scholarly journals Peatlands Are More Beneficial if Conserved and Restored than Drained for Monoculture Crops

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suria Tarigan ◽  
Neviaty P. Zamani ◽  
Damayanti Buchori ◽  
Rilus Kinseng ◽  
Yuli Suharnoto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Carbon Emission ◽  
Carbon Budget ◽  
Net Present Value ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Tropical Peatland

Peatlands are especially important but fragile tropical landscapes. The importance of peatlands is owing to their ability to 1) sequester a considerable amount of terrestrial carbon, 2) store freshwater, and 3) regulate floods during the rainy season. Nowadays, extensive peatland degradation occurs because of peatland utilization for agriculture purposes, causing severe environmental consequences such as carbon emission, loss of biodiversity, risk of flooding, and peat fire. Meanwhile, local planners and decision makers tend to overlook the long-term strategic function of peatlands for carbon storage and hydrological regulation, preferring peatland utilization for short-term economic benefits. The objective of our study is to quantify the total ecosystem services (except biodiversity) of a tropical peatland landscape in various peat-utilization scenarios to help build awareness among local planners and decision makers on the strategic tradeoff between peatland utilization and restoration. Studies on the total ecosystem services in a tropical peatland landscape involving hydrological regulation are still rare. Based on the net present value calculation, provisioning services, carbon regulation, and hydrological regulation in our study area account for 19, 70, and 11% of the total ecosystem services, respectively. Based on uncertainty analysis, at any combination of the social cost of carbon emission (within a range of USD 52.7–USD 107.4) and discount rate (within a range of 5–10%), the enrichment of peatlands with paludiculture crops (e.g., jelutong) shows superior ecosystem services compared to other peatland-utilization scenarios. Conversely, planting peatlands with monoculture crops, which are associated with peatland drainage, shows a rapid decrease in the total ecosystem services. The fluvial carbon export in our study, which is often neglected in a peatland carbon budget, increases the estimate of the total carbon budget by 8%. Restoring undrained peatlands with paludiculture crops such as jelutong contributes positively to carbon sequestration and potentially reduces carbon emissions by 11%. These quantitative findings can help local planners and decision makers in understanding the tradeoff between the long-term benefits of peatland restoration and the short-term economic benefits of peatland utilization for monoculture crops.

Economic valuation and the commodification of ecosystem services

2011 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 613-628 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik Gómez-Baggethun ◽  
Manuel Ruiz-Pérez
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Environmental Policy ◽  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Economic Valuation ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Valuation Of Ecosystem Services ◽  
Equity Of Access ◽  
The Way

In the last decade a growing number of environmental scientists have advocated economic valuation of ecosystem services as a pragmatic short-term strategy to communicate the value of biodiversity in a language that reflects dominant political and economic views. This paper revisits the controversy on economic valuation of ecosystem services in the light of two aspects that are often neglected in ongoing debates. First, the role of the particular institutional setup in which environmental policy and governance is currently embedded in shaping valuation outcomes. Second, the broader economic and sociopolitical processes that have governed the expansion of pricing into previously non-marketed areas of the environment. Our analysis suggests that within the institutional setup and broader sociopolitical processes that have become prominent since the late 1980s economic valuation is likely to pave the way for the commodification of ecosystem services with potentially counterproductive effects in the long term for biodiversity conservation and equity of access to ecosystem services benefits.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccines against Delta (B.1.617.2) Variant: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Clinical Studies

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
Ali Pormohammad ◽  
Mohammad Zarei ◽  
Saied Ghorbani ◽  
Mehdi Mohammadi ◽  
Saeideh Aghayari Sheikh Neshin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Severe Infection ◽  
Vaccination Rate ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Morbidity Rate ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Mortality And Morbidity ◽  
Public Health Decision ◽  
Health Decision

