Implications of Declining Ground Water and Water Quality in the US Southeastern Coastal Plain Ecoregion and Areawide Environmental Impact Statement Required for Mining in the Greater Okefenokee Swamp Basin—Part 1

Karst aquifers occur worldwide and exhibit groundwater flow responses that differ considerably from aquifers lacking fractures, bedding planes, and other karst conduits where significant and rapid groundwater flow can occur. The regional, karst Floridan aquifer system underlies the United States (US) Southeastern Coastal Plain Physiographic Region and exhibits hydrologic interconnections with overlying surficial aquifers and throughout other zones of the aquifer system, as is characteristic of other karst aquifer systems. Anthropogenic groundwater declines in this regional karst aquifer system have been documented in published literature for decades, but the impacts of those declines in this coastal plain region and the embedded ecosystems that provide essential and critical habitat for native, endemic, and federally endangered and threatened species have not been considered previously. Those anthropogenic groundwater declines reduce surfacewater levels and flows due to the capture of both groundwater and overland flow of surfacewater, resulting in induced recharge through semi-confining zones and interbasin flow through fractures and other karst conduits. This case study identifies examples from the Greater Okefenokee Swamp Basin study area and comparison areas of how those declines result in loss of historic base flow to surface waters and other capture of surface waters, ultimately increasing saltwater intrusion. Those results alter and degrade the physical, chemical, and biological integrity of the nation’s waters, in violation of the US Clean Water Act (CWA) of 1972. Historic groundwater declines from mining and other anthropogenic groundwater withdrawals from this regional karst aquifer system already threaten the survival and recovery of federally endangered and threatened species, as well as existing and proposed critical habitat for those species within this regional extent, in violation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973. This case study and its companion publication (Part 2) appear to be the first to provide scientific support for this regional karst aquifer system as the unifying factor in habitat responses to irreversible groundwater impacts on aquatic and marine ecosystems. These adverse impacts strongly suggest that the extent of the regional Floridan aquifer system should be designated as the Southeastern Coastal Plain Ecoregion for the purpose of managing natural resources. Mining activities continue to expand in our study area, which is the Greater Okefenokee Swamp Basin. Despite that fact, no comprehensive Areawide Environmental Impact Statement (AEIS), similar to the AEIS required for phosphate mining within the Central Florida Phosphate District (CFPD) approximately a decade ago has been conducted for any of the numerous mining projects that are occurring and are proposed within the Greater Okefenokee Swamp Basin. This case study also provides examples of why a comprehensive AEIS is essential to consider all of the adverse direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of those mining activities to the CWA, the ESA, and the irreversible losses to local economies, because federal agencies responsible for considering those adverse impacts rely on public comments to identify those adverse impacts. The mining activities authorized throughout the regional Floridan aquifer system under Category 44 Nationwide Permits (NWP) result in the same type of adverse impacts as the mining activities evaluated under Individual Permits in that region. Therefore, those Category 44 NWP mining activities also should be required to obtain Individual Permits and be evaluated under an AEIS in the Greater Okefenokee Swamp Basin. This case study also describes how Florida’s assumption of the CWA Section 404 regulatory authority in 2020 severs four sub-basins within the Greater Okefenokee Swamp Basin study area at the state line between Florida and Georgia.

A Study of Xi Jinping Thought on Governing the Country Based on the Unity of “Party Spirit-People’s Nature”

The unity of “party spirit-people’s nature” is the basic proposition of Xi Jinping’s governance.Deng Xiaoping summarized the experience and lessons in the early days of reform and opening up,and put forward the basic line of the “leadership and unity” of the party in the early stage of socialism around “one center,two basic points”;Xi Jinping’s so-called “unification”,which is based on the the basic line of Deng Xiaoping’s initial stage of building a socialist country that is “rich,strong,democratic,civilized,harmonious and beautiful”,has further established the importance of “people as the center” and “party’s leadership”.Therefore,the “people-centered” and “the party’s overall leadership” are unified and become the basic idea of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s governance of the country.Xi Jinping has put forward the unity of “party spirit-people’s nature”,the “consistency” between governing the country and politics,and the “integration” between the people’s interests and the party’s leadership,thus forming “persistence”,“comprehensive”,“confidence”,“maintenance” and other assertions.

