A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE EAST CHINA CENTER FOR RESOURCE ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT STUDIES (RESDS) East China Center of Resources Environment and Sustainable Development Studies

The Center for RESDS is an R&D body for comprehensive study under the joint sponsorship of the CAS Nanjing Branch,Nanjing University and Hehai University, all being research and educational institutions in the vicinity of Nanjing. The Center’s headquarters are the CAS Nanjing Branch. The Center’s objective is to answer the challenge posed by the 21st century and serve the economic reconstruction across the land by marrying campuses with research institutes so that the center might grow into

Population,Resources,the Environment and Sustainable Development

The formation of population,resources and environmental issues is directly related to the excessive growth of population,the excessive use and consumption of resources,and environmental pollution. Therefore,it is necessary to curb the excessive growth of population,rationally utilize natural resources,enhance the purification capacity of the environment,and promote the coordinated development of population,resources and the environment to make the economic development process sustainable.

Countermeasures for the Protection and Sustainable Development of Forestry Resources

Firstly,the problems of the protection and sustainable development of forestry resources were analyzed,such as lack of overall planning for the protection of forestry resources,insufficient investment in the protection of forestry resources,etc.Afterwards,the corresponding countermeasures were proposed,such as making overall planning for sustainable forestry development,increasing the investment in the protection of forestry resources,improving the forestry management system,etc.

Development and Utilization of Saline Lake Resources and Protection of Ecological Environment in Qaidam Basin in Qinghai Province

Qaidam basin is an important part of National Key Development Area–Lanzhou-Xining Area,is a key region of resource development in Western Development,is a National Circular Economy Pilot Zone.The focus of

Establish Green Industry System,Improve the Comprehensive Utilization Level of Salt Lake Resources,and Create A New Pattern of Green Sustainable Development in Qaidam Basin

Qaidam Basin in Qinghai Province has rich multiple complex resources with salt lakes as the core.These resources form a special condition for the development of green economy,having rare and particular nature.The

LITHIUM RESOURCES IN CHINA'S SALT LAKES & ITS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

This article gives an introductory exposition of the growing demands of lithium on the market against the background of current rapid S&Tprogress and booming economic development, the worldwide trend in the production of lithium salts and the rich lithium reserves in China’s salt lakes as well as the brilliant prospects for its exploitation in the future. The article proposes that a sustainable exploitation of the lithium trove from these salt lakes should be rooted in comprehensive utilization of the trove and take a long-term approach, emphasizing high value proliferation in developing quality lithium-based products. Also, it expresses some tentative ideas on building demonstration bases for all-round exploitation and utilization of the salt lake resources and the development of lithium cells.

Climate change, water resources and sustainable development in the arid and semi-arid lands of Central Asia in the past 30 years

The countries of Central Asia are collectively known as the five "-stans": Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. In recent times, the Central Asian region has been affected by the shrinkage of the Aral Sea, widespread desertification, soil salinization, biodiversity loss, frequent sand storms, and many other ecological disasters. This paper is a review article based upon the collection, identification and collation of previous studies of environmental changes and regional developments in Central Asia in the past 30 years. Most recent studies have reached a consensus that the temperature rise in Central Asia is occurring faster than the global average. This warming trend will not only result in a higher evaporation in the basin oases, but also to a significant retreat of glaciers in the mountainous areas. Water is the key to sustainable development in the arid and semi-arid regions in Central Asia. The uneven distribution, over consumption, and pollution of water resources in Central Asia have caused severe water supply problems, which have been affecting regional harmony and development for the past 30 years. The widespread and significant land use changes in the 1990 s could be used to improve our understanding of natural variability and human interaction in the region. There has been a positive trend of trans-border cooperation among the Central Asian countries in recent years. International attention has grown and research projects have been initiated to provide water and ecosystem protection in Central Asia. However, the agreements that have been reached might not be able to deliver practical action in time to prevent severe ecological disasters. Water management should be based on hydrographic borders and ministries should be able to make timely decisions without political intervention. Fully integrated management of water resources, land use and industrial development is essential in Central Asia. The ecological crisis should provide sufficient motivation to reach a consensus on unified water management throughout the region.

