valuation seeks to increase the social relevance of ecosystem characteristics, the underlying biological mechanisms that support services, by making the contribution of ecosystems to human well-being explicit. Economic valuation can help management by clarifying the full range of benefits and costs of proposed management actions. In the past two decades, economic valuation of wetland ecosystem services has become one of the most significant scientific priorities for wetland protection. In this paper, we provide an overview of ecosystem services, and summarize the main interdisciplinary approaches to measure and value wetland ecosystem services. We identified four main methodological gaps preventing progress on wetland valuation of ecosystem services in China, which are: 1) confusion on terminology like intermediate and final ecosystem services, 2) lack of ecological production functions to link ecosystem characteristics to final ecosystem services, 3) static valuation making it difficult to evaluate the trade-offs and synergies among ecosystem services, and 4) lack of clear guidance on relating ecological compensation programs to conservation targets. Overcoming these gaps is important to inform wetland compensation mechanisms and conservation policies. We propose future research on wetland ecosystem services in China should be focused on: 1) defining final ecosystem services based on beneficiary preferences and underlying biophysical mechanisms, 2) establishing wetland monitoring programs at specific sites to collect data on final ecosystem service indicators and ecosystem characteristic metrics to create ecological production functions for economic valuation and rescaling techniques, and 3) incorporating wetland ecosystem service values into decision-making processes to inform wetland management.
基金Under the auspices of National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 40771170)Beijing Municipal Natural Science Foundation (No. 8082010)
文摘Based on multi-source data,this paper evaluated the economic value of ecological services in the Yeyahu Wetland Nature Reserve,Beijing,China.The ecological services of wetland included gas regulation,water quality im-provement,biodiversity maintenance,erosion control,water supply,recreational opportunity,raw material supply and existence value.Multiple conventional evaluation methods were used to calculate the value of eight wetland services.The results showed that significant values came from biodiversity maintenance and recreational opportunity.The main reasons were as follows.Firstly,Yeyahu Wetland Nature Reserve was the habitat for migrant birds,and government had payed more efforts to protect precious birds.Secondly,the population is large in Beijing.People enjoyed going outside and enjoyed the natural and artificial wetland scenes.At the same time,most people were prepared to pay for wetland conservation.The decline of vegetation cover made the economic value of erosion control the lowest.While the shrink of water resource and the deteriorative water quality caused the economic value of water supply lower.The evaluation results could help decision-makers understand the present status of the Yeyahu Wetland Nature Reserve and provide a scientific basis for strategic decision.
文摘The evaluation of sustainable land use is the key issue in the field of studying the sustainable land utilization. In general analysis, the sustainable land use is evaluated respectively from its ecological sustainability, economic sustainability and social sustainability in China and other countries in recent years. Although this evaluation is an important work, it seems insufficient and hard to comprehensively reflect the whole degree of land use sustainability. Thus, to make up this deficiency, this paper brings forward the evaluation indexes, which make it possible to quantitatively reflect the whole degree of land use sustainability, namely, the concept of "degrees of overall land use sustainability" (Dos), and research and measurement development of the method of and calculation in Dos. Taking the evaluation of the degree of land use sustainability in county regions of Yunnan Province as the actual example for analysis, results are basically as follows: 1) The degree of land use sustainability (Dos) is the ration index to organically and systematically integrate the degree of ecological friendliness (DeF), the degree of economic viability (Dev) and the degree of social acceptability (Dsa), able to comprehensively reflect the whole sustainability degree of regional land use 2) Based on the value of Dos, the grading system and standard for the sustainability of land use may be established and totally divided into five grades, namely, the high-degree sustainability, middle-degree sustainability, low-degree sustainability, conditional sustainability and non-sustainability. Meanwhile, the standard for distinguishing sustainability grades has also been confirmed so as to determine the nature of sustainability degrees in different grades. This makes the possibility for the combination of nature determination with ration in research result and provides with the scientific guideline and decision-making gist for better implementation of sustainable land use strategy. 3) The practice in evaluation of sustainability degree in county regional land use in Yunnan shows that the value of the degree of land use sustainability (Dos) of whole Yunnan Province is only 58.39, belonging to the grade of low-degree sustainability. Two thirds of counties in the whole province represent the grade of "conditional sustainability" and "non-sustainability" in the sustainability of land use. Among these counties, 11.11 % shows "non- sustainability'. The lowest degree of land use sustainability appears especially in the middle plateau mountain region of Northeast Yunnan, where the value of Dos in most counties (districts) is below 40 %, belonging to the grade of "non-sustainability". The sustainability degree in the karst mountainous region in lower-middle plateau mountain region in Southeast Yunnan is generally low and the value of sustainability degree (Dos) in most of the counties (cities and districts) is below 55. The value of sustainability degree (Dos) in most of the counties (cities and districts) in the north, west, northwest and southwest parts of Yunnan is below 55. This article also analyzes the reasons of low degree of sustainability in land use in Yunnan and puts forward the countermeasures to increase the degree of sustainability in land use in the whole province.