Supporting farmer-managed irrigation systems in the Shigar valley, Karakorum： Role of the government and Aga Khan Rural Support Programme

Farmer-managed irrigation systems(FMIS) in the high altitude valleys of the Karakorum,Pakistan, continue to be managed effectively despite increased pressure on the social arrangements that sustain them. Colonial era records shows that over a century ago government agencies undertook irrigation support projects. In the past three decades,government agencies and the non-government agency Aga Khan Rural Support Programme(AKRSP), which channels foreign funds into the region, have actively engaged in the provision of irrigation support. This article seeks to explore whether such projects support or undermine farmer-managed irrigation systems and the complex institutional arrangements that underpin them. Field research using ethnographic and participatory methods was conducted in spring 2013 in the upper Shigar valley, Skardu district, GilgitBaltistan. The findings show that irrigation development is a political activity that involves village-based actors, religious leaders, local politicians,and government and non-government agencies.Government agencies operate in a largely top-down,engineering mode, their larger projects limited to villages suffering water scarcity. The local government provides small funds for renovation work of FMIS,though allocation of funds is highly politicized. Nongovernment agencies, for a variety of reasons including donor-funding cycles, apply a one-size-fitsall ‘participatory' model in an attempt to socially engineer rules and institutions. In communities divided by factionalism the use of such external models that stress formation of committees are unlikely to yield positive results, and could instead contribute to undermining the very systems they seek to support. This research argues that irrigation interventions should take care to build upon the rich and complex social arrangements that have sustained FMIS through the centuries.

Water Pollution and Environmental Governance of the Tai and Chao Lake Basins in China in an International Perspective

The Tai and Chao Lake basins are currently facing a serious water pollution crisis associated with the absence of an effective environmental governance system. The water pollution and the water governance system of the two basins will be compared. The reasons for water pollution in both basins are similar, namely the weak current water environmental governance system cannot deal with the consequences of the rapidly growing economy. China’s water governance system is a complicated combination of basin management with both departmental management and regional management. There is an absence of legal support and sound coordination mechanisms, resulting in fragmented management practices in the existing water environmental governance system. A comparison is made for the Tai and Chao Lake basins and Canada, France, the United Kingdom and the United States. Based on China’s present central-local governance structure and departmental system, an integrated reform of basin level and water environmental governance in China should learn from international experiences. The reforms could consist of improved governance structures, rebuilding authoritative and powerful agencies for basin management, strengthening the organizational structure of the basin administrations, improving legislation and regulatory systems for basin management and enhancing public participation mechanisms.

A review of science–policy interface for water governance in the Caspian Sea

Science and policy have been interlinked for decades and perform essential nexus conditions in the governing aspects of environmental scenarios.This review paper examines the present challenges in the science–policy interface in terms of water governance in the Caspian Sea and identifies effective conditions that may be used in the current context to enhance the mechanism.The evaluation of the science–policy link in the water policy of the Caspian Sea reveals a gap between knowledge producer and governance system,impeding the translation of scientific information into action.Complicated and context-dependent solutions make it challenging to establish effective science–policy processes in the Caspian Sea water governance settings.Establishing a common governing authority,implementing water and resource management regulations,and protecting the natural environment through legal frameworks are crucial steps to address these concerns and ensure sustainable development.Collaboration among coastal states is essential in environmental,economic,and social aspects of regional development.However,the lack of a comprehensive approach,coherent activities,and effective utilization of national and regional power has hindered efforts to halt the environmental degradation of the Caspian Sea.Local governments need to recognize their responsibility to protect and utilize the Caspian Sea for present and future generations,considering both environmental and human security.The interlinkage of the Caspian Sea water governance with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD)water governance principles offers a framework for policymakers to assess gaps and make necessary amendments to existing mechanisms.Effective science–policy interaction,engagement of diverse stakeholders,institutionalizing agreements,and addressing collective action issues are critical for successful water governance.

Balancing development and conservation needs of stakeholders in the Tusheti Protected Landscape

Public governance and civil society play an important role in the preservation of the environmental and cultural values of the specific region of Tusheti. This area is an interesting study object also due to its unique governing model and different management issues including the historical background of the region and the current growth of tourism. In the region, where there is a significant number of initiatives supported by donors, a management plan for the protected landscape was prepared and put into practice and selected measures were implemented. Our evaluation of the activities was focused on relevance, efficiency, effectiveness,impacts and sustainability of outcomes. On the basis of the formulated conclusions, a few recommendations related to process and system nature, implementation and replicability of approaches are suggested. The results show an increase in tourism in the region,which leads to an improvement in the quality of life of the local population. On the other hand, it represents a threat to natural and cultural values, historical identity and uniqueness. The Management Plan is an excellent platform for stakeholder cooperation and implementation of specific measures to protect this exceptional territory.