FACILITATING REGIONAL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH INTEGRATED MULTI-OBJECTIVE UTILIZATION, MANAGEMENT OF WATER RESOURCES IN THE LANCANG-MEKONG RIVER BASIN

The Lancnag Mekong River is the most important international river across China and Southeast Asia, If it is developed according to 'Great Mekong Subregional Cooperation Plan' [9] prepared by ADB, the area directly affected will be up to over 2.32 million km 2, the population over 220 million, and the natural environment, and socio-economic conditions within a large area will be greatly changed. 'Agreement on Cooperation for Sustainable Development of Mekong Basin' signed by the four riparian countries along the lower Mekong River on April 5, 1995 provides a new opportunity for sustainable development of the Basin. According to preliminary analysis, if the multipurpose utilization of the water resources is the target for carrying out integrated planning and management, and the efforts are made 1) to focus on energy exploitation on the Lancang River Mainstream and the tributaries of the lower Mekong River; 2) to build gated weirs at Tonle Sam; 3) to construct spillways at the Mekong Delta; 4) to facilitate flood dykes in big cities and on both banks of the mainstream which are concentrated with population and farmland and liable to be flooded, and 5) to strengthen networks for forecasting hydrological and meteorological conditions, then all problems such as power demand, irrigation, flood, salt water intrusion as well as acid water erosion to soil could be solved without constructing large cascaded stations and dams on the lower Mekong Mainstream. This will not only avoid input of great number of fund, large scale resettlement and land inundation, but also prevent aquatic organisms living in Mekong River from being injured due to dam construction, and promote the sustainable development of the Basin.

STUDY ON THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF WETLAND RESOURCES IN THE USSURI /WUSULI RIVER BASIN

The Ussuri/Wusuli River basin joins the border between the Northeast region of Heilongjiang Province of China and the Far East region of Russia. The watershed consists of approximately 26 000 000 ha and the shared border stretches more than 1100 km. The Ussuri River forms part of the border between Russia and China. Two thirds of the watershed ecosystem is in Russia, one third in China. Khanka / Xingkai Lake is the border Lake of Russia and China, with the area of 4380 km2. The Ussuri / Wusuli River Basin is rich in wetland resources, including surface water resources and wetlands. There are about more than 100 rivers belonging to one and two branch rivers, wetlands are mainly distributed in the Sanjiang Plain in China, which is the largest marsh area in China, with an area of 114 million ha. Human activities and agriculture reclamation for many years have led to many environment problems: 1)decreasing of wetland area led to loss of wetland environment functions, decreasing of biodiversity and increasing the number of natural disasters such as disastrous drought and waterlogging, which affect directly sustainable utilization of resources and economical development. 2) water supply is not evenly distributed, water pollution in rivers, marshes and lakes are more serious than before. Based on above study, some suggests of sustainable development in the basin have been made, which include: 1) developing the international wetland natural reserve and domestic comprehensive protected area to prevent wetlands from destruction and disturbance by human activities, 2) strengthening the protection and management of wetlands in lake shorelines and riparian zones (rivers and streams) to prevent water quality of rivers and lakes from pollution, 3) restoring the destroyed marsh in riparian zones and the  island like forests" of wetlands 4) developing positively transnational ecological tourist trade to promote the economic development in the river basin scope, 5) developing international cooperation research to promote sustainable utilization and protection of wetland resources.

PROBLEMS AND COUNTERMEASURES FOR RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL RENOVATION IN THE CONTIGUOUS AREA OF SHANXI,SHAANXI AND INNER MONGOLIA

The studied area consists of 16 counties belonging to 3 provinces or autonomous re-gion, which are Hequ, Baode, Pianguan and Xinxian counties of Shanxi Province; Yulin,Shenmu, Fugu, Hengshan, Jingbian and Dingbian counties of Shaanxi Province;Dongsheng, Tuoketuo, Qingshuihe counties and Yijinhuoluo, Dalate, Zhungeer banners

Spatial and Dynamic Analysis of Regional Sustainable Development Using Geographic Information System and Relative Carrying Capacity of Resources