The high transmissibility, mortality, and morbidity rate of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta (B.1.617.2) variant have raised concerns regarding vaccine effectiveness (VE). To address this issue, all publications relevant to the effectiveness of vaccines against the Delta variant were searched in the Web of Science, Scopus, EMBASE, and Medline (via PubMed) databases up to 15 October 2021. A total of 15 studies (36 datasets) were included in the meta-analysis. After the first dose, the VE against the Delta variant for each vaccine was 0.567 (95% CI 0.520–0.613) for Pfizer-BioNTech, 0.72 (95% CI 0.589–0.822) for Moderna, 0.44 (95% CI 0.301–0.588) for AstraZeneca, and 0.138 (95% CI 0.076–0.237) for CoronaVac. Meta-analysis of 2,375,957 vaccinated cases showed that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine had the highest VE against the infection after the second dose, at 0.837 (95% CI 0.672–0.928), and third dose, at 0.972 (95% CI 0.96–0.978), as well as the highest VE for the prevention of severe infection or death, at 0.985 (95% CI 0.95–0.99), amongst all COVID-19 vaccines. The short-term effectiveness of vaccines, especially mRNA-based vaccines, for the prevention of the Delta variant infection, hospitalization, severe infection, and death is supported by this study. Limitations include a lack of long-term efficacy data, and under-reporting of COVID-19 infection cases in observational studies, which has the potential to falsely skew VE rates. Overall, this study supports the decisions by public health decision makers to promote the population vaccination rate to control the Delta variant infection and the emergence of further variants.

scholarly journals Alternatives to groundwater abstraction as a measure to stop land subsidence: a case study of Semarang, Indonesia

2019 ◽  
Vol 125 ◽  
pp. 01003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wesley Beek ◽  
Bart Letitre ◽  
H. Hadiyanto ◽  
S. Sudarno
Keyword(s):  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Drinking Water Treatment ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Groundwater Abstraction ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Treatment Services

The Water as Leverage project aims to lay a blueprint for urban coastal areas around the world that are facing a variety of water-related issues. The blueprint is based upon three real case studies in Bangladesh, India and Indonesia. The case of Indonesia focuses on Semarang, a city that faces issues like flooding, increased water demand, and a lack of wastewater treatment. In this report I summarise the different techniques available to tackling these issues. Along with this I provide a cost-benefit analysis to support decision makers. For a short term it is recommended to produce industrial water from (polluted) surface water as a means to offer an alternative to groundwater abstraction. On a long term it is recommended to install additional wastewater and drinking water treatment services to facilitate better hygiene and a higher quality of life.

The Shift towards Smart, Green and Integrated Raw Materials Efficiency

2014 ◽  
Vol 718 ◽  
pp. 105-109
Author(s):  
Eva Oravcová ◽  
Miroslav Zelko
Keyword(s):  
Decision Support ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Supervision System ◽  
Requirements Development ◽  
And Control ◽  
Term Data

Comprehensive environmental observation, eco-innovation and smartization are essential to ensure the delivery of the long-term data and information required to address the shift towards smart, green and integrated raw materials efficiency. For this reason we need the mine-wide digitalization and informatization base model, an advanced mine-wide decision support system and a smart supervision system to supervise and control the production, back to predefined short-term production targets with most likelihood and optimal approaches. There are three main steps to be taken: analysis, evaluation and determination of the shift requirements, development of the models as well as modeling of the scenarios and connection to the smart platform for the support of the decision makers. The paper aims to consider what would be required for a raw materials area to operate as a modern smart technology-supported business. It attempts to provide a vision of some future smart architectures scenarios.

scholarly journals Characterizing agile supply partnerships in the fashion industry

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (8) ◽  
pp. 923-947 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corrado Cerruti ◽  
Carlos Mena ◽  
Heather Skipworth ◽  
Ernesto Tavoletti
Keyword(s):  
Decision Makers ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Fashion Industry ◽  
Strategic Partnerships ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Organizational Relationships ◽  
Apparent Paradox ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Turbulence

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate high-involvement and short-term supply relationships, known as agile supply partnerships (ASPs), and explores the conditions that support the development of such inter-organizational relationships. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative exploratory research design was followed, based on in-depth case studies of Italian fashion footwear manufacturers and their relationships with key suppliers. Findings – ASPs appear to be most relevant in supply material categories which have a high impact on the appearance or functionality of the product. Conversely, in supply categories with a low impact, long-term partnerships are preferred. Four main characteristics of ASPs are identified: they are part of a portfolio of relationships to balance the rigidities of long-term strategic partnerships; they have project-like features; they are developed from a network of pre-qualified suppliers; they are recurring and intermittent rather than continuous or isolated one-off short-term partnerships. Research limitations/implications – The research has been carried out in the context of an Italian footwear district. Further research is required to evaluate the validity of the propositions in other sectors and geographies. Practical implications – The research can help decision makers in the fashion industry, and potentially other sectors affected by high turbulence, to identify when ASPs are most appropriate and what characteristics they should have. Originality/value – This research contributes to the literature on agility by empirically evaluating the apparent paradox related to the specific characteristics of supply relationships required to foster an agile strategy and by clarifying the conditions under which fashion companies develop ASPs.