The challenge of applying governance and sustainable development to wildland fire management in Southern Europe

This paper discusses participatory processes in wildland fire management （WFM）. Participation is an essential element of both the European Sustainable Development （SD） Strategy and the White Paper on Governance. Governance end SD have thus become an interconnected challenge to be applied to WFM （as a sub-area in forest policy）, amongst other policies. An overspread weakness in WFM is lack of real participation of stakeholders. Absence of （or deficient） participation can seriously impair contribution of this group to WFM in high-risk areas and runs counter governance and the SDS. Further, this weakness might prevent an efficient use of fire as a land management tool （prescribed burning, PB） and as a technique for fighting wildfire （suppression fire, SF）. Even though these fire practices have been well known in many different places, they have been increasingly neglected or Prohibited over time in Southern Europe. At present, forest and fire fighting administrations are turning their eyes back on them and analyzing the benefits of using fire in relation to preventive and suppressive actions. Therefore, participatory and diffusion mechanisms （the latter adopting the shape of national and international experts＇ networks） are required in order to solve the so- called fire paradox： that is, the need to move from a one-dimensinnal perception of the negative impacts of fire to a more sophisticated one that also stresses its positive effects. Governance, based on broad social participation, and diffusion, through fire networks, are of utmost importance in order, first, to diminish long-standing suspicion amongst different interests as to the use of fire and, secondly, to diffuse best practices associated with PB and SF. Most importantly, the ELI should exercise its environmental leadership so that these new fire practices and sustainable WFM are diffused across the international arena.

Digital Development Rights in Developing Countries:Where the Governance Rules for Cross-Border Data Flows

The digital development rights in developing countries are based on establishing a new international economic order and ensuring equal participation in the digital globalization process to achieve people's well-rounded development in the digital society.The relationship between cross-border data flows and the realization of digital development rights in developing countries is quite complex.Currently,developing countries seek to safeguard their existing digital interests through unilateral regulation to protect data sovereignty and multilateral regulation for cross-border data cooperation.However,developing countries still have to face internal conflicts between national digital development rights and individual and corporate digital development rights during the process of realizing digital development rights.They also encounter external contradictions such as developed countries interfering with developing countries'data sovereignty,developed countries squeezing the policy space of developing countries through dominant rules,and developing countries having conflicts between domestic and international rules.This article argues that balancing openness and security on digital trade platforms is the optimal solution for developing countries to realize their digital development rights.The establishment of WTO digital trade rules should inherently reflect the fundamental demands of developing countries in cross-border data flows.At the same time,given China's dual role as a digital powerhouse and a developing country,it should actively promote the realization of digital development rights in developing countries.

A journey towards shared governance: status and prospects for collaborative management in the protected areas of Bangladesh

Establishment of Protected Areas （PAs）, in the face of rapid deforestation, forest degradation and climate change has been one of the key efforts in conservation of biodiversity worldwide in recent times. While Bangladesh has gained a degree of prominence in the world for its successful social forestry programs, the concept of collaborative pro- tected area management is rather new in the country, initiated in 2004 by the Bangladesh Forest Department in five PAs with financial assistance from USAID. Based on empirical evidence from three of the pilot PAs, we examined the achievements and associated challenges and prospects for co-management. Our fieldwork revealed a number of challenges faced by co-management institutions： （1） institutions were dominated by the elite group, overshadowing the voice of the community people; （2） mutual trust and collective performance are key to good governance but had not taken root in the PAs; （3） encroachment onto forest land and subsequent conversion to agriculture remained a serious problem that discouraged forest-dependent people from participating actively in co-management initiatives; （4） legal provisions （including acts, rules and policies） were not clearly and adequately disseminated and understood at the community level; （5） there remained a degree of ambiguity regarding the roles and responsibilities of forest department （FD） and co-management committees （CMC） in field operations, and this was not enhancing transparency and accountability of the overall initiative; （6） the long-term sustainability of co-management institutions was another major concern, as the local intuitional structure was still in a nascent stage, and provisioning of resources （either internally or externally） remained somewhat uncertain. We offer recommendations for improve- ment.

