Environmental Management最新文献

Climate change impacts create survival challenges for people in coastal areas of Bangladesh. Government responses are exercised through top-down adaptation governance, reflecting a neocolonial perspective evident in externally funded water development projects such as the Flood Control, Drainage and Irrigation (FCDI) scheme. Problematically, this form of donor 'climate coloniality' creates novel ecological debts that increase localised socioeconomic vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities are concentrated within marginalised groups, although the impacts of one climate-related ecological debt, waterlogging, are not widely understood. Two critical research questions emerge from this context: (i) in what ways does waterlogging impact marginalised groups in coastal regions?; (ii) how could adaptation institutions be decolonised to reduce resultant vulnerabilities? Primary data from sociological research conducted in Jessore District in south western Bangladesh is utilised in answering these questions. The findings show that marginalised groups disproportionately endure the impacts of historically path dependent, climate-related ecological debts through multiple vulnerabilities including declining crop production, loss of domestic animals, unemployment, price increases, gendered inequalities and health impacts, linked to their exclusion from adaptation decision-making. In response to this neocolonial perspective, such structural domination needs to be challenged by decolonising adaptation institutions through integrating recognition and procedural justice. Decolonised institutions based on this justice perspective could provide a governance space for recognising community voices related to coastal ecosystems and agricultural practices.

Alpine wetlands on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau play a crucial role in biodiversity conservation and global carbon cycling. However, degradation has altered plant-soil stoichiometric relationships, impacting ecosystem function. This study examined the effects of wetland degradation on the carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) dynamics in plant leaves and soil. We selected wetlands in Maqu County, China, and categorized them into four degradation levels: no degradation (ND), light degradation (LD), moderate degradation (MD), and heavy degradation (HD). Field sampling and laboratory analysis quantified plant and soil C, N, and P contents and stoichiometric ratios. Results showed that: (1) Increasing degradation reduced plant height, coverage, and biomass, while soil pH, bulk density, and electrical conductivity increased, and water content declined; (2) Leaf organic carbon and total phosphorus decreased with degradation, while total nitrogen followed the trend ND > HD > LD > MD; (3) Soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, C:P, and N:P ratios declined, whereas soil C:N increased; (4) Leaf C:N and C:P were highly sensitive to degradation, while leaf N:P remained stable; (5) Soil bulk density and water content were primary drivers of plant-soil nutrient shifts. These findings highlight the role of soil physical properties in mediating degradation effects and provide insights for targeted wetland restoration strategies.

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are key ocean conservation tools that can safeguard the diversity and function of marine ecosystems in the face of an increasing footprint and intensity of human activities. To be effective, MPA design, implementation, and management must consider not only individual, but also cumulative effects of historical, current and foreseeable future activities both within and outside MPA boundaries. Cumulative effects are seldom incorporated into MPA management as it can be challenging for MPA practitioners to select appropriate methods of assessment and integration. This paper examines two aspects of cumulative effects related to MPAs: a review of how cumulative effects are currently considered in MPA management worldwide, and a review of the primary and grey literature addressing cumulative effects knowledge and application in MPA contexts. The review of 646 global MPA management plans revealed that 36% did not contain any cumulative effects-related search terms and therefore likely lacked any provisions for, or even mentions of, cumulative effects. The review of cumulative effects knowledge found that few projects included all cumulative effects steps: scope and structure, assessment, and decision-making. Although significant advances have occurred in risk-based and spatial cumulative effects assessment methods over time, decision-making is rarely included in any cumulative effects projects. To bridge the gap between theory and practice, we propose a framework that embeds cumulative effects within the MPA designation and adaptive management process which will enable comprehensive scoping, meaningful assessments, and clear and transparent decision-making with respect to cumulative effects.

Analysis of alternatives (AOA) is one of the most important components of environmental impact assessment (EIA) adopted worldwide, where it is analysed whether project location, technology, processes, design etc. have any other more feasible alternative (along with no project option) with less adverse consequences to environment. Its inclusion therefore decides the quality of EIA report. To explore the AOA practice in India, 47 EIA reports for onshore oil and gas upstream industry is involved in the present study. Onshore oil and gas upstream industry have known significant impacts on environment, and an impact assessment therefore is a mechanism to manage these environmental impacts beforehand. The AOA is studied with respect to four focus areas; types of alternatives, length of information, no-action alternative, and copy and paste practice. Important points observed in the study are limited discussion on alternative types, repetition of same content in many EIA reports, no or limited comparison and evaluation of alternatives, and trying for project justification citing financial benefits of project in no-action alternative. More than 57% of the reports are found to either did not have chapter on AOA or only one page dedicated for AOA. Length of content of AOA ranged from one sentence to around seven pages, with average of less than two pages per report. The type of alternatives observed are location/site, technology, resources, and no-action, in 68.1%, 63.8%, 10.6%, and 42.6% of the reports respectively. No-action alternative is observed in only 20 reports out of 47. In two reports, criteria based meaningful alternatives are analysed. It is concluded that incorporating early AOA, synchronised with project cycle, training of EIA preparers for AOA, and more vigilant appraisal may help in improving quality of AOA in Indian EIA system.

