scholarly journals Diagnosis of Key Ecological Problems and Layout of Ecological Restoration Projects- A Case Study of the Aksu River Basin, China

Author(s):  
Ling Xie ◽  
Hongwei Wang ◽  
Suhong Liu ◽  
Yudong Li

Abstract The sustainable development of ecological environments is the basis of the sustainable development of inland river basins in arid areas with fragile ecological environments. The aim of our study is to diagnose the ecological problems of the Aksu River basin (ARB) and explore the ecological security pattern (ESP) and the layout and implementation path of ecological protection projects for mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, grasslands and deserts (MRFFLGD) in arid areas under different security levels. The Aksu River, the largest source of the Tarim River, was selected as the case study. The equivalent factor evaluation method (EFEM) was used to estimate the ecological service value (ESV), and the InVEST model was employed to quantify the ecological function indicators. By constructing the richness index, the ESV of the study area was measured spatially, and the ecological problems in the ARB were identified and diagnosed. Using cold/hot spot detection analysis and the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model, the ESPs at three security levels were constructed. The layout of ecological protection measures and the implementation path for MRFFLGD were studied. The results showed that the ESV of ARB showed an upwards trend from 1990 to 2018, and the three services of water conservation, waste treatment and soil formation and retention grew fastest. The value of ecosystem services in the study area in 2018 ranged from 5,390 yuan to 131,080 yuan/hm2. The high-value areas were mainly located in the oasis and the northern mountainous area, and the low-value areas were mainly located in the desert area. The ecological source areas of high, medium and low safety levels were 1806.3 km2, 3416.8 km2 and 4804.32 km2, respectively. Based on the spatial distribution of ESV in the ARB and the preliminary diagnosis of the basic ecological problems in the study area, three kinds of ecological protection engineering models, namely, conservation, natural restoration and assisted regeneration, were proposed for the four types of ecological protection zones. To provide a decision-making basis for ecological environmental management and regional sustainable development in the ARB, the optimization patterns of points (6 key ecological protection projects), lines (ecological corridors) and polygons (ecological source areas) were constructed. The results of this study can also serve as a reference for ecological environmental protection in other arid inland river basins.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 5234
Author(s):  
Mustafa S. Al-Tekreeti ◽  
Salwa M. Beheiry ◽  
Vian Ahmed

Numerous decision support systems have been developed to address the decision-making process in organizations. However, there are no developed mechanisms to track commitment down the line to the decisions made by corporate leaders. This paper is a portion of a study that establishes a framework for a comprehensive metric system to assess commitment to Sustainable Development (SD) decisions down the line in capital projects, and sets the groundwork for further development of performance indicators for SD outcomes. This ultimately leads to investigating the relationship between commitment to corporate decisions and better project performance in SD parameters. Hence, this study explores the literature to extract relevant parameters that reflect the degree of the project participants’ commitment to SD decisions and to develop commitment indicators. The study created then validated an index to track this commitment along the project stages: the Sustainable Development Commitment Tracking Tool (SDCTT). The SDCTT was tested on an infrastructure project case study. In this paper, techniques relevant to the first stage of projects (planning and definition) are presented. The SDCTT is the groundwork for the future development of performance indicators for SD outcomes, and within the postulated model should ultimately contribute towards reducing project waste, energy use, and carbon emissions.


Author(s):  
Laura Ballerini ◽  
Sylvia I. Bergh

AbstractOfficial data are not sufficient for monitoring the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): they do not reach remote locations or marginalized populations and can be manipulated by governments. Citizen science data (CSD), defined as data that citizens voluntarily gather by employing a wide range of technologies and methodologies, could help to tackle these problems and ultimately improve SDG monitoring. However, the link between CSD and the SDGs is still understudied. This article aims to develop an empirical understanding of the CSD-SDG link by focusing on the perspective of projects which employ CSD. Specifically, the article presents primary and secondary qualitative data collected on 30 of these projects and an explorative comparative case study analysis. It finds that projects which use CSD recognize that the SDGs can provide a valuable framework and legitimacy, as well as attract funding, visibility, and partnerships. But, at the same time, the article reveals that these projects also encounter several barriers with respect to the SDGs: a widespread lack of knowledge of the goals, combined with frustration and political resistance towards the UN, may deter these projects from contributing their data to the SDG monitoring apparatus.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 100
Author(s):  
Rhian Croke ◽  
Helen Dale ◽  
Ally Dunhill ◽  
Arwyn Roberts ◽  
Malvika Unnithan ◽  
...  