An appraisal of the regulatory policies governing the use of herbal traditional medicine

The regulation of herbal traditional medicine(HTM)is of much importance as it ensures the safety,quality and efficacy thereof.However,there are variations in the regulation of HTM worldwide with some countries being more supportive of HTM than others.This literature review aimed to evaluate and compare the regulatory policies governing the use of HTM in developed and developing countries as well as to determine the regulatory challenges faced by regulatory authorities and governments across the world.The countries investigated in this study were Germany,the United States of America,Japan,South Africa,China and India.Variations were evident between countries,however,Germany and Japan were found to be more advanced with regards to the regulation of HTM.Germany and Japan had stricter regulatory policies and lesser safety concerns.South Africa and the United States of America appear to have inadequate or ineffective HTM regulatory systems which was seen by the countries’limited or lack of regulations and additional safety concerns.The findings showed the difference in HTM regulation between developed and developing countries were not as large as could be expected.The United States of America(developed country)was found to have poor HTM regulations,while China and India(developing countries)were found to have thorough regulations.The findings also show that both developed and developing countries continue to face challenges with regards to establishing regulations and registration procedures for HTM.

On the Government Function Orientation in China's Agricultural Management Reform

Since the reform and opening up,China's market-oriented agricultural management reform has achieved remarkable results,but the reform has not yet been put in place,and there are some flaws in some areas of reform.To deepen the reform of government's agricultural management reform under the new situation,it is necessary to further define the boundary between government and market on the basis of following the general rules of world's agricultural development and considering China's special situation of agriculture,nail down the scope of government functions,pinpoint the key areas of reform,and actively promote the rapid development of China's characteristic modern agriculture.

The Government Responsibility in the Development of Expressway in China

在全世界高速公路快速发展的今天，政府在其中的职能亦在不断变化和发展。针对我国高速公路迅速发展的状况，应从高速公路规划、融资、施工及营运等方面对政府职责进行界定。

The Effects of Gross vs.Net Asset Value-Based Managers’Compensation on REIT Capital Structure and Performance:Evidence From the Italian REIT Market

Investors should always argue about management fees because of their impact on net performance that can be substantial.This especially for investments,like real estate,which require intensive management.However,different from traditional mutual funds that are usually related to the gross value of the assets under management,but similar to other financial industry sectors(e.g.hedge funds and private equity funds),REIT managers’compensation structure typically provides a basically fixed payment based alternatively on gross asset value(GAV)or net asset value(NAV).In addition,managers usually also gain a performance fee.The paper analyses how the two alternative compensation schemes influence REITs’investment decisions and capital structure and,consequently,REITs’share value and performance.The final issue addressed is whether—and under which conditions—one compensation scheme is superior to the other.Due to the(usual)market price discount on NAVs,both fee structures incentivise managers to leverage—even in a tax-free environment—in order to maximize the management fees.However,the leverage motivation is stronger for GAV-based than for NAV-based REITs,which are also expected to be more selective in investment decisions.Overall,considering initial fee percentage,GAV-based REITs are expected to execute higher management fees than NAV-based REITs due to the relevant leverage effect.Moreover,debt recourse produces different effects on share value if measured upon market price or net asset value.The empirical analysis focuses on public Italian REITs(2002-2012).The results seem to support the theoretical expectations.GAV-based REITs experience higher debt trends and levels than NAV-based REITs.At the same time,GAV-based REITs register lower real estate asset returns gross and net of management fees for both current and growth yields.Differences in the returns lead to permanent higher performances over total return indexes of NAV-based REITs compared to GAV-based REITs.

Validating Governance Performance Indicators for Integrated Coastal and Ocean Management in the Southeast Region of Cuba

The importance of evaluating the success of policies developed to effectively manage coastal and marine resource use is well documented. However, few frameworks exist that allow for a comparative examination of existing policy instruments, as opposed to specific initiatives, which assess governance performance aimed at addressing issues arising in the coastal zone. This paper describes the process and findings for evaluating the feasibility of a modified Coastal Sustainability Standard (CoSS) framework that seeks to measure the effectiveness of individual planning instruments within overlapping spatial boundaries in the landward and marine areas in the southeast region of Cuba. Through workshops conducted in Santiago de Cuba and Guamá municipalities with key representatives involved in coastal management and planning, the utility of the framework was assessed using the main instruments of territorial planning in Cuba, namely integrated river basin management, territorial planning in coastal municipalities and marine and coastal management. While, the findings suggest that the modified CoSS framework can be used to assess the effectiveness of these planning instruments in the region, and workshop participants also suggested improvements to better match its use to the characteristics of the study region.