scholarly journals Fluvial organic carbon fluxes from oil palm plantations on tropical peatland

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (24) ◽  
pp. 7435-7450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Cook ◽  
Mick J. Whelan ◽  
Chris D. Evans ◽  
Vincent Gauci ◽  
Mike Peacock ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Land Conversion ◽  
Tropical Peatland ◽  
Oil Palm Plantation ◽  
Tropical Peatlands ◽  
Carbon Losses

Abstract. Intact tropical peatlands are dense long-term stores of carbon. However, the future security of these ecosystems is at risk from land conversion and extensive peatland drainage. This can enhance peat oxidation and convert long-term carbon sinks into significant carbon sources. In Southeast Asia, the largest land use on peatland is for oil palm plantation agriculture. Here, we present the first annual estimate of exported fluvial organic carbon in the drainage waters of four peatland oil palm plantation areas in Sarawak, Malaysia. Total organic carbon (TOC) fluxes from the plantation second- and third-order drains were dominated (91 %) by dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and ranged from 34.4 ± 9.7 C m−2 yr−1 to 57.7 %, 16.3 g C m−2 yr−1 (± 95 % confidence interval). These fluxes represent a single-year survey which was strongly influenced by an El Ninõ event and therefore lower discharge than usual was observed. The magnitude of the flux was found to be influenced by water table depth, with higher TOC fluxes observed from more deeply drained sites. Radiocarbon dating on the DOC component indicated the presence of old (pre-1950s) carbon in all samples collected, with DOC at the most deeply drained site having a mean age of 735 years. Overall, our estimates suggest fluvial TOC contributes ∼ 5 % of total carbon losses from oil palm plantations on peat. Maintenance of high and stable water tables in oil palm plantations appears to be key to minimising TOC losses. This reinforces the importance of considering all carbon loss pathways, rather than just CO2 emissions from the peat surface, in studies of tropical peatland land conversion.

Peatland-ES-UK: a long-term, deep and holistic look at climate and management impacts on grousemoor managed UK blanket bog peatlands - carbon, water, biodiversity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Heinemeyer ◽  
Anthony Jones ◽  
Tom Holmes ◽  
Abby Mycroft ◽  
Will Burn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Treatment Monitoring ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Blanket Bog ◽  
Long Term Monitoring ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Term Monitoring

<p>Large parts of the rather cold and wet UK uplands are dominated by peatlands, specifically blanket bogs. During most of the Holocene, those peatlands have locked away carbon for many thousands of years due to water logged conditions leading to low decomposition rates and long-term accumulation of soil organic matter as peat. Importantly, this peat accumulation not just increases carbon but also water storage and provides many other associated and vital ecosystem services to societies across the UK, such as drinking water.</p><p>However, since around 1850, much of the UK uplands have been under grousemoor management to encourage red grouse populations as part of shooting estates, including controversial drainage, heather burning, and more recently, alternative cutting. Due to the rather weak and often conflicting evidence base around impacts of such management more research is needed to unravel climate and management impacts on ecosystem functions and associated ecosystem services. Much of the controversial evidence base is based on short-term monitoring of only a few years (potentially misinterpreting short-term disturbance effects as long-term impacts), single site studies (not capturing edaphic and climatic variability) and space-for-time studies, often with different treatments located at different sites (and thus limited in their ability or even unable to disentangle confounding variables such as site environmental conditions/history from actual management impacts).</p><p>We present long-term data from a previously government-funded, and currently multi-funded and to 10 years extended, peatland management project investigating ecosystem functions from plot-to-catchment scales on three grousemoor sites across Northern England. The <strong>Peatland-ES-UK</strong> project is part of the Ecological Continuity Trust’s long-term monitoring network and is based on a Before-After Control-Impact design approach. Each of three replicated field sites consist of two paired 10 ha catchments under previous burn rotation management and part of current peatland restoration work. After one year of pre-treatment monitoring, catchments were allocated either a continuation of burning or an alternative mowing post-treatment catchment management rotation (the latter containing several 5x5 m sub-treatment monitoring plots including no management). Monitoring includes assessing hydrology, water budgets, carbon cycling, greenhouse gas emissions, peat properties, vegetation composition and key biodiversity.</p><p>We shall provide new and sometimes surprising and even challenging insights into blanket bog ecosystem functioning in an ecosystem services and habitat status context, highlighting the importance of long-term monitoring, experimental design, spatio-temporal changes and remaining uncertainties. Specifically, we shall present findings about water storage (water tables and stream flow), long-term carbon accumulation rates (peat cores), recent carbon budgets (flux chambers) and net greenhouse gas emissions (including methane). We also present some peatland model predictions around various land use impacts on past, present and future carbon storage potential. Finally, we call for a joint funding commitment across research, policy and land user organisations to ensure the continuation of such joined-up ‘real-world’ experimental and long-term monitoring work, as part of a national applied research platform network, as it provides the “gold standard” to inform evidence-based policy directly related to practitioner needs.</p>