文摘Human pressure on mountain resources poses certain threats to their natural and man-made environment. Although there are many parameters involved, one of the driving forces behind this situation is the emphasis given so far only to the market value of mountain goods and services, ignoring the true social and environmental costs of using mountain resources. Towards this direction, the use of non-market valuation techniques could prove to be beneficial. Bearing in mind the above remarks, the paper presents an application of the Contingent Valuation Method, which aims at estimating the monetary value of a mountain settlement’s vernacular architecture, namely Metsovo. For this purpose, the survey focuses on Metsovo visitors’ willingness to pay a single annual voluntary contribution to an institution that would be founded in order to undertake all necessary actions required to preserve the town’s traditional character. The results are very promising and indicate that vernacular architecture holds a significant economic value that could justify the implementation of appropriate policies towards the protection of vernacular settlements in mountain areas.
文摘In this work an economical evaluation that established the viability of a low enthalpy geothermal resource as an energy source in north Africa is presented. The factors considered included the payback period, average rate of return, net present value, and net benefit-cost ratio. The model was based on utilising the energy source to energise four models that comprised thermal equipment consisting of water/air cooled single/half effect lithium bromide water mixture absorption chillers and an R-245fa organic Rankine cycle. These modelled cycles were based on the energy demand for Waddan city a community in southern Libya which has a demand for combined cooling/electricity only or cooling/electricity with district hot water supply. The results revealed that all of the proposed simulated stand-alone models, except the water-cooled half effect chiller, are not economically viable unless they are heavily subsidized or combined with the district hot water supply at least in the winter season.
文摘Forest ecosystem services contribute to human welfare, both directly and indirectly. Here the economic value of water conservation by Bazoft basin located in Zagros forests in western Iran was estimated, using simulation models and Geographic Information System (GIS) as a tool for analyzing the effects of ecological factors on ecosystem services. Rainfall-runoff simulation was carried out by using Curve Number (CN) method in HEC-HMS model. The model requires the inputs of land cover, soil and short term rainfall and discharge data. The efficiency of simu-lated model was revised using observed data and doing calibration stages. The role of forest on water retention and surface runoff reduction by devising four hypothetical scenarios and then the effects of land use changes associated with these scenarios on rainfall-runoff behavior of the region were determined. The results show that under the case of scenario one which assumes that the entire of basin area is covered by forests, total outflow would be in the minimum amount and rainfall initial loss will increase. Forest hydrological services related to water retention was economically assessed using Replacement Cost Method. Valuation results show that each hectare of Bazoft forests can store 84.8 m3 water with 0.5 US$/m3 annual value. So the water retention value of each hectare of these forests will be 43US$. This could have positive economic consequences for the region and would help decision-makers in selecting appropriate and economically feasible development strategies.
文摘China is the only nation that uses DDT in antifouling pain at present, approximately 5% of DDT is applied as the additive of the antifouling paint production. Therefore, actions shall be taken urgently for banning the use of DDT and substituting with non-POPs alternatives in antifouling paints. The paper researches the social and economic backgrounds of DDT booster antifouling paint production and usage, analyzes the social and economic impact assessment of the alternatives to DDT usage for antifouling paint. The implementation of the project of alternatives will completely eliminate the adverse impact of DDT booster antifouling paint on terrestrial, marine ecosystem and human health. The broad use of alkali silicate and pepper alkali as substitutes will be feasible if appropriate measures will be taken to encourage their development, and the social and economic risk will be reduced to accepted levels.
文摘The environment impact of the coal resources mining was analyzed. The method of economic evaluation for the coal mining was established to analyze land destruction. The opportunity cost method was used to quantitatively analyze and estimate the economic loss of the land destruction by coal mining. At the same time, the dump land reclamation of the Yuanbaoshan Open Pit was taken as an example to evaluate environmental and economical benefit with the method of economic evaluation for the coal mining areas land reclamation.
文摘Based on the fundamental simulation theories and methods, this paper studies such questions as truck dispatching, discrete processing of belt system continuous haulage, belt system interlock, and economic assessment methods. On the basis of above studies, the paper establishes a simulation model for open pit mine semi continuous production technique system. The paper applies GPSS language to construct a simulation program, and the program has been successfully applied in a certain coalmine.
文摘This paper points out that the mineral rights should be transferred at the mineral resource’s own value after the analysis that the resource owner can not recover the resource’s value only by collecting the mineral resource tax and the mineral resource compensating fee.Then the paper expounds the theory on mineral resource evaluation and gives out tbe income evaluating model. The paper finally concludes that the mineral rights should be transferred by the manner of auction after the analysis on the requirements asked by the economics on the mineral rights-transferring.