The Influence of Network Public Opinion on the Public Management of Chinese Government

In the rapid development of science and technology,the Internet has been widely used in the daily life and work of people,which has greatly changed the way people live and work.At this stage,people regard the Internet as the main way to obtain news information,and they have supervised the news contents[1].Based on this,the article expounds the relevant content of network public opinion,analyzes the role of network public opinion in the public management of Chinese government,and studies the influence of public opinion on the public management of Chinese government.

Ready or Not: Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte and Her Crisis Response Strategy During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Using Situational Crisis Communication Theory(SCCT)by Coombs(2007),this study analyses the case of Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte’s CoViD-19 Crisis and her crisis response strategy to address the situation.The study looks at the crisis communication of Quezon City on issues stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic.The SCCT provides a framework for the organization facing a different complex case of crisis to protect the reputational organization’s assets.The organization’s ability to select the most appropriate and beneficial response helps them deal with an emergency and crisis(Coombs,2007).Simultaneously,in this paper,SCCT was used to examine the stakeholder’s perceptions about the organization’s action and response by Mayor Belmonte on the crisis.This paper concludes Mayor Belmonte did not follow the recommendations of SCCT by combining Deny,such as Attacks the Accuser,Deny and Scapegoat tactics,and Diminish strategies such as Excuse and Justice tactics,to respond to the wide variety of stakeholder’s groups.Mayor Belmonte’s crisis response strategies and tactics do not align with the SCCT.The theory recommends corrective action and response such as Rebuild as well as Bolstering strategies are“considered as the most effective communication of crisis response strategy when an organization perceived a strong attribution of crisis responsibility and results in a severe reputational threat”(Coombs,2007).By reviewing the situation that Mayor Belmonte faced,this paper concludes that she was under severe threat.Mayor Belmonte’s CoViD-19 crisis is the preventable cluster based on the overall stakeholder’s perception of the crisis.The preventable cluster considered her primary,secondary,and additional stakeholders.It depicted an organizational misdeed with and without injuries,and the appropriate responses to adapt to re-establish the organization’s reputation is a Rebuild strategy because interventions such as Compensation and Apology should work to improve the organization’s reputation.Conversely,Mayor Belmonte chose to frequently employ Deny strategy(Attacks the Accuser and Scapegoat)and Diminish strategy(Excuse and Justice)to respond to various stakeholders.

Events and the Governance of the Territory:The Festival“La Notte della Taranta”in Apulia,Italy

Events are an important attraction for tourist destinations (Getz, 2008). Even in well-known destinations for their sea, events can attract different types of tourists and can help counteract seasonality (Ritchie & Beliveau, 1974). In Apulia (Italy), this happens thanks to the “La Notte della Taranta” Festival, which was born in 1998 and is currently the largest European music event dedicated to traditional music, able to attract over 230,000 viewers from around the world every summer in the Salento region. Analyzing the Festival “La Notte della Taranta” from an economic and legal point of view has been the main purpose of our research.

Promotion Standards and Practices across the Business Cycle:Evidence from Korea

Korean employers notoriously practice seniority-based personnel management, rather than one prioritizing workers’ skills or performance, and this has changed only slowly amid the evolving business landscape and advancing labor standards. This study contributes to understanding this phenomenon by assessing Korean firms’ promotion criteria and practices over the past decade across distinct phases of industry business cycles, and between the economy’s primary and secondary sectors. Primary-sector firms are shown to be less likely than secondary-sector firms to base their promotion decisions on the analysis of workers’ achievements and colleague ratings, but rather on their performance of core job duties. Primary-sector firms have more advancement steps within their management ranks, and longer wait time until promotion at all ranks. Secondary-sector firms are flatter hierarchically, featuring shorter time to promotion at all ranks and fewer advancement steps, but also a lower fraction of promotions based on special merit. Firms’ promotion practices change over the business cycle. During expansionary years, the hierarchical dispersion of workers within organizations widens, particularly among primary-sector firms, with more workers remaining as regular staff but more managers promoted to senior management. As firms recruit more regular staff, years to promotion to managerial positions, and the count of advancement steps increase. Business expansion induces firms to streamline promotions to management based on colleague ratings subject to lesser review of workers’ own achievements. Over the past decade, promotions by special merit have receded while those by colleague ratings have gone up. Firms are thus apparently not transitioning toward merit- and achievement-based promotions, and continue relying on subjective colleague ratings and job-content analysis in their stagnant hierarchical structures. This has implications for workers and for policymakers tasked with ushering in more inclusive, objective and meritocratic personnel management practices.