Increasing global wildfire frequency and intensity due to climate change has led to increasing use of fire-fighting chemicals (FFCs). While there is information relating to the environmental impacts of these FFCs in some regions, to date, there is little information on the impacts of FFCs on native fauna species and ecosystems in an extremely fire-prone country, Australia. We elicited input from a national-level interdisciplinary cohort of experts in fire research and management to identify fundamental gaps in knowledge and research priorities in the use and ecological impacts of FFCs in Australia. We used an anonymized online survey consisting of 21 close-ended, Likert-style and open-ended questions to collect expert opinion on the impacts and management of fire in Australia, focusing on the key knowledge gaps and research priorities relating to FFC use. Knowledge gaps and research priorities were identified in the areas of (1) the different types of FFCs recommended for use in Australia, (2) short and long-term effects of FFCs on fauna species and ecosystems, particularly in aquatic systems, and (3) interactions between FFCs and other environmental stressors. Addressing these knowledge gaps and research priorities will provide scientific-based evidence and recommendations for FFC use to inform future fire management practice and policy in Australia and can guide similar approaches in other countries requiring extensive FFC use for wildfire management.

As a key industrial production base in China, Yellow River Belt regions are faced with immense pressure on their groundwater resources. Revealing the socio-hydrological dynamics of groundwater resources in the context of regional economic integration is essential for formulating sustainable water use. As an important aspect to reflect the socio-hydrological dynamics of regions along the Yellow River Belt, this study adopted a source-to-sink manner to quantitatively track regional groundwater use and the virtual groundwater transfer via domestic supply chains. The results indicated that the Yellow River Belt regions accounted for nearly a quarter of the national total groundwater use embedded in intraregional trades within China. It was found that regions along the Yellow River Belt primarily exported groundwater use to the Yangtze River Delta and South coastal region, with significant contributions coming from sectors such as chemical & mineral manufacturing, food & tobacco and agriculture. Water-deficient regions such as Inner Mongolia and Henan were revealed to supply substantial amounts of virtual groundwater use to other regions along the Yellow River Belt, exacerbating groundwater pressure in these areas that were scarce of water resources. These findings underline the importance of establishing intraregional and interregional cooperation mechanisms in coordinating water resources and economic development within the regions along the Yellow River Belt.

In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the essential role women play in shaping environmental initiatives. Therefore, this study investigates the nexus between female participation and environmental stewardship, shedding light on the unique perspectives, contributions, and challenges that women bring to the forefront of sustainable efforts. To support our narrative, we use empirical data collected from the 2023 World Bank Enterprise Survey conducted in seven (7) developing countries. We quantify environmental initiatives using four (4) proxies, i.e., energy consumption, CO₂ monitoring, CO₂ control, and ISO 14000 certification. Moreover, we measure female corporate representation using proxies for ownership and top managerial positions. We use regression estimation techniques with country-fixed effect models and robust standard errors. The findings from the cross-sectional dataset suggest that female representation in both ownership and top managerial positions minimizes corporate environmental initiatives. These results verify that women are underrepresented in the corporate sector and face financial challenges, lesser institutional support, and discrimination in developing economies. These hurdles further reduce their active engagement in environmental efforts. A reduction in gender inequality, better job and business opportunities, and financial support could all help to support environmental initiatives in developing countries.

Climate change alignment across national climate change adaptation planning frameworks, sector policies and national development plans is a crucial component of climate change governance and supports synergy that contributes greater effectiveness and efficiency in addressing the impacts of climate change. However, studies that assess climate change coherence between national climate change adaptation planning frameworks and policy frameworks have been inadequate. This study intended to understand the extent of climate change coherence across national climate change adaptation planning frameworks, sector policies and national development plans in Tanzania. A mixed research design employing sequential methods was adopted. Both primary and secondary data was used. Primary data were collected through interviews with key policy experts from government ministries and climate change focal point authorities. Secondary data was collected through a content review of sector policies, national development plans and climate change adaptation planning documents. Purposive sampling was used to select key informants and policy documents. Qualitative content analysis was used to assess text data using a scoring matrix to generate descriptive information. The descriptive information was further standardised using percentages for each sector as well as the percentage score for the overall plans. The findings revealed a weak alignment between national development plans and national climate change response strategies that were attributed to weak alignment between sector policies. However, the study found a moderate extent of climate change consideration in national development plans. Consequently, the study recommended strategies to strengthen the alignment between national climate change response strategies, sector policies and national development plans.