Relative carrying capacity of resources is an index to measure sustainable development through carrying capacity. Case studies of eleven cities in Zhejiang (Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou, Jiaxing, Huzhou, Shaoxing, Jinhua, Quzhou, Zhoushan, Taizhou and Lishui) illustrated regional sustainable development approach. In this study, to provide insight into spatial and dynamic analysis of region sustainable development, we calculated the relative carrying capacity of land resources and economical resources and synthetical carrying capacity of resources in different cities in Zhejiang, and geographic information system was carried out. The results showed that all cities but Hangzhou and Ningbo were ecologically sustainable, and relative carrying capacity of land resources in northern and eastern Zhejiang was larger than those in southern and western Zhejiang. The sampling years of Wenzhou, Hangzhou and Ningbo contribution rates of land resource to synthetic carrying capacity were grouped into three stages, and there were two milestones trends and changes in 1996 and 2004, respectively. This study demonstrated that geographic information system and relative carrying capacity of resources are effective for assessment of region sustainable development, and provide policy guidelines for decision-making.

Ecological Environment Conservation and Restoration and Sustainable Development of Minqin Oasis

Minqin oasis in the lower reaches of the Shiyang River is a main natural barrier for the Wuwei Basin. Due to the combined influence of human activities and natural factors in the past half a century, water quality in the lower reaches of the Shiyang River decreased and ecological environment deteriorated, which influenced sustainable development of this area and surrounding area seriously. This paper analyzed current situation and reasons of the deteriorated ecological environment in the lower reaches of the Shiyang River, and proposed that water environment regulation was the primary task in the eco-environment control of Minqin area, specifically,(a) By using existing policies, accelerating the construction of water-saving agriculture in the middle reaches of the Shiyang River, water quantity in the lower reaches would be guanranted, water shortage for agricultural production and ecological use in Minqin oasis would be relieved;(b) Unreasonable human activities such as overexploitation of underground water should be controlled strictly;(c) Water conservancy project should be developed vigorously to ensure rate of flow. It was expected that the above schemes would contribute to the benign circulation of ecological environment in Minqin oasis.

Relationship between Environmental Tax and Sustainable Development

[ Objective] The study aimed to discuss the relationship between environmental tax and sustainable development in China. E Method From the aspects of economic growth, development mode, environmental consciousness of national people, equity and efficiency, we analyzed the relationship between environmental tax and sustainable development in China, then studied the current taxation systems aiming at sustainable devel- opment. [ Result] In China, the design idea of present taxation system is not suitable for sustainable development, and a complete and scientific environmental tax system has not been established. Environmental tax indicates fairness principle, promotes equal competition and economic struc- ture adjustment, and enhances the environmental consciousness of national people. [ Conclusion] Environmental tax is not only an important sys- tem guarantee for the implementation of scientific development concept and circular economy, but also an effective method for governments to pro- tect environment and realize sustainable development.

IMPEDIMENTS AND SOLUTIONS TO NATURAL RESOURCES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN CHINA

The paper introduces the situation of studies on sustainable development in the world and China’s response to the topic. The impediments of natural resources to realize sustainable development in China are analyzed. And seven strategies to accomplish this arduous task are suggested.

Development of tourism resources and environment conservation in China: with special reference to Taishan Mountain

By analyzing the cases in Taishan Mountain, Shandong Province and other tourist sites in China, this paper pointed out the problems in tourism management, such as resources damage, environment pollution, which are the result of tourism development, and are obstacles to the development. The paper also gave suggestion and practical ways to preserve tourism resources and environment.

Important Issues of Sustainable Development:Research of Nontraditional Mineral Resources

Nontraditional resources refer to that potential mineral resources are unconsidered and unutilized under actual condition of technique, economic and environment, or some mineral resources are too difficult to find because of geological complexity. There are some signified problems about discovery and exploration of nontraditional mineral resources to be discussed in this paper. It is a very significant project next century, and makes development bases for offspring, which its research and practice the theory of nontraditional mineral resources need interactive combination.

A study on the system of sustainable developmentof tourist marketing environment

The charactedstics and contents of tourist marketing environment are analyzed logically.The microenvironment and macro-environment of tourist marketing is also expounded. It is held thatsustainable development of tourist marketing envirment decides the effect of tourist marketing.The trending balances and coordinated development of macro-environment and microenvironment intourist marketing is the foundation of the tourist-marketing environment