The global disconnect between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), has been described as ‘a missed opportunity’. Since devolution, the Welsh Government has actively pursued a ‘sustainable development’ and a ‘children’s rights’ agenda. However, until recently, these separate agendas also did not contribute to each other, although they culminated in two radical and innovative pieces of legislation; the Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure (2013) and the Well-being and Future Generations (Wales) Act (2015). This article offers a case study that draws upon the SDGs and the CRC and considers how recent guidance to Welsh public bodies for implementation attempts to contribute to a more integrated approach. It suggests that successful integration requires recognition of the importance of including children in deliberative processes, using both formal mechanisms, such as local authority youth forums, pupil councils and a national youth parliament, and informal mechanisms, such as child-led research, that enable children to initiate and influence sustainable change.


Author(s):  
Sheng Gao ◽  
Huihui Sun ◽  
Guangxi Cao ◽  
Lin Zhao ◽  
Runjie Wang ◽  
...  

The assessment of ecological environment during the large-scale development of islands is a major topic in the study of current coastal islands. Choosing the appropriate assessment method to evaluate the suitability of carrying capacity of islands and making relevant suggestions are significant to the sustainable development of islands. Ecological footprint method is used to analyze the ecological carrying capacity of Pingtan Island (PI) from 2005 to 2016 for promoting the coordinated rational development and construction and ecological environment of the island. Although PI is in rapid urban development and construction, the island maintains secure and stable ecological conditions. PI is used as a research case to analyze the sustainable development of the ecological environment through the carrying capacity of the island ecosystem.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bezon Kumar ◽  
Arif Ibne Asad ◽  
Purnima Banik

This paper mainly investigates the perception and knowledge on climate change of the university students in Bangladesh. To carry out this study, primary data are collected from 370 students and uses several statistical methods. Perception and knowledge on the causes, effects and mitigation ways of climate change problems, and perceived duties to combat against climate change are analyzed with descriptive statistics. This paper finds that deforestation is the main cause of global warming and climate change and, the effects of climate change is very serious on people’s health. Majority portion of the students think that it is difficult to combat against climate change problem because it has already been too late to take action. Besides this study also finds that government is crucially responsible for combating against climate change problem. The study calls for government mainly besides industry and youths to aware people about the causes, effects, mitigation ways of climate change so that they can contribute to the sustainable development by mitigating climate change problem.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florin Constantin MIHAI

This paper aims to capture the importance of demographic dimension in thesustainable development process of the rural space. From a series ofstatistics data we realized an analysis of demographic indicators, which ithelped us to trace the development trends characteristic for our area ofstudy. To understand the evolution in time and the implications of humanresource in the process of development it was necessary referencing themwith national or local historical events. Demographic dimension analysishighlights the development stage of rural space and help the formulation ofthe future local policies that regard the sustainable development.


Author(s):  
Richard Rosch ◽  
Michelle Heys ◽  
Hannah Kuper

Worldwide, many children do not meet their developmental potential. This is particularly the case in LMICs and especially affects children living with disability. Thus, improving developmental attainment and reducing the impact of disability has now become an integral part of many of the sustainable development goals. This chapter introduces several tools currently available to measure both childhood development, and the effects of disability. Using examples from current research in global health this chapter introduces both known effective intervention strategies that improve developmental outcomes, and highlights challenges and future priorities for further research. These points are further illustrated using epilepsy as a case study, highlighting how the interaction of biomedical, psychosocial, and socioeconomic factors impacts on childhood development.


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