文摘Contagious bovine pleuro-pneumonia (CBPP) is one of the endemic and life-threatening livestock diseases in the arid and semi-arid land areas (ASALs) of Kenya, which justify the case for the control of livestock diseases to avoid the spread of such diseases from the ASALs to the rest of the country, and a CBPP control quarantine line (CQL) that to help prevent the spread of CBPP from the ASALs of North-eastern Kenya to the rest of the country has been in existence since the colonial (pre-1963) times in Kenya. However, the livestock keepers in the ASALs view the CQL as an impediment to their main source of livelihoods because it entails livestock movement restrictions, thus constraining unfettered livestock marketing. Available literature shows that there is a dearth of information on the economics of livestock diseases control in Kenya in terms of its impacts on social welfare. Employing the CQL as a case study, this study shows that an application of analytic techniques that combine disease risk analysis and conventional cost-benefit modelling that incorporates some aspects that are specific to livestock diseases and their control strategies can generate indices of economic impacts of livestock diseases control on social welfare. The study finds that the livestock keepers and traders in Kenya do not consider CBPP a major problem to warrant livestock movement restrictions, yet the official records of the veterinary authorities indicate that CBPP is a major threat to the cattle industry in Kenya. Annually, the government spends substantial resources on the CQL operation and maintenance and also on CBPP surveillance and monitoring to contain the CBPP menace in Kenya. This study shows that such expenditures are economically and socially justifiable. Nevertheless, the study finds some operational inefficiencies in the enforcement of the CQL requirements. The authors, therefore, undertake an evaluation of alternative CBPP control strategies and conclude that it would be more cost effective to shift the CQL from its current location to the international borders of the arid districts, provided that this action is preceded by adequate CBPP control preparatory measures, as described in the paper.
文摘Conservation agriculture (CA) is especially relevant for Uzbekistan's agriculture, particularly in non-irrigated lands where soil fertility has been steadily declining and the risk of crop failure has been growing. CA has three main characterizations given in scientific literature, which are the minimal soil disturbance, crop rotation and surface crop residue retention. Nowadays, the majority of farmers are not widely using CA in their agricultural practices in Uzbekistan. Maybe, this is due to different perception of the economic efficiency of CA. The objective of the research was to calculate economic efficiency of CA in non-irrigated lands and to show whether it is effective or not in agricultural production. To achieve this objective, literature review including a variety of secondary data is employed. Overall, the costs of labor and fuel consumption per ha at CA technology are less in comparison with conventional technology. Using CA practices gives a chance to increase labour productivity, to use resource effectively and to improve soil quality and crop diversification.
文摘In Uganda, grain amaranth is relatively new and has generally not been considered as an important crop compared to other grain crops and legumes. This study was therefore conducted to determine factors affecting adoption of grain amaranth growing, factors affecting production, and economic returns on investment of its production. The study was carried out in Kamuli district where a total of 174 grain amaranth farmers and 90 non-grain amaranth farmers were randomly selected and interviewed. Using descriptive statistics, regression analysis (logit model and a Cobb-Douglas type production function) and profitability ratios, it was found that grain amaranth is produced on a small scale and yields are low. Farmer adoption of the crop was favoured by age, gender (female), education of the farmer, and source of income. The output was positively affected by the amount of labour and manure used in production, while a negative relationship existed between output and male farmers. The crop was most viable under small acreages (0.02-0.04 ha) with positive returns to investment of 0.016. Its production should therefore be encouraged because of its income generation potential and since it requires small land.
基金Under the auspices of National Science and Technology Support Program(No.2011BAC09B08-02)
文摘Natural landscapes consist of the natural substances, environment, and phenomena, all of which provide many benefits to people, including a sense of place, sightseeing, relaxing, and recuperating. However, the economic value of natural landscapes has only been recognized in recent decades, and the resulting large-scale decline and degradation of ecosystems now severely threatens the sustainable provision of their services to society. There is an emerging consensus that natural capital should be incorporated into the current socioeconomic accounting system. Many studies valuated natural resources at local and regional scales, but there are very few empirical studies at a national level. To provide a benchmark for natural landscape management on a national scale, we use the travel cost method(TCM) and the contingent valuation method(CVM) to determine the economic value and the spatial distribution of natural landscapes across China. Our results show that the total economic value of China′s natural landscape was 9.75 × 10^(11) U.S. dollars(USD) in 2012. Of this value, the highest proportion was in the eastern and southwestern regions of China, which accounts for 23.7% and 18.3%, respectively. The provinces of Guangdong, Sichuan, Yunnan, Inner Mongolia, and Heilongjiang were the top five in terms of the largest number of natural landscapes and largest economic values. Together, these five provinces accounted for 32.9% of the total number of natural landscapes and 29.4% of the total economic value in 2012. We believe this study will increase awareness of the value of natural landscapes, and more importantly provide a scientific basis for resolving conflicts between development and resource conservation.