Comparative analysis of budgeting in the Slovene hotel industry

2011 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-100
Author(s):  
Gordana Ivankovič ◽  
Mateja Jerman
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Management ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Management Accounting ◽  
Hotel Industry ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Business Strategies ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Strategic Management Accounting ◽  
Standard Cost

The main purpose of the presented research was to investigate whether Slovene hotels that have a business strategy and strategic management accounting are more successful in comparison with those that still do not have a long-term business strategy and strategic management accounting.Hotels that have a business strategy and strategic management accounting are expected to be more successful in comparison with those that still do not have a long-term business strategy. Questionnaires were distributed to the management of selected Slovene hotels. The Slovene budgeting practices were assessed in Slovene large hotels, which have more than 100 rooms. The analysis was performed at the beginning of the years 2004 and 2008, respectively. Budgeting practices in Slovene hotels were assessed by analyzing the extent to which managers used strategic management accounting and the extent to which business strategies were implemented. The analysis provides evidence that hotels with a long-term business strategy are more successful than those that that have a short-term strategy, or are even without one. Although an improvement in the field of continuous budgeting in the five-year period can be ascertained, only a minority of Slovene hotels uses standard cost as a basis for budgeting. This was the first study that ascertained discrepancies between Slovenian budgeting practice and foreign best practices, which is undoubtedly of great interest for decision-makers on the level of individual hotel.

scholarly journals Assessment of Blue Carbon Storage Loss in Coastal Wetlands under Rapid Reclamation

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 2818 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Li ◽  
Jianhui Qiu ◽  
Zheng Li ◽  
Yangfan Li
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Carbon Storage ◽  
Coastal Wetlands ◽  
Carbon Emission ◽  
Blue Carbon ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Carbon Loss ◽  
Coastal Reclamation ◽  
Natural Wetlands ◽  
Reclamation Area

Highly productive coastal wetlands play an essential role in storing blue carbon as one of their ecosystem services, but they are increasingly jeopardized by intensive reclamation activities to facilitate rapid population growth and urbanization. Coastal reclamation causes the destruction and severe degradation of wetland ecosystems, which may affect their abilities to store blue carbon. To assist with international accords on blue carbon, we evaluated the dynamics of blue carbon storage in coastal wetlands under coastal reclamation in China. By integrating carbon density data collected from field measurement experiments and from the literature, an InVEST model, Carbon Storage and Sequestration was used to estimate carbon storage across the reclamation area between 1990 and 2015. The result is the first map capable of informing about blue carbon storage in coastal reclamation areas on a national scale. We found that more than 380,000 hectares of coastal wetlands were affected by reclamation, which resulted in the release of ca. 20.7 Tg of blue carbon. The carbon loss from natural wetlands to artificial wetlands accounted for 72.5% of total carbon loss, which highlights the major task in managing coastal sustainability. In addition, the top 20% of coastal wetlands in carbon storage loss covered 4.2% of the total reclamation area, which can be applied as critical information for coastal redline planning. We conclude that the release of blue carbon due to the conversion of natural wetlands exceeded the total carbon emission from energy consumption within the reclamation area. Implementing the Redline policy could guide the management of coastal areas resulting in greater resiliency regarding carbon emission and sustained ecosystem services.

Situation and Forecast of Construction Sector’s Carbon Emission

2012 ◽  
Vol 178-181 ◽  
pp. 718-721
Author(s):  
Rui Jie Liu ◽  
Zhi Hui Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Error Correction ◽  
Driving Force ◽  
Carbon Emission ◽  
Error Correction Model ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Correction Model ◽  
Economic Output

In order to describe the carbon emission situation of Chinese construction sector, this paper calculates the construction sector’s carbon emission and its efficiency of year 1994~2008 based on its energy consumption and economic output. And then the error correction model between the carbon emission and the output of the construction sector is established to predict carbon emission, with the effectiveness of the model proved. Using the error correction model, the long-term and short-term resilience of carbon emission is calculated, which indicates the main driving force of construction sector’s carbon emission is the overall output of construction